Two most vital tecnhiques, aspirating the airway and cutting the umbilical cord...

There are a lot of people out there who want to let the Bitch do all the work. "Let nature take it's course." While this may be some breeders way of whelping, I don’t take any chances when delivering my puppies. Once the pup has passed thru the birth canal, I will do most of the work from that moment on, (well, until it starts to nurse).

As soon as the puppy has been pushed thru the birth canal I will break open the placenta over the pupps face, (if not already broken from whelping). I will quickly aspirate the pups mouth and nose, beginning with the pups mouth and then nose.  There will always be some fluid and mucus in the newborn puppy’s airway.  Use a pediatric bulb syringe to remove fluid from the pup’s airway so it can breathe without getting fluid into it's body.

Not that I’ve cleared the airway I will crimp and cut the umbilical cord.  The attached Umbilical cord runs from the placenta to the pup’s navel. The placenta supplies the pup with oxygenated blood which can be returned to a weak pup by squeezing along the umbilical cord to push the blood back into the pup.

         I always crimp the umbilical cord with a hemostat about 1/2 inch from the pup’s belly.. Some breeders like to use wax-free dental floss to crimp the cord. I will now use my umbilical cord scissors to cut the cord.  Be sure to cut between the hemostat and placenta, not between the hemostat and the pup.

          If the placenta is not attached to the pup you must try to retrieve it yourself. Check the vulva to see if part of the placenta hanging out. With a dry towel you can grasp the placentat and pull it out.  It is very slippery and might tear apart while you are pulling.  If it sucks back into the birth canal it will delay the next pup birth, sometimes up to an hour. This can be very dangerous for the puppy next in line for whelping.

         Once the mother passes the placenta, I let her eat the first two placentas if she chooses. I will then discard the rest to reduce the chance of more vomiting or diarrhea.  Eating the placenta provides nourishment for the mother.  It helps promote more contractions for the rest of delivery, and helps with milk production and will cause the uterus to shrink back down to size after whelping.