Norfolk Terrier Breeder's Corner Page 2

Breeders Corner

Kafka said, "All knowledge, the totality of all questions and answers, is contained in the dog."

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The Bluebonnet Norfolk Terrier Club does not recommend, guarantee, endorse, nor rate these recommendations or contributors, their kennel or their stock. The purpose of this section is to share the knowledge and experience of breeders who have vast experience in whelping and raising puppies. The tips and tricks below are intended to augment qualified veterinarian care, not as a substitute for qualified veterinarian care of the dam and puppies.

Whelping: About 48 hours before whelping, the progesterone level drops to the 2 ng/ml range and within about 24 hours of whelping, the level drops to the 1 ng/ml range. This can help determine the proper timing of a c-section, especially if the progesterone level or LH level were not used to determine the ovulation date. By correctly determining the whelping time, it can prevent puppies from being taken by c-section too early and thereby decreasing their chance of survival

Contributed by Barbara Miller: Cinnamon is known to calm the uterus therefore as an afterbirth additive to let’s say a scrambled egg this is a great meal for the new mom in the whelping box.

Irregular Seasons: A bitch's heat cycle tends to follow her dam's - that is, if the dam has a regular 6 or 7 month cycle, her puppy is likely to follow that trend. If the dam has a 12 month cycle her bitch puppies tend to follow that pattern. Outside factors such as stress, strenuous exercise, diet and ovarian cysts can delay heat cycles and/or cause silent heats. .

Bio Sensor Program: socialization and temperament development regime.

Contributed by breeder Ramona Adams: You have to start with a healthy bitch, feed her good quality food, and keep her active up until delivery. The only supplement I use in her food is some yogurt and maybe a bit of cottage cheese. I keep life as normal as possible for her and introduce her to the box about a week before the pups are due. I temp her twice a day but I have had bitches whose temps have barely dropped before whelping. A classic was my Whippet bitch who was getting close but no temp drop. I decided to make a fast trip for groceries, expecting her to whelp that night or the next day and put her in her crate with her fuzzy rug. I got home about 2 hours later and found Dusty in her crate with 3 healthy nursing puppies and the crate and puppies cleaned up. it was her first litter and she did just fine all on her own. You need an extra pair of hands when you're whelping so get that set up in advance.

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