[Marie]

Originally Posted by PrairieGirl

YES, you do need to have all things on hand to do anything mom can't do.
Was this your mother's first heat? That is often missed because they sometimes do not bleed enough for you to even see it. The next heat is usually "regular" and you will know it right away. Remember the rule of thumb is 7 days coming in, 7 days of bleeding, 7 days going out. She is ready to breed as soon as the bleeding stops.

Our 3 year old Yorkie just had 3 new babies last night. She was in light labor several hours but did not progress. Finally "feathered" the top of the vulva with a gloved and jellied finger to stimulate hard labor. First baby arrived within 15 minutes.

I had to tie two of the three cords (with dental floss). They all breathed on their own but sometimes don't. One especially tiny male (3 oz) I am having to feed every two hours. He was very weak, couldn't suckle, and crawled anywhere but toward his mom. She separated him out and he got very cold. (They do practice survival of the fittest) FYI he is stronger tonight than he was this morning - hope he is able to suckle mom soon and survives! The other two are already thriving.

With one I had to grab the placenta and tug gently several times to get it to come out. One came out with the puppy (like they are supposed to). One was retained and called for a trip to the vet for a shot early this morning.

We hope to NOT have to tube feed, right now he is sucking the milk replacer from an eye dropper - about 1/4 teaspoon every two hours.
It is fun, frustrating, rewarding, exhausting and wonderful! My mom is only 5# - yours may do better because of her size.
Good luck,
Jeanne

Jeanne,
I wanted to congratulate you for the new puppies. I hope all of them pull thru. Please keep us posted. Looking forward to see pics of the babies and mami when you can.