Yesssssss
 

Hi All,

Just succeeded last night...... 5 boys & 1 girl (though I'm a girl lover!!! LOL). She did most of the cleaning and sacs openings herself; I only had hands-on on 2 occasions since she was distracted by the weening of the rest of the puppies. First delivery was at 9.30pm and by 11.45pm the whelping box was full of life.
You were right that there is no need to put coloured ribbons. Although they all seem identical, there are little things to identify each puppy with.
I'm a bit worried since there seem to be little milk supply in the nipples. I am giving the bitch some warm milk (Lactol) every 2 hrs.
Guys, got to have a nap, otherwise I will sleep ifo the pc.
Tnx

congatulations!

Congratulations! Glad that all went well, keep us updated if you could...

Congrats :)

The first couple of days all you will get is cholestrum (sp) which is important for the pups to get... then the milk will come in.

Make sure you are supplementing the mom, with that many pups... there are more experienced breeders on here that will give you that information.

have fun :)

Hi to All,
On the second day I noticed that 2 of the pups did not gain much weight; they were so small (less than 3 oz) that they did not even hang on to mama's nipples for more than half a minute. So we decided to bottle feed them ourselves every hour. We also arranged an incubator setting the temp a little higher than the actual rearing box. After 24 hours they seemed to be picking up but unfortunately on day 5 they faded out in a very short time. (I can still hear their murmuring cries ....)
The rest of the pups are now 10 days old, and thanks God are doing fine. We are augmenting mama's diet with 4 pills of Calcidee daily and 4 Conditioning tabs, and milk supply (Lactol) is generously given 4 times daily. Regarding food, her main diet is chicken and Hill's puppy food, sometimes adding some boiled rice. Just after whelping her waste was a bit dark (I let her have all placentas), but now is back to normal.
Well we hope that the other 4 pups will get along fine. They differ slightly in weight between themselves but are all growing constantly.
One other important thing that we are very careful about is not letting many people visit since in Malta there is an outbreak of Parvo!
Regards to all.
John

I am sorry to hear of the two that were lost, but that was a large litter for a yorkie, so perhaps it was just not meant to be. If this happens for you again, I would suggest not removing smaller pups from the litter to an incubator, just supplementing with the bottle and then placing them back in the whelping box with the rest. They need the stimulation of the mother's care to thrive. I keep the heating pad underneath just half the box, so they can wiggle to the cooler/warmer end as needed. Sounds like all else is going smoothly. Enjoy the new babies!

Good luck with the Momma and babies. I cant wait to see pictures.

One never forgets the sound these babies make when they are succumbing to Failing Puppy Syndrome. Some experienced breeders recognize it in time to save the puppies but Nature has a way of taking care of things sometimes no matter what we do..I use BeneBac when my babies are born and then several times when things that stress puppies occur. That is weaning, vet visits, changes of residence and so on..
I am glad to hear the others have survived. I agree with Sylvan about the care of tinies..I do not let my moms have more than 2 placentas..they do not need the hormones from more than that, I have been told. Also, moms can get the messiest diarrhea and that is hard on her..I don't know how much elemental calcium is in the calcidee but mom only needs a supplement of 200-300 mgm daily. Does your vet think the milk is necessary? I do not give it to mine but I know some who do...
I am with everyone else and waiting for pics..

Pics
 

HI All,

Finally I got some pics......
At 5 weeks the pups are now fully independent (and naughty!!!) ;)

Hi John!

Congrats on the new 'naughty' ones ;)
They are beautiful! You have been given great advise from members with experience. I work so I have my vet whelp. Someday I hope to be more hands on for the whelp, until then I must pay someone to do it for me :eek: But we do whatever it takes to make sure our babies are healthy.

Where is Malta?

Hugs,
Wini