J&A's Brittanys Preparation Continues

Daddy's girl. Her temp is back to 100 this morning. 

Whelping Preparation
Starting with the "Whelping Supply" list, I made sure to have everything on hand a couple of weeks ago.  We keep a well stocked supply of all manner of items relative to dog care, first aid, veterinary items etc. but I pay particular attention when we have pups due.  But since it's been 4 years there was a lot that needed replenishing. I still am awaiting the order from Revival Animal Health.  All the linen involved has been laundered and disinfected.  I think we may need to replace our digital postal scale that we use to weigh puppies.

I'm sure my Calsorb will be here in time to give to Holly once labor begins but just in case it's not John brought yogurt, cottage cheese, plus the ingredients for me to make a large quantity of our "Nursing Mother's Pudding."  Basically it is a a recipe for vanilla pudding made from scratch with extra egg yolks and corn syrup added to replace the sugar. I actually use a recipe called "Old Fashioned Cream Filling" from a cookbook called Cooking Downeast by Marjorie Standish.  You can see by the picture the pages are well used. Yogurt is a staple here for all of our dogs and is often added to their diet.  Cottage cheese is sometimes added to a nursing mother's diet.  Any calcium supplementation is best done shortly before, during, and after whelping.  In the past though the advice was to give a pregnant girl 1 Tum a day.  We really never had any problem doing that but science says calcium reserves in the mother are overwhelmed and basically will shut down when they are most needed. Mom's in whelp need to be able to have forceful contractions and too much calcium in their system is conterproductive as their body is fooled into thinking there is already enough stored.

Additionally, oxytocin (a naturally produced hormone) has been known to work together with the calcium in their body towards a better delivery.  Some breeders will routinely inject their girls with oxytocin (give a pit shot) during labor to speed things along.  My experience and understanding indicate this is dangerous to do without a vet on standby.  Old school says 'give her a pit shot' and get those puppies out!  In the event of dystocia (prolonged and dangerous labor) a pups presentation could be complicating the delivery such as blocking the way for other pups yet to come down etc. In this case, to indiscriminately administer a pit shot just for the sake of speeding things up could cause the death of some pups and even mom.  Ultimately though, it is beneficial for experienced breeders to obtain a prescription for oxytocin and have on hand.  We've never used this although it's been available to us. Instead we rely on the very natural act of the just born pup nursing on it's mother which should be adequate to bring about another contraction due to the release of her own natural oxytocin.  The early nursing is so crucial to pups overall well being too for they receive the valuable colostrum in their mother's milk.

It's suppose to be in the 90's today so we're staying cool.  John met our daughter and her children over to the training field early morning. Zuko (their other Brittany) had a nice run and pointed several of his birds.  A Brittany's happiest moments are when it's with those they love and especially when they're all together in a bird field!

Stay tuned... !
Take care and God bless, John, Ann, and All Things Brittany