July 27, 2022
July 27, 2022 – A litter of one
A litter of one
Before puppies are due, we set up the whelping box beside my bed and encourage our expecting mama’s to sleep in it. I want them to feel comfortable and hopefully when the time comes, whelp their litter there. We were awakened in the early morning of Wednesday, July 27th, three days before Echo’s due date. As I do when puppies are almost due, I looked in the whelping box to check things out. Shining my phone light to see better I saw Echo awake but just lying there. A few minutes later I checked on her again and to my surprise, Echo had delivered her first puppy. I quickly jumped into action while my husband Tom woke my daughter to help with the whelp.
Even though dogs have natural instincts, it is important to be there when they whelp to oversee and help if needed. During the whelping process I like to let my mama’s dogs take charge and do things on their own – I only step in if needed! Echo had delivered her puppy on her own without a sound, but she just left the puppy in the whelping box and came to see me. I took her back in and tried to get her to look after her puppy.
Even with my encouragement Echo wouldn’t break the sac. I quickly broke it and then tried again to get Echo to take over but she couldn’t be convinced. It was obvious I would have to help! I removed the puppy from it’s sac, clamped and cut the umbilical cord. Then I made sure the puppy’s mouth and nose was clear of fluids. After I rubbed the puppy with a clean towel to dry it. This makes the puppy start to whimper and helps it breathe normally.
The puppy was breathing well and everything looked good so I gave Echo her puppy back. Her mama instincts finally kicked in and she went right to work cleaning and caring for her baby.
Weighing-in time
After some time with her mama, I took the puppy back to exam and weigh. It was a girl weighing in at 389 grams.
The wait was on for the next puppy to arrive. Echo seemed relaxed and happily cared for her puppy. Time passed but nothing. We finally decided to pack the puppy into a warming box and take Echo and her puppy to the vet. After an exam and x-ray, it was confirmed that this baby girl was the only puppy in Echo’s litter – A Singleton!
Back home again, Echo took to motherhood like a pro. She is an attentive mama and loves her baby!
