四招保持幼犬卫生——GTG犬类健康系列

晨光

作者 oretta Marchese

对于繁殖新手来说，可能觉得保持幼犬卫生是一件很简单的事，但是事实证明他们的想法是错误的。幼犬，特别是的长毛品种，如果繁殖者没有对他们很好地采取以下最基本的卫生措施，就会出现一些健康问题。

1. 把毛修短

母犬往往会在产后的几个星期里对幼崽进行一般的护理。如果母犬做不到，繁殖者就应该介入
了。

事先做好母犬的准备工作，可以尽量减小她在分娩期间及之后所需要的保养。希望当你决定给自己的母犬繁殖之时，她已经完成了秀犬生涯。这样的话就可以在她预产期前的2个星期，将毛修短。因为大部分母狗在产后都会掉毛，所以大多数繁殖者会选择剪短她们的长毛。
建议使用10号或者15号的刀片修剪母犬胸部、腹部、直肠以及生殖器周围的毛。这不仅可以使母犬在分娩后得到更快的清理，也可以使幼犬更容易地得到护理，你也能更轻易地检查母犬的产奶和她的乳腺情况。
幼犬出生几天以后，就应该给他们修剪指甲。连续每周都做，可以避免幼犬在吃奶和护理期间，对母犬的乳头造成不必要的划伤。

2. 了解介入时间
在分娩后的2到3个星期，大多数母犬往往会对自己的幼崽进行一般的护理。他们让幼犬保持清洁，并帮助他们排泄。如果母犬不能做到这些，繁殖者就应该介入了。用醮着温水的棉签轻轻地擦拭幼犬的生殖器和肛门附近的地方，这将有助于刺激幼犬的排泄。

3. 监查问题死角
当幼犬的毛渐渐长出来，有许多地方需要你去关注，即使在2至3周龄的时候。第一个地方就是直肠区域。修短那里的毛并经常去检查，以确保幼犬的粪便没有粘在毛上。如果发生了这种事，幼犬将不能很好地排便，不去处理的话，问题将会变的很严重。
当幼犬开始自己可以站立，并对产箱外面的世界探头探脑时，他还是有一点站不稳的。修剪合适的垫子和爪子可以帮助他们得到更好的牵引，另外，这也将让他的肌肉得到更好的发展。

下一个要关注的部位就是眼睛了。根据犬种的不同，将眼睛周围的毛剪短或者拔掉，这将有助于幼犬减少刺激、受污以及感染的可能性。
最后一个地方就是耳朵了。除非有根本的疾病问题，比如感染，否则幼犬的耳朵应该是非常干净的。慢慢地把幼犬耳道的毛一点点拔出来，可以让他适应这种过程，并保持耳道的健康。一次性拔太多的毛，对幼犬来说，不仅是一种痛苦，也可能会对耳朵造成不必要的刺激。

4. 温和地引入美容
到了大约4至6周龄，让幼犬去做一个完整的美容是个不错的主意。因为所有的长毛犬在他们一生中需要定期地去美容，所以，让他们有一个温和的开始是非常重要的。美容器材的声响和期间的过程会让幼犬害怕，而幼小时积极的经历将大大地影响他们今后如何接受美容。


作者简介：比熊犬和贵宾犬繁殖者Loretta Marchese有着26年专业宠物美容经验，在她的许多荣誉中，有各种年度国际宠物美容师奖项。

翻译：卡卡

晨光

原文：
4 Keys to Good Litter Hygiene
By Loretta Marchese
Keeping a litter of puppies clean and healthy may seem like a simple task to novice breeders, but experience may prove them wrong. Puppies, especially of coated breeds, can develop health issues if their breeder fails to follow basic hygiene practices.
1.      Keep It Short
Starting with a well-prepared bitch will minimize the maintenance required to keep her in good condition during and after the delivery. Hopefully, by the time you decided to breed your bitch, she will have completed her show career. This way, putting her into a short pet trim approximately two weeks before her due date will be practical. Since most bitches usually blow their coats after having puppies anyway, most breeders routinely opt for a short trim.
Clipping the chest, abdomen, rectum, and genital areas with either a #10 or a #15 blade is recommended. Not only will this allow for a quicker cleanup after the delivery, but also the puppies will have easier access for nursing and you will be able to easily check the bitch’s milk production and the condition of her mammary glands.
As early as a few days after birth, puppy nails should be trimmed. Continuing to do so weekly will prevent unnecessary scratching of the dam’s mammary glands while the puppies are kneading and nursing.
2.      Know When to Step In
For the first two to three weeks after whelping, most bitches tend to the general maintenance of their litters. They keep them clean and help them eliminate. Should the mother be unable to tend to these needs, the breeder must step in. Using a cotton ball moistened with warm water, gently rub the genital and anal areas. This will stimulate the puppy to urinate and defecate.
3.      Monitor Problem Spots
As the puppies grow and their coats begin to come in, there are a few areas that will require your attention, even as early as 2 to 3 weeks of age. First is the rectal area. Keep it trimmed short and inspect the area frequently to make sure that the puppies stool does not get stuck in the coat. If this occurs, the puppy will be unable to defecate properly and can become impacted. This can be very serious if not tended to.

When the puppies begin to get up on their feet and start to explore outside of their whelping box, they are somewhat unsteady. Well-trimmed pads and nails will assist them in achieving better traction, which in turn will promote proper muscle development.
The next area of concern would be the eyes. Keeping the hair trimmed or pulled away from the eyes, depending on the breed you have, will help reduce irritation, staining, and possible infection.
Last would be the ears. Unless there is underlying medical problems such as an infection, their ears should naturally be pretty clean. Slowly introducing the puppy to having small amounts of hair pulled from their ear canals will get him used to the procedure as well as maintain a healthy ear canal. Too much all at once would not only be traumatic for the puppy, but could cause unnecessary irritation to the ears.
4.      Introduce Grooming—Gently
At approximately 4 to 6 weeks, it is a good idea to introduce puppies to a complete grooming. Since all coated breeds require regular grooming throughout their lives, it is of the utmost importance that you give them a gentle introduction. The sounds of grooming equipment and the procedures involved can be frightening to a young puppy. Consistent, positive experiences at a young age will greatly influence how they accept grooming for the rest of their lives.
Bichon Frise and Poodle breeder Loretta Marchese has been a professional groomer for 26 years. Among her many honors are multiple International Groomer of the Year awards.