My dogs due to give birth in 3 weeks!!

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Hi all,
My Frenchie cross is due to give birth in 3 weeks, she has been having her vet checks and her ultrasound and is perfectly healthy so no concerns there, however I am panicking about the birth and having everything I need!!

Is there anyone with experience who can offer some advice to what I will need to have in for when the time comes other than blankets and tissues etc for her whelping box?

Thanks for reading :)

Get The Book of the Bitch from Amazon, it's generally referred to as the "breeder's bible". Do you have real life support? From her breeder, or the owner of the stud dog? If you've no experience of whelping then nothing beats having someone experienced (and responsible, not just someone who churns out pups for cash) on hand to help, even if it's just on the phone.

Was her Frenchie parent from self-whelping lines and what other breeds are in the mix? French Bulldogs have a very high rate of requiring c sections, obviously your girl is a cross but depending on what she's crossed with (and what the stud dog was) she could still potentially be at high risk of developing complications. This isn't a bad article about common signs of complications during whelping. With a Frenchie cross though I'd always err on the side of caution given how prone to problems they are. Is your own vet open 24 hours?

Thanks so much for your reply,

Her parent self-whelped with no complications however I Do realise the high risk of complications involved with Frenchies.The vet is accessible 24hrs and it's within 5 minutes of where we are so should there be the slightest sign of trouble I will be sure to get her help.

Thanks for the advice on the book I will order that now as that where I am worried at the moment that I will have everything ready for her to be happy and comfortable

No I don't, I will do some research though see if I can find Any

Are you not still in contact with the breeder of your bitch? That's usually the first port of call if someone is interested in breeding, so they can be mentored through the whole thing by someone who is experienced. What about the owner of the stud dog? Do they have any breeding experience?

Although this is an American article it's worth a read. Obviously a lot of it won't be relevant at this stage but it gives the basics on whelping and immediate aftercare. Obviously there's the book I mentioned upthread and the Champdogs forum is a great source of information but nothing beats actually having some real life help.

I'd use vet bedding in her whelping box rather than blankets, you don't want to use anything that the puppies might get tangled up in. You get get it fairly cheap on eBay. Buy plenty so you can cycle it round as it needs washing. Get a heating pad sorted if you don't already have one, it should always be set up (under the bedding) so the bitch and puppies can choose whether or not to lie on it.

Is the whelping box already set up? You want her to get used to it before she actually has the puppies.

Have you got her food sorted? And a worming programme?

Yes she is having a mixture of wet and dry puppy food now and I intend to worm the pups at two weeks then follow the usual worming schedule :)

I sent a message to a kc registered breeder of Frenchies in my area which I found on the kennel club website and have just received a voicemail from her so hopefully she will have some positive advice for me!

Good idea about the vet bedding, I will get that and the book is now ordered. I intended to get her going into her whelping box more as of next week as she currently shares her room with my two other dogs and didn't want to split them up just yet. Thank you for the other info I will read now

Do you know anything about the breeder you have contacted? Unfortunately KC registration doesn't guarantee they're reputable and there are a lot of shitty Frenchie breeders about at the moment. I'd suggest getting in touch with the breed club and asking if there's anyone who would be prepared to help.

You should be worming your bitch as well, starting around now.

Nothing useful to input other than:

PUUUUPPPPPIIIIEEEESSSS!!!!

I love frenchies!!!

Oh really? I thought kc registration was about as good as it gets! On the website it says they had a visit from the kennel club themselves. I suppose I can only gather as much advice as poss and decide what's useful and not, will see what she has to say

I will go back to the vet tomorrow and get her some worming tablets as it's probably been about 7 weeks since she was last wormed, does she need doing more regular now?

Thanks again for all your help!!

The KC are just a registry, they have no control whatsoever on the quality of breeders who register their pups with them. The Assured Breeder Scheme is very flawed, it sounds good on paper but it's still no guarantee of a decent breeder. Whilst it requires breeders to do some health testing (though often not all tests that are available for any particular breed) there are no requirements as far as results go. In Frenchies there are health tests available which should be done prior to breeding but none of them are currently required by the ABS.

Presumably you've had your bitch hip scored, eye tested and DNA tested for hereditary cataracts and degenerative spinal myelopathy? Plus of course whatever tests are relevant for whatever breed she was crossed with.

Depending on what wormer you normally use she made need another one, they're not all suitable for use (or suitably effective) to use during pregnancy. Panacur is often recommended and the worming schedule is daily from day 42 until 2 days post whelping. It sounds like a lot but it's at a very reduced dose.

Shamelessly placemarking for puppy pictures.

Does your vet do home visits? Is it possible they be there to assist the birth?

Good grief. More unhealth tested Frenchie crosses. Just what the world needs.

I'm sure the registered breeder had a good laugh at the backyard breeder just expecting her to suddenly be a mentor.

These are things you should have learnt BEFORE breeding your dog, not after.

What midnight said. but hey , don't forget to think of a ridiculous name for your designer breed , then you can make ££££.

Then please use some of your profit to have your bitch spayed.