My Tinkerbell is due on Sunday!!!
 

My Tinkerbell is on day 60 and will be on day 63 on Sunday. I just have a few questions that I wanted to ask before everything starts going nuts with wonderful cute little puppies.

Here is a little back ground. This is my first time having and delivering puppies. I am a certified nursing assistant so hopefully this will help. Tinkerbell is 3 years old as of September 1st and this is her first litter. I can't wait to see what kind of a mother she is going to be.

So here is one problem I am running into right now. Tinkerbell has really long hair and I do not want to cut it. I have experimented with it and it works okay, but is very time consuming. I am going to try and attach a photo of her all braided. LOL. Anyone have any other ideas about what to do?

I am pretty new to this site and have already fell in love with the amount of information that is on here. Thank you for everyone giving their personal experiance. It has been a great help.:aimeeyork

I also have a Tinkerbell due in 11 days and is 3 yrs. old!

My Tinks coat is long too. I am going to trim up her skirts though. It grows back fairly quickly. I don't know for sure if the braids will tangle up around a pup or not. I think it's better to be safe than sorry though. Some breeders wrap the hair up or use hair ties. But I just cut it for her to be comfortable for the next 6 weeks.

How many is she having? Mine is having 4...saw on x-rays.
Good luck and congratulations!

More pictures. I just love her so much.

The first one is of Tinkerbell, I and a friend from High School in Fairbanks, Alaska. Very beautiful state. I love it.

The second one is the both of us walking on the beach in Homer, Alaska looking for whatever ocean treasures we can find. She loves this.

The third one is the two of us taking a nap while camping in Homer.

The fourth is Tinkerbell on Flat Top, one of the moutains here in Alaska. She did it all by herself too.

We love to camp, hike and outdoor things.

I believe that she is having 3. I desided not to do the xray and I just listened the the heartbeats on her stomach. Congrats on you having puppies coming too. It is very exciting. Is this your first litter?

No, she has had Morkie puppies before, this is her 1st purebred litter. Bred her with my 3 lbs. male.
I find it to be helpful to have x-rays ($135. here in AZ.) :eek: so I know when she is done delivering and can make sure we have all the placentas safely out.

Yeah it is about the same here. I have been told that if she has any trouble what so ever to take her in. So I have been thinking that I would just do that. She seems to be handling it okay so far. She is big and uncomfortable, but still doing good. What were the things that you find that you most with delivering puppies? I have towels, a bed, medicine dropper, dental floss, thermometer and going to get a scale also. I just have not had the chance.

Hi Sharon I am scanning thru the breeder talk section cuz I'm hoping my Lexie is pregnant and I'm reading up all I can, anywhere I can. Came upon your thread... don't know if the braids are a good or bad idea, but loved the pictures. Also, in the second set, love the picture on the beach. I have a daughter that just moved to Anchorage in August with her fiance. He is in the Air Force. Anyway, good luck to you and Tinkerbell; I'll be watching for news of her puppies!

This is a wonderful state if you can make it through the winters. The first one is always hard. Well if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask. I am on here for as much info as I can get. I am sure that there are questions that I am forgeting to ask or not even know to ask about. The more the better.

So is this going to possibly be your first litter?

Quick stop for the umbilicals if needed, a warm box for between pups, I use a heating pad on low with a towel over the box. A suction bulb to suck out mucous, sanitary wipes to clean her up between pups, chicken noodle soup for afterward for mom, emergency vet #, keep them warm by draping a blanket over crate and don't allow a fan to run in the room. Open the sacs quickly if mom doesn't. You can rough them up alittle with a towel to get them moving. Record weight every day to be sure they are gaining. Check for cleft palate. If I think of some other things I'll post back to you, oh yeah 1 large pot of coffee...it always seems to happen in the middle of the night! Hopefully anything I've missed the other members will post for you.

Thank you so much. Some of those things I already have. Thank you for the reminder on the others. Great idea to check for cleft palate. I did not even think of that what so ever. I am so excited and nervous.

Sharon,
Congratulations on your upcoming litter. About the hair...all I can say is that after Lexie gave birth to 7 puppies in July, I had to cut her hair short because the hair was not allowing the babies get to her and I was afraid they would get too tired fighting the hair and wouldn't nurse. I didn't cut the hair around her face and ears or her tail. The puppies are 8 weeks old now and Lexie's hair is still shorter than I like, but I have 7 of the most beautiful, healthy babies you would like to meet!! Good trade!! I love your pictures. We live at the opposite side of the U.S. in Florida, and we are still in the 90's here. Keep us posted about your babies, and enjoy..they grow so fast!!!
If you ever have any questions, please ask or PM me...I will help as much as I can!

The braiding is adorable. Best wishes on your litter.

Thank you so much. Hopefully it will work and I will not have to cut her hair. If it comes down to it I will cut it, but I want to do everything I can to make sure that she keeps it.

Your yorkie is so cute in that pink outfit. Sometimes I wish that mine was able to wear clothes like she use to. I guess that would be a perk to having her hair short.

Sunshine's hair has always been kept long. I didn't cut it for the babies. I DID shave her tummy a little to clean it up some. The babies never had a problem with the hair. Also don't forget the heating pad. I read up on everything I could find before Sunshine had her litter and I think the most important thing I found mentioned over aND OVER IS TO keep them warm. pUPPIES WILL DIE VERY QUICKLY IF NOT KEPT WARM. i ACTUALLY HUNG A THERMOMETER IN THE WHELPING CAGE TO MOnitor it (sorry about the caps). What was recommended to me by a breeder was
1st week: 85 degrees
2cnd week 80 degrees
3rd week 75-80
4week and over- 70-75

Here is a great article all about whelping and puppy care

http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/medical/whelping.html

And this site has a wealth of information on yorkie whelping including pictures of the birth process
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/whelpingpictures.htm

Good luck!
Sonya

Thank you so much for you input. :thumbup: Did you do anything special to keep the babies from getting tangled in the hair? Also thank you for the websites. Great information. I have the heating pad, but it is one of those that turns off every 20 minutes. Does anyone know where to get one that will stay at a certain tempature for long periods of time?:confused:

I have an update on Tinkerbell's puppies. I went and had an xray to be on the safe side. Tinkerbell is going to have 5 puppies!!!! WOW!!! And I thought that there was only 3. Man would I have been suprised on delivery day. There is some bad new though. One of the puppies looks like it has died and is being reabsorbed into Tinkerbell. I guess that is a good thing because Tinkerbell is so small and this is her first litter. But wow I never imagined 4 live and kicking puppies. I guess that I should not get my hopes up just yet. I will add the xrays as soon as I can find a way to get them on here. They are just so great to look at. I love them. I think that I might just have them framed and put on the wall. :D

Oh some good information that I have learned from my vet.

1. Calcium suppliments should start the day that the female gives birth. NOT BEFORE.

2. Becareful with using vanilla icecream inbetween puppies because they can be lactosintolerent. This can be very harmful to there health. Expectially if you did not know that they can not handle milk products. It might even be only a problem when they are pregnant. Yikes!!! :eek:

3. It is okay to let the mothers eat the placenta, but if she does not want too, that is okay too.

I hope that this helps anyone that is on this site learning like I am.

Thank you everyone for all the great information and I can't wait to learn more. Have a goodnight.

I didn't do anything special. Sunshine's hair is very long, but those puppies KNOW where to get thier milk and the hair just never seemed to get in the way. I will post a picture of her and one of her and the babies.

I got my heating pad at Walmart. I actually had Sunshine set up in her x-pen. I layed a vinyl tablecloth down, then set up the pen on top of it. In one corner I put her travel crate with the door and the top taken off. (After the babies were born I put the top back on and kept it covered with a small blanket to help hold in the warmth. I placed the heating pad under the back half of the crate, then a towel on top of it before putting the crate in there. Outside of the crate I used pish pads (washable potty pads) then in one corner I put regular potty pads and in another corner put moms food and water bowls. I got some warm fleece at the fabric store and pinned it all around the xpen except the door. Then I used a sheet over the top of the entire x-pen. In the daytime I would pull the sheet back so it covered only 1/2 of the xpen and cover the whole thing at night. It kept them nice and warm without Mom getting too waRM AND SHE COULD COME OUT of the crate if she was too warm. I kept the heating pad on low the first 3 weeks. then I turned it off during the daytime and on low at night. Hope this helps.
Sonya

You'll hear lots of opinions on letting them eat the placentas...I let my moms eat a couple and that's it. Otherwise I find they have diarrea afterwards.
I'm glad you are getting a wealth of info here. I'm also glad you got the x-rays, it's so nice to know when it's really over and you can relax.

Thank you so much for putting my mind at ease about her hair. I just love it so much. I am going to have to go to walmart tonight it looks like to find another heating pad. The only ones that I could find were the ones that turn off after a certain time. Darn safety standards. HEHE. Great information about it though.

The crate is a good idea. Tinkerbell has taken to a laundry basket with blankets in it. So I just let her have it. She is really pertective of it twords the cat, so I think that she has her spot already picked out. Weird, but very cute.

On another note....your furbabies are very cute. I love the bow in her hair. Too cute. Thanks for all the wonderful information. :)

That is what the vet told me. He said if she eats too much or whatever she will have bad diarrea and that can cause more trouble then it is worth. I am really happy that I know that she is going to have 5 puppies. I thought that there was only 3 and that is from the heartbeats that I could hear. Thanks for the information.

My husband me Zada and Azrael will be in Ft. Greely Alaska around January or February. We will be there for two years, but we will be back home every seven weeks for two weeks. We will be going to Fairbanks each week-end for shopping and a little get-away. I've been buying the girls their winter gear and will now start on mine. I would like to meet you and Alaska Yorkie while we are living up there. :D Good luck with the new additions. ;)

I would love to meet you. I am in Anchorage so it is quite the drive from Fairbanks. But if you are ever in Anchorage let me know. I would love to see your babies and meet you.

P.S. If you buy the little booties for your babies make sure that they get use to them asap. You will laugh at the way that they walk. :yelrotflm

My video on youtube
 

I have some video that I uploaded on youtube of Tinkerbell and her babies still inside. All five of them.

Update: Still no babies yet and she does not seem to be showing any signs that they are going to be coming soon. Still waiting.....

Do you have a link to the youtube video?? Congrats on the new puppies coming!! I have a litter of himalayan kittens due soon...so I feel your excitement!!

Dawn

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/blE5CUd6QTo"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/blE5CUd6QTo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

Update: Still waiting...
 

Sorry about that. It did not work as intended. Here is the url:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blE5CUd6QTo

Congrats on you upcoming litter. It is just so exciting.

Update:

Tinkerbell has not had her puppies yet. The last time that I took her temp it was 98.7. She has been panting, which is something she very rarely does and right now she is just resting on the cool linoleum. We are still waiting...

I love the video!!! And I also hope you catch the birth on video because i would love to watch it

That is sooooooooo neat...seeing the puppies kicking!! I also hope you catch the birth on video!!

Dawn

Youtube video
 

Oh I hope that I catch it on video too. Youtube needs more information on yorkie welping for us people who have never done it before. Maybe ease the nervousness a bit. AHHHHH!!!!!

Best wishes with your birthing experience.