We have reached the stage where the pups/kittens have been born, and we must now especially look out for them during this harrowing period of their first few weeks of life.
I had mentioned in one of the earlier articles that the mother dog (especially the first-time mom) sometimes is totally confused by this occurrence of childbirth and nursing of several squirming babies; yet, the care of the newborn pups is absolutely necessary – for one thing, it is important that a bond be established immediately between the mother dog and her litter. She must not be allowed to squeeze them to death, and even eat them.
Of course, if her milk is not flowing, she will be even more disturbed by the hungry, crying brood.
If that is the case, then your veterinarian must be consulted at once. He/she will administer a drug that will ensure the release of milk; this is, if the problem is hormonal and not a physical blockage to the milk flow, or some other deterring obstacle.
I should mention, in passing, that a weak pup may be rejected, especially if its body temperature is lower than normal. Nature has a way of getting rid of the weak. With the resources available to us, we can intervene and counter nature by removing and hand-rearing that puppy.
What else can we do? Well, as a rule, we should observe first-time mothers a bit more carefully. If we find that a first-time mother is mixing up the after-birth (placenta) with the puppy, and therefore chewing at the latter, then we should remove the puppies/kittens. In fact, any scrutiny that reveals the dam is refusing to accept the pups/kittens must result in the initial (and possibly perpetual) disassociation of mother from offspring.
Another observation might reveal that she is picking up her newborn pups/kittens in her mouth and removing them to a new location. This is a dangerous exercise, because she might clamp her jaws too tightly, especially if she feels threatened. This translocation of puppies/kittens seems to occur more often when the mother was not afforded a “nest” (of old cloth, newspapers, etc.) prior to parturition. Recall that in a recent “Pet Care” article, we discussed what was needed in preparation for parturition (birthing). For this reason, therefore, you must provide her with the nesting materials, and (even better) introduce her to the maternity site about a week before the actual birthing date.
Since a lot of the maternal confusion relative to the care of the newborn puppies/kittens is due to anxiousness, nervousness, and inflated possessiveness, we (your veterinarian) could administer a sedative to the mother. For me, this is a last resort, especially since the sedative will find itself into the milk and into the newborn puppies/kittens.
The prime consideration within the context of post-natal care must always be to ensure that the puppies receive, within the first few hours after birth, the colostrum (the first milk post-partum). This may even entail the actual milking of the mother dog and feeding the young ones with a nipple (nursing bottle) or a syringe or an eye dropper.
