whelping

[Fairie]

Hi everyone my cavalier king charles is due to whelp anytime after the weekend (vets predictions) the thing i forgot to ask the vet was if i should seperate her from the male cav during the night etc. He's almost a year old and they sleep in the same bed etc usually. Anyone know how he'll react when the time comes? Do i need to keep him away from the pups for a certain time? Also how long do i need to keep the cat seperate from them?

[lankeela]

Before during and after whelping the bitch needs total privacy and any unwanted visitors should be kept away, otherwise she might react badly and even kill the puppies if she feels threatened. Even though they sleep together now, if he starts to show any interest in them she might panic. Do not let him in with her and the puppies until they are up and about on their feel, not only for the above reasons but for health reasons too, as he will still be going out I presume. The cat might try to get in and sleep in the whelping pen, and could lie on a puppy as they will be very small, so keep it away as well.

Keep the bitch somewhere warm and dark to resemble a 'den' in the wild and keep interruptions to a minimum.

Good luck, and get lots of sleep over the next couple of days, you are going to need it!

[lankeela]

A useful site:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+16 51&aid=916

Don't forget to give her calcium once she starts feeding her puppies, as the drain on her milk can cause eclampsia, which can be fatal.

[Fairie]

My vet has been really helpful. Took her today for another check up and she's doing well, the vet squeezed milk out of one of her nipples to check that she was producing and give her another once over, re-checked dates etc and said she should be fine and will probably have puppies after the weekend. Her scan a few weeks back only showed 2 definate puppies but then we were told she could be having more.

I have a cupboard which she normally sleeps in front of, in the kitchen (like a larder) i have emptied that and may start putting her in there to sleep, we could get a baby safety gate on their to keep the other dog out. The cat should be easy enough to keep out, she likes her own space.

Any help gratefully accepted, thanks

[lankeela]

If she is producing milk, I would think it will be sooner rather than later. Give her plenty of newspaper in her bed because she will want to tear it up and shred it to make a nest. Watch if you let her out for a wee, they have been known to drop a puppy whilst outside and if its dark you might not notice.

Make sure she has plenty of warmth, puppies need heat more than anything either a heat lamp or a heat pad under their bed, unless the room is very warm.

Its the things you don't think of that you might need - have the vets phone number written by the phone, make sure there is petrol in the car, and put a blanket in in case you need to take her in an emergency.

Hope all goes well, keep us informed.

[Goofy]

Good luck to you and your cav.

[Goofy]

what a fabulous site lankeela

[Fairie]

yeah lankeela, the site is helpful, not sure if i'm gonna have time to find a heated lamp. everything i read adds another dilema!

[lankeela]

If you have a farm supplies shop such as Central Wool Growers or any agricultural supplier they will have them as they sell them for pigs.

Make sure the lamp is high enough up for the bitch not to knock it or burn herself, and make sure there is enough room for the puppies to crawl to the other side of the whelping box or pen to get away from the heat if they get too hot.

If you can't get one, a convector heater or oil filled radiator near the bed will provide enough heat.

[Fairie]

All went fine and she had 4 lovely puppies