如何面对您的第一窝幼犬

晨光

没有哪一个百老汇的导演会在没有排练的情况下就随便上演剧目的，但令人惊讶的是，很多饲主在第一次面对刚出生的幼犬时，甚至还没有亲眼见过分娩过程。不过，天性是非常神奇的，大部分狗妈妈天生就知道自己该怎么做，饲主只需在旁稍加照料即可。但是，有统计显示，有百分之三十通过助产出生的幼犬大多活不过三周。尽管这听起来挺吓人的，但我们仍然要有信心。这里有一些方法可供饲主参考，它们能有效将第一只幼仔的存活几率提升到百分之七十。

对犬只的分娩过程进行详尽的了解；如果有必要，请兽医协助；记住正确护理新生幼仔对于第一次经历繁殖的人来说是至关重要的，这就好比演员必须将脚本谙熟于心一样。

有许多专业且优秀的著作是介绍繁殖和分娩的。它们大多有详细的相关说明，时间表及所需物品的清单。去买来一页一页地仔细阅读。对你有疑问的地方及时向兽医或专业繁殖者询问。没有什么比直观经验来的更为重要了。在经历爱犬产仔前需要做些准备工作，你可以先去看其他犬只是如何分娩的，这可以是你母犬的饲主一起，也可以和当地有经验的繁殖者。书上介绍说要用布把幼仔包起来，并轻抚和拍打它们，直到它们能自主呼吸。观察“拍”的快慢和“轻抚”的程度）——特别是在凌晨2点这个时间点——这是非常有帮助的。为分娩作准备，您也可以找一个优秀的（强调“优秀的”），有助产幼犬经验的朋友来帮忙，如果有必要的话，您也可以找一个乐意放下手中的事情来协助你的朋友。

当你打算做繁殖时，可以先找您的兽医师谈谈，看看她在日常就诊之外是否有空闲时间，提供专业的帮助。如果她愿意来处理可能发生的紧急状况，那就更幸运了，您可以提供给她一份日期记录表，以便可以较为准确的推算母犬的分娩时间。在预产期前一个礼拜的时候，记得再提醒下您的兽医师，尤其是周末的时候，她可能会忘记。当体温下降时，请马上通知兽医，当然，前提是你得确认她的电话号码没有错。如果想让母犬在急诊所生产，那么为了能以最快的速度达到，您必须事先确定诊所的地理位置，选定前往的路线，并计算路途的耗时。您可以向兽医咨询顺产或破腹产的过程。类似这些准备工作将会减轻很多过度的焦虑状态。

请在狗窝中照顾那些新生儿，或者你也可以买个专用的育婴箱，并控制好合理的问题。每一个繁殖者都会愿意向一个新生详述“最理想的”生产计划，大部分相关的书里也有许多经验建议，并配有图表。为了让幼犬能健康茁壮地成长，必须将它们安置在一个恒温的地方。（因为他们在最初几周是无法自我调节温度的。）同时，他们也需要喂食及母犬的舔舐（物理刺激）。

至于“产房”，并不是越大就越好。其中一侧的长度足够母犬伸展即可，另一侧则可以比母犬肩到臀的距离再长一点，这样的话，一方面可以让母犬有足够的空间从热源那儿得到舒缓和放松；另一方面，如果那些尚未睁开眼睛的小家伙们在窝里乱爬“迷路”时，母犬在这么个不算太大的空间里，也能很快把它们叼回到自己身边。

如果为保持温度而在顶部按上照灯，或是底部设置电热毯，那么需要在“产房”内添加个温度计。那些幼犬是本能地根据热源主体来判断母犬的位置的。十分便捷的是，这个舒适地带也是个“早餐吧”，它们可以不怎么耗费就能在这里吃完就睡，醒了再吃。如果外部添加装置太热的话，就会让这些小狗感到不安，它们会分散在窝的各个角落，而不是聚集在母犬身边。在它们出生后的最初几周时间里，幼犬会因为体力消耗太大（并非吃饱的原因）而拒绝进食。因此，让它们待在母犬身旁，以保存能量、维持体温是非常关键的。
一只体型瘦小或体质较弱的幼仔，即使跟普通健康的同伴在一起，它们还是需要额外补充营养。每一个繁殖者都必须要懂得如果给幼犬进行试管喂食。插管法包括将导管插入食道到达胃部，及注射针筒喂食两种。这对于一个新手来说，恐怕有些困难，但如果严格按照说明来一步步进行，那就肯定能成功。需要重申的是，向有经验的繁殖者请教学习，有助于初学者建立自信心。不过至少，您得保证在助产时，手边有必需品和指南类的书。而最关键的是如何处理体质较弱或患病的幼犬。

最后，您可以安装一个幼犬监视器，只是必不可少的一个部分。这个小装置能协助您照料新生儿。这个无线监视器可以确保在您偶尔离开时，仍然能监听到里面的一举一动。

有了这些充分的准备和基础的常识，您的第一次助产经历会实现您的梦想，大幕将徐徐拉开，准备好迎接这一群活泼健康的小家伙们吧。


作者简介：Catherine B. Nelson，曾获2004年AKC年度最佳繁殖者，于1975年第一次成功繁殖出丹第丁蒙梗。到目前为止，她已繁殖并拥有7只获得ROM（Register of Merit类似于终身成就奖）的犬只，70条冠军犬，其中5条获得全犬种BIS（全场总冠军），有8条获得第十一届国家单独展上的BOB。在过去14年间，她繁殖，饲养并指导的丁蒙梗在丹弟丁蒙梗排名中12年位列第一。

晨光

原文：
First-Litter Rehearsal
By Catherine B. Nelson, The American Kennel Club's 2004 Breeder of the Year

No Broadway director would raise the curtain without rehearsals, but an astounding number of owners face their first litter without ever having witnessed a whelping. Granted, nature is wonderful, and the majority of new mothers instinctively know what to do, needing only the owner’s comforting presence. However, statistically 30 percent of puppies delivered do not survive to 3 weeks of age. While this statistic may seem daunting, take heart. There are some extra steps each owner can take to maximize the chances that their first litter will be in the living 70 percent.
Becoming knowledgeable about the delivery process; arranging for veterinary help, if it should be needed; and understanding the correct care for the neonates are as important to a first-time breeder as memorizing the script is to an actor.
Many excellent books deal with reproduction and whelping. Most have detailed illustrations, timetables and checklists. Get several and read them cover to cover. Discuss any questions with your vet and with experienced breeders. Nothing beats firsthand experience. In the months leading up to the big event, try to witness a whelping, perhaps with the breeder of your own bitch or with another experienced breeder in your area. The books say to stroke newborns briskly but gently with a rough cloth until the puppies take a breath. It’s very comforting to have seen how fast is “brisk” and how firm a stroke qualifies as “gentle,” particularly at 2 a.m. For the event itself, cultivate a good (emphasis on good) friend who has whelped puppies and is willing to drop everything and come to keep you company and assist, if necessary.
When planning the breeding, talk with your veterinarian about her availability after regular clinic hours, should you need professional help. If she is willing to attend in case of emergency, thank your lucky stars, and provide her with a written note of the due dates as soon as you know the bitch is in whelp. Remind your veterinarian again the week before the due date, especially if a weekend may be involved. Notify her when the temperature drops, and reconfirm telephone numbers. If an emergency clinic will be your only option, locate the clinic, and drive there ahead of time, planning the route and timing the drive. Go in and ask about their procedures for whelping problems and C-sections. Such advance preparation saves much undue anxiety.
Caring for the newborns starts with building or buying the whelping box and planning temperature control. Every breeder will be happy to detail her “ideal” whelping setup, and most books contain excellent suggestions and diagrams. To thrive, neonates need warmth (since they cannot regulate their own body temperature for several weeks), food and the physical stimulation of the mother’s licking.
As far as whelping boxes are concerned, bigger does not equal better. A box long enough for the bitch to stretch out in one direction and slightly longer than shoulder to rump in the other will give her space to get relief from a heat source at one end and will be small enough to keep a wandering pup from getting hopelessly “lost.”

When using a lamp above or a heating pad below, do a trial run with a thermometer on the floor of the box. Pups instinctively seek their mother’s body, the key heat source for the pups. Conveniently enough, this comfort zone is also the breakfast bar, so with minimum effort expended, pups can eat and sleep and eat and sleep. Too hot of a setup makes the dam restless, and the pups scatter rather than pile up next to their mother. During their first weeks of life, puppies stop nursing when they are tired rather than when they are sated so their staying next to the bitch for both energy conservation and warmth is very important. (For more information on whelping boxes, see article on page 8.)
Even with a normal, healthy litter, a small or weak puppy may need supplemental nutrition. Every breeder needs to know how to tube feed. Intubation involves inserting a catheter down the esophagus into the stomach and administering the formula with a syringe. This is a scary prospect for the novice, but a foolproof procedure when instructions are carefully followed. Again, watching an experienced breeder is a big confidence-builder. At the very least, keep the necessary supplies and directions on-hand prior to the whelping. Time is of the essence when trying to save a weak or sick puppy.
And, finally, consider getting a baby monitor, an indispensable, little-mentioned item that helps you care for a new litter. A baby monitor allows one to occasionally step away from the puppy room but still listen to every little sound.
With good preparation and common sense, your first whelping can realize your dreams, raising the curtain on a batch of happy, healthy puppies.
Catherine B. Nelson, the 2004 AKC Breeder of the Year, whelped her first Pennywise Dandie Dinmont Terriers litter in 1975. To date, Nelson has bred or owned seven Register of Merit titled dogs; 70 champions, including five all-breed Best In Show winners; and eight Best of Breed winners at eleven National Specialties. She has bred, owned and handled the number-one Dandie in breed standings for 12 of the last 14 years.