I've been asked to recommend a good book to help guide a first time breeder through the process of mating, birth and rearing the litter.
Before you ask, they're booked in for the relevant health tests for Miniature Schnauzers and they have some people who want the pups. Owner is also prepared and able to keep any pups should there not be enough suitable homes.
So if you want to be well bred how can you be well read?
Is there an really practical UK book on breeding?
Any other tips? I've not bred a litter for decades. When we did we used a pig lamp and my dad made a wooden whelping box with pig rails. What do other people use who don't have a master carpenter in the family!
We were also very hands on during the birth. Cutting chords etc and moving pups into a separate box with a covered hot water bottle as we had massive litters and there was always another pup on the way. What's the current school of thought - who lets their bitches DIY? And I seem to remember the vet used to come to give an injection to make sure there wasn't another pup or a placenta stuck - but I guess these days everyone can have scans so knows how many pups to expect?
Any other advances in breeding you can pass on?
Beverley Cuddy
Editor- Dogs Today
It sounds as though the person asking the question is very responsible and wouldn't dream of failing to get veterinary treatment if it was needed. However can I stress how essential it is to be prepared for really heavy veterinary costs (potentially of the order of £1,000) if something goes really wrong and a caesarian is needed at an unsocial hour.
ReplyDeleteAlso, ask the vet's advice about recognising when labour has started and how long it's reasonable to wait before getting professional help.
I've only today had an enquiry from a lady who "rehomed" (by which I think she meant bought cheaply) a young pregnant rottie a few days ago. The new owner was asking what she ought to do because she thought the dog had been in labour for two days now with no sign of pups; she didn't even know how to go about finding the telephone number of a vet. This was ignorance, not deliberate cruelty, but the distinction isn't much good to the poor dog.