Whelping Day
Nova arrived at our house on Sunday, June 2nd, to settle in before her puppies arrived. She has spent most of her days outside, enjoying the fresh air. Sometimes, she would go under the deck, but she always came out when I called. However, on the morning of June 7th, when Nova went outside and under the deck again, she wouldn’t come out. After much coaxing, I finally convinced her to emerge. She had been digging, which signalled that she was getting close to delivering her puppies. I would now have to keep Nova on a leash whenever we took her outside.
Later in the afternoon, Nova started panting intermittently—a definite sign that labour had begun. While we spent the evening watching TV, Nova alternated between lying with us on the couch and returning to her whelping box. She remained quite calm and didn’t seem anxious. I thought we would have a long night of labour before she whelped her litter.
To my surprise, her puppies arrived quickly in the late evening. She did an amazing job delivering and caring for her five beautiful pups.
Warning: This video has live births
Things to look for:
- Sterilize whelping tools
- Nova’s tail is wrapped to help keep it clean
- Nova delivered some of her puppies on the elevated bed just outside the whelping box
- Puppies in the warming basket while she delivers
Warning: This video has live births.
This Video shows Nova giving birth to her final puppy. When whelping, I like to observe and let the mama handle things. I only step in if needed. Nova, a first-time mama, did a fantastic job and knew exactly what to do!
Things to look for:
- The puppy was delivered head first in a broken sac
- Nova severs the cord
- I clear the airway with a Bulb Syringe Aspirator
- Nova cleans the puppy by licking it.
- Four puppies are waiting in the warming box
Nova’s litter of five beautiful puppies; three boys, two girls
Black collar
Orange collar
Blue collar
Pink collar
Yellow collar
Caring for Nova
It is essential to care for our mamas so that they, in turn, can care for their babies. It begins with prenatal care, which includes consuming high-quality food, and continues with postnatal care.
After whelping, our mamas don’t have a big appetite. We want to encourage them to eat to regain strength and care for their babies.
Their first few meals are boiled chicken breast. We also made a special treat called Mother Pudding. It is rich in protein and calcium, providing her with energy and helping her regain her strength. All our mamas love this pudding and are willing to eat it even if they are not ready to eat anything else yet.
Оху Momma
We start our mama dogs on a supplement called Оху Momma, a postnatal Vitamin that supports lactation and recovery. High-quality food and plenty of fresh water are a must to produce milk to feed her babies. Nova made a quick recovery and had a good appetite soon after birth.
Caring for the puppies
Before puppies are born, they receive immunity and everything they need to grow from the placenta. After birth, newborn puppies do not possess immunity. A mother’s first milk, colostrum, is a protein-rich, nutritious, balanced, and protective food. The special milk provides passive immunity, which can last several weeks and protect them from various infections and diseases. For this reason, in the first twelve hours after birth, the puppies must nurse frequently and build up their passive immunity. (Passive immunity is short-term immunity that results from introducing antibodies from the puppy’s mother. Compare this with active immunity – the immunity which results from the production of antibodies by the immune system in response to the presence of an antigen.
Expert Nursers
Puppies are born with their eyes and ears sealed shut; they cannot see or hear. They must rely on “smell” and “touch” to find their mother. Born with a natural instinct to nurse, puppies become more proficient as the days pass. The puppies are now nursing experts!
Keeping the puppies warm
Newborn puppies cannot regulate their body temperature, so they depend on their mother and littermates for warmth. For the first few days, Nova spent all her time in the whelping box, feeding and caring for her babies and keeping them warm.
Now that the puppies are a bit older, Nova relaxes on the elevated bed outside the whelping box. She also spends some time downstairs with us or outside for a short break. It isn’t long before she wants to return to her babies.
Neonatal Period
The puppies are in the Neonatal Period, which lasts from day 0 to day 14. During this period, puppies spend their time eating and sleeping. On Tuesday, day 3, we began ENS exercises (Early Neurological Stimulation), which will continue until day 16. We perform ENS daily during our weigh-in time. Research shows that these tiny struggles and stresses in small doses are beneficial for puppies. The advantages of ENS include greater tolerance to stress, increased resistance to disease, a faster adrenal system, and a stronger heart rate and heartbeat. This is a gift that a breeder can only provide to their puppies during the 3 to 16-day window.
Puppies continue to receive lots of handling to become accustomed to the human touch. Part of the “Puppy Culture Protocols” that we follow when raising our puppies is socialization.
ENS
ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) begins on day 3 and continues through day 16.
Stresses below
- touch each paw
- hold upright for five seconds
- hold with head down for five seconds
- lay on back for five seconds
- place on cold cloth for five seconds
Research shows that tiny struggles and stresses in small doses are beneficial to puppies and will help them grow into strong, healthy, well-adjusted adults.
Benefits include greater tolerance to stress, increased resistance to disease, a faster adrenal system, a stronger heart rate, and a stronger heartbeat.
ESI
A new addition to our program – ESI – Early Scent Introduction. Scent is how puppies perceive the world. These exercises are performed once a day from days 3 to 16. ESI exercises introduce puppies to new scents in a controlled manner. It’s important not to overdo these exercises, as they are effective because puppies of this age are highly sensitive to stimulation. Introducing natural scents early on can assist with:
- Boosting brain development
- Improved scenting ability in later life.
- Boosts confidence and stability in adults.
Looking Back at week one
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK TWO
- Much the same as week one – Eat, Sleep, Repeat!
- Puppies will continue growing
- Puppies still crawl; hind legs will become stronger
- Eyes should begin to open towards the end of the week – so exciting !!!
