I have to admit...
 

That I'm very nervous about this whole cord thing.:rolleyes:

I feel I'm all ready for the labor, but I have heard some say that they let the bitch chew the cord and some say that they cut it.
Since I have never done this, I'm very nervous at what to expect when the pup is coming out.
I feel that I should cut the cord so it is done right. Is it all about timing? Will Baby mess with it after I have cut it? If I put iodine on it will Baby leave it alone?
I guess I'm getting nervous cause I know it's going to be happening very soon! :eek:

It's best to usually tie off the cord as close to the pup's belly as possible, before cutting...about 1/2 inch from the belly....apply white idodine..
Allowing mom to chew the cord leaves to much to chance that she'll chew too close and/or pull.....No pups don't mess with it....neither does mom.

I thought if you got it to close it could cause a hernia :confused:

Are there any videos online which show pups being born so that you could get more of an idea? Do you know anyone close to you who can mentor you?

I watched a whelping video but he let the bitch chew the cord.

I have a mentor lined up, but if it's in the middle of the night or if he is at work, then I'm screwed lol

I would recommend cutting the cord. It eliminates completely the possiblity of the the female getting over zealous and chewing to closely. I can't stress to you how important it is going to be to have an extra set of hands there for the whelp. When the pups comes out, you need to make sure the female isn't walking trying to drag the pup (like mine does:rolleyes: ), cut the cord, make sure sac is opened and pup is suctioned and breathing....basically all at the same time.:( Just keep calm while you are doing it all and don't panic.:)

If it's at night my husband will be here with me. he also watched the whelping dvd to help and be prepared. I know I will stay calm, I just don't want to mess this up.
I have all my stuff, I just got my hemostats yesterday, I have the suction syringe. The scale, towels, wet wipes, paper towels, blunt scissors, puppy formula and bottle, quick stop, birth record chart, iodine (does it have to be white iodine) johnsons baby shampoo, heating pad, hand sanitizer, place to keep pups warm while she is giving birth to other pups, and her whelping box. Any thing else I may need that you can think of???

tie off about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch from the belly is probably as close as you're gonna get.

I always feel prepared too but when she goes into labor I am as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof. I always cut the cords so mama won't pull a hernia. i guess, really, I do everything. I get too nervous to let them take the sac off it's face. They are too slow.

I always feel prepared too but when she goes into labor I am as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof. I always cut the cords so mama won't pull a hernia. i guess, really, I do everything. I get too nervous to let them take the sac off it's face. They are too slow.

I planned on taking the sac off the face. I would be all jittery waiting for her to do it!
I'm sure i can say I will be calm now cause she is not in labor lol

I always take the sac off too. When I clamp, I put one clamp about 1/2 in. from baby's belly and another one about 2 in. from that - closer to mom. Then cut the cord. I leave the one on by mom so I don't lose the placenta. Just stay calm... it will all happen and you'll be doing it before you even realize!

I don't know what my dogs would really do without me lol they've never chewed a cord before. Well, only after I've cut and tied it and put on idione, the rascals.

I can't believe they would want to lick and chew on something with iodine! YUCK! :eek:

I'm nervous just reading this thread. :eek: But I am sure you will do fine! Good luck and can't wait to see photos. I will be thinking about you and sending happy thoughts your way!;) Theresa

Boy I'm going to need them!

I wish i could just get all of you to come here and be with me lol

There is this T-Shirt and my daughter is always saying this " You Can Do It" I need that shirt lol

A magazine and a drink.;)

I have zero knowledge on what to do but I just wanted to say that Im sure you will do a great job! I know you are a little nervous now but when she starts having those precious babies you will know what to do you have done a lot of research and sound like a prepared grandma!

hi sweetie if you get really nervous and its in the middle of the night you can call me if you wanti really dont mind you can pm me if you want my phone number..... and gl im sure you wil do just fine hun... keep us posted

I'm sure you will be just fine Missy. It was a first for me too when Lexie had her pups 4 weeks ago. I printed and read (and re-read, and read again) everything I could get my hands on while Lexie was PG, and when the time came, I was very hands-on! When those pups came out, I made sure Lexie's mouth got no where near the pups belly cord, and after making sure the pups face was out of the sack, cut the cord myself. I was pretty proud of myself at how I handled the whole thing and I am sure that you will do just as well. Good luck with the whelping...I'll be watching for the good news.

Missy you will do just fine, I do everything from taking the sac off to cutting the cords then cleaning them off and getting them warm asap, just watch Baby very close cause Lilli will still try to chew on the cords after I get them done and she does this for awhile so just watch very close. Lilli's last litter I thought she was cleaning the pup and making it use the bathroom and really she was chewing on the cord and I about didnt get it in time, I had just enough to tie it back off and the pup was bleeding awful so keep a close eye on evrything Baby does.. Good luck and I say everything will be just fine :)

What nice offer. Good luck Missy.

Thank you guys for all your support, I truly appreciate it soooooo much!
I will PM you for your phone # JUST IN CASE!

I second that.. make sure you keep a close, close eye for a while. If you can't tell exactly what is going on, butt in. We just lost our first pup yesterday, the one I had to take to the vet to get stitched up.. I'm sure everything will be fine, but I would deffinitely recommend clamping and cutting, this is what I will do in the future. It was a hard lesson learned :( Anyways, I'm sure you will do great, I'll be praying for you both.. and of course the little ones!

I have a small pile of wash cloths for cleaning and rubbing the puppies and this last whelping I needed to get a puppy out and I had KY jelly and a glove on hand. I think it helped as I inserted one finger and tried to get the puppy turned the right way. Most likely everything will go as nature planed it but sometimes there are kinks in the plan, that is when it is nice to have a lot of YT people to help you.

You will do fine, try to relax and get ready for the most exciting ride, it is a miracle to watch.

I do have gloves, I forgot to mention them. I was trying to remember what all I had when I typed my list. But I also bought a 12 pack of white wash clothes and washed them, so they are all ready. Got a stack of newspapers from my mom today, so I have them now. I do have KY, I have been using that to take her temp with.

Ohh and I'm stocked up on coffee! ;)

a garbage bag close by to put the nasty stuff in and a paper and pen to write down birth times and weights and markings and sex of each puppy. It sounds like you are ready!!! It is a bit stressful but it is so exciting too and it will be the same way with every litter. Best of Luck to you and your mother to be. Do you have the stuff on hand incase the puppies need extra feedings, goats milk?? nutra drops? chunck of beef liver in the freezer? these kinds of things.

Funny you ask about goats milk, cause I was going to get some and let Baby drink that while she is birthing. Would this be ok to give her before and after the births? How much can she have?

Beef liver??

I do a goat's milk mixture of : 1 can of goats milk, = parts of filtered water....1 egg yolk and one tablespoon of white Karo....give this to mom right after she is done whelping.....I give her about 1/4 cup and give it to the first 24 hours after whelping. Then 12 to 24 hours after whelping a POP shot is administered. This insures that all foreign tissue is expelled to prevent any infection and assists with the milk letting. The best thing to do for pups is rub NutroDrops on the gums rather than giving them anything else.

I usually set up a card table right beside the whelping area....with everything that is needed.....surgical gloves, alchol, cotton swabs, distilled water, surgical scissors, wash clothes....extra bedding, scale, vet's # KY, unwaxed dental floss, Dopram V, NutriDrops, Sterile 3 inch guze pads to dry inside pups' mouth, Betidine Skin Cleanser, Hemostats (kenny forceps 7"), white iodine. baby bottles and nipples, Tube feeding kit- No5 toy feeding tube for toys, glucose solution, Esbilac or Just born, Rectal thermometer, Room Thermometer to monitor temp of whelping area which should be approx 80 degrees. Syringes 10CC and 20cc for giving medicine and measuring forumula, pure glycerin, eydrooppers, blood stop powder, Silver nitrate sticks to stop bleeding at umbilical area, Nasal syringe (infants to suction nose and mouth.

Remember no matter how well we're prepared....we all tend to run around like Keystone Cops....

And a comfy place to plant your self while waiting ;) I'm always on the floor right with her and still need to get myself something comfy! I need a bean bag!