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Anonymous
HAVE HER X-RAYED SO YOU DON'T END UP LOSING MOM AND PUPS!!!
Seriously, if you care about the dog or if you care about her pups you will shell out the $75 to have her x-rayed so you know just how many and the relative "size" of the pups she will be expecting. I can not stress enough how many cases of dystocia, fetal death, and ultimate tragedy could have been prevented because this one little "picture" was ignored.
It's good to know the relative size of the stud, because if mom's smaller than the dad I might consider preparing for a c-section. Puppies don't "keep to scale" when they develop, they will be an average between the parents.
When she goes into labor, if she strains for an excessive period of time... meaning 30+ minutes and absolutely NOTHING is being produced (like heads or feet) GET HER TO THE VET ASAP. If you know how many pups she's going to have, and she's not had the last one or two and it has been over an hour since the last puppy has been delivered CALL THE VET AND GET IN ASAP. These are critical periods where medical intervention is necessary. Do not hesitate. If it's a false alarm and she delivers on the way over, then at least you were being pro-active.
Puppy birthing is a messy, gross experience. Make sure wherever you plan on housing your dog during her estimated delivery date to be "disposable" and easily cleaned. Think newspaper, towels, and linoleum. If you have a plastic kiddie swimming pool, that makes for a fine "pen." Make sure wherever you chose, that it's quiet, doesn't get a lot of traffic in your house, and is free of drafts. Make sure she has plenty of water available. More than likely she won't be hungry during delivery, but she may take a break and feel snackish... just be aware she may get nauseated so keep things light.
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