I need help...

[myjordash]

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

Thank you, and congratulations on your babies. I am sure you are exausted. Just out of curiosity, if you didn't know to pull the Placenta, would it have blocked the canal for the others to be born? And what do you mean by "one was retained and called for a trip to the vet"? May seem like silly questions, but I really just want to fully understand as much as I can. I will make sure to print the list on the website about all the supplies. The person just posted as if it was the norm to always pull the puppy out with every contraction, always tie the cord, and always have to sling the puppy in order to clear the fluids from the puppies lungs. I understand to have the stuff on hand in case it is needed, but I didn't want to interfere with the process if the Mommy is doing OK on her own, of course with me their and watching everything. Was this your Yorkies first litter? Just wondering. One last question, what exactly is "feathered"? I just don't want to misunderstand anything. These are things I have not read about in any book or on the computer.

Thanks,

Audrey

[YorkieRose]

A retained placenta will not block the remaining pups from being born..they can slide right over it..I have had entire litters born and not seen any placenta's until it was over and they start passing. I have seen a pup and a former pups placenta come at the same time.

I give a shot after whelping to clean the mommy out...so you should see the vet within 24 hrs to make sure all is well.

You can get any retained placenta's out without the vet..massage the uterus. Start at the top and work your hands down the body..it is just like working sauage out of a casing.
Good luck

[chachi]

Congratulations on your upcoming puppies!

[PrairieGirl]

Good morning, Audrey. My babies are doing great! The tiny one (still feeding) lost 1/4 ounce first day but today he has gained it back. Mom is keeping him warm now and cleaning him so we are getting our hopes up a bit.
This is Lexy's 2nd litter - she is 3 years old.
No, a retained placenta will not prevent another puppy from being born. It MUST come out to prevent infection in the mother. Just watch, count the placentas and make sure you have one for every puppy. We think our babies got "tangled". Baby one was fine, baby two couldn't come because of the tangled cords. When he did finally make it out, there was only a couple of inches of cord showing. Couldn't pull any more. Had to cut and tie. This is NOT the norm. Usually everything goes like clockwork. :-) When you do go to the vet, they give a shot of oxytocin (sp) which causes the uterus to contract - spitting out anything retained. Good idea always.
We started to the vet's because I knew there was another puppy and a retained placenta and it had been several hours. And, actually, puppy 3 was born on the way to the vet and I do believe both placentas came out but we continued our trip because I wanted her to have the shot anyway.
slinging the puppy - if the puppy is breathing, it doesn't need slinging. I don't like to interfere if it is not necessary.
Feathering - Put on a rubber glove, KY jelly on one finger. Gently, gently, gently insert in Mom's vagina and feather or tickle along the top. (one joint of your finger is far enough). The gentle stimulation will usually cause stronger contractions and get things going.
If a mother has a normal delivery and everything progresses as it should, I wouldn't do anything more than getting a shot afterwards and having the vet check all the puppies.
Jeanne
rversonthego@gmail.com

Originally Posted by myjordash

Thank you, and congratulations on your babies. I am sure you are exausted. Just out of curiosity, if you didn't know to pull the Placenta, would it have blocked the canal for the others to be born? And what do you mean by "one was retained and called for a trip to the vet"? May seem like silly questions, but I really just want to fully understand as much as I can. I will make sure to print the list on the website about all the supplies. The person just posted as if it was the norm to always pull the puppy out with every contraction, always tie the cord, and always have to sling the puppy in order to clear the fluids from the puppies lungs. I understand to have the stuff on hand in case it is needed, but I didn't want to interfere with the process if the Mommy is doing OK on her own, of course with me their and watching everything. Was this your Yorkies first litter? Just wondering. One last question, what exactly is "feathered"? I just don't want to misunderstand anything. These are things I have not read about in any book or on the computer.

Thanks,

Audrey

[SoCalyorkiLvr]

Congratulations on the litter!