[Yorkiemom1]

I just attended a webinar on "Caring for the Puppies"....which was #4 in a 4 part series about Managing your Breeding Program, Managing your Brood Bitch, Managing Your Stud, and lastly, Caring for the Puppies. Dr Marti Greer is a wonderful reproductive vet with much credability and experience..."expert in the field" would not be too strong a term.
She stresses that it is NOT normal or to be expected or accepted to loose puppies. Puppies are lost the majority of the time because there was something that was not addressed by the breeder. ALL deceased puppies should be autopsied....you have to know WHY your baby did not survive. If the tapes are offered for this webinar, I would strongly advise you to purchase them if this is a path you are going to take. Bringing puppies into the world should demand an enormous amount of research of both parents, in order to avoid genetic issues....one can always jump up and bite you in the butt, but you must do all you can to be knowledgable about your pedigrees and lines. You must be able to resusitate a puppy without hesitation, with confidence and determination. Any interference you have to provide, in order to help that baby survive, you must do. Immediate response to situations that you are closely monitoring, will keep you from finding yourself playing catch up, trying to jerk that baby from the jaws of death....you act immediately, go straight to the problem, address the problem, and continue to monitor the results. Time can not be spent or wasted, trying to let momma or a surrogate think about if they may want to take care of this sick baby.....YOU step in and do whatever is necessary to solve the problem, IMMEDIATELY and quickly. This requires MUCH dedication and devotion and a committment to spend whatever time is needed to help that baby fight for its life. There are things as a breeder you can do that PREVENT issues...like not allowing mom to cut her puppys cord....that avoids the possibility of mom disemboweling the baby by chewing and pulling on the cord....YOU tie and cut the cord and do the cord care twice a day...lots of babies die from massive sepsis due to poor cord care....this MUST BE DONE WITH TINCTURE OF IODINE!!...not soap and water, alcohol, hand sanitizer, betadine, surgical soap,etc.... but done correctly, bacteria enter the open wound and set up massive infection in the peritoneal cavity. I could go on and on....this is NOT a cake walk. I will answer your question....I USED to loose puppies more frequently, then I learned to to prevent 98% of the losses, and it has not happened to me in over 6 years. I have NEVER found a baby dead in with mom...I am closely monitoring my babies and I pick up on subtle signs that indicate there may be an issue brewing, and I address that immediately. I never leave a sick puppy alone...I NEVER operate on a "wait and see" pace......I eat up vacation days, and when I have no vacation time left, they go to work in my bra.....I carry sick babies around in my bra. Our YT member, "Gemy" (Gail) also attends these webinars and she will post a link where you can buy tapes of the webinar, if it is offered to people that did not attend the class. If it is offered, it will be the best money you will spend this month.