birthing

Question
Hi-di-ho...
K here goes, I have a gorgeous (aren't all poodles)white mini poodle approx 6-7 yrs old ( & pregnant). She mated with my handsome 1 1/2 yr old poodle (2nd go round, 1st time didn't work).what I need to know is,when, she finally goes in labor (& as long as I'm home) WHAT DO I DO..Cant afford to take her to vets for this, so what should I or what do I need to know? ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!

Thanks,
<3 my Babies (luv my babies)

Answer
Hello Michelle,
Of course they are gorgeous, intelligent, loyal, and one of the best breeds you could ever ask for if you ask me.  
This is a response that I wrote for another person that had a Standard Poodle that was pregnant.  There is alot of information and even some questions that she asked me and my responses below.  Feel free to use this site or my e-mail address if you have other questions about this or other questions in general.  

There is alot of information here, but I feel that you will benefit from it all.  If you need other information or have other questions, you can e-mail me at MsTopkdog@yahoo.com, or feel free to ask me another question here.

Dogs are usually pregnant 63 days from the first breeding.  You should start to see and feel the babies moving, around the 45th day or so.  This is also when a Vet can tell on an ultrasound if puppies are present and how many are there.  

You will know she is getting close to birthing when she starts to get a waxy substance on her nipples.  

If you feel comfortable taking her tempurature (rectally) you can start taking it twice a day around the 60th day.  This should give you a normal temp of around 101.5 (a dogs normal tempature).
As she gets closer to birthing, her temp will drop some and when it gets to 98.0, she will have puppies within 24 hours, though she can have them before it drops all the way to 98.0.

She might also start "nesting" or looking for a place to have the puppies. You might want to think of a good place for her to have the puppies, and start to get it ready for her.  Put some towels or old blankets down for her, and top it with some newspapers (birthing is a very messy job, so use several layers of newspapers for the actual delivery and you can throw them away as they get soiled).  Introduce her to the "nest" and let her get comfortable with it, so that when the time comes, she will be used to the "nest box" and will use it rather than the middle of your bed or inside your closet.

To be ready for when the puppies come, you will need some supplys to help the mother in her birthing process.  

Puppy Supply Kit:
TOWELS-you can never have enough towels.  They come in handy to dry the puppies off and to help clean up the female in between the births.
PAPER TOWELS-helps clean up the afterbirth.
DENTAL FLOSS-used to tie the umbilical cord to keep it from bleeding.
SCISSORS-used to cut the umbilical cord after you tie it off.
NAVAL IODINE-used to dip the stub of the umbilical cord in.
INFANT BULB NASAL ASPIRATOR-also known as the Nose sucker.  This is used to clear the fluid from the nose and mouth of the puppy.  Try to get the older type that has the long tube on it rather than the new type that has the plastic tip on it.  
PEN AND PAPER-if you want to take down time of birth, color, sex, and weight of puppies.
NUMBER OF YOUR VET-just to have it on hand.

Instructions when the puppies start to come.  
You will first see the mother start to push and you should see a puppy start to come out, hopefully head first.  When the puppy is out, tear the sac away from around the puppys face and use the nasal bulb to suck mucus from the nose and mouth.  If the placenta (afterbirth) isn't out yet don't pull it out, it should be delivered within a short time after the puppy is born.  Go ahead and tie off the umbilical cord with the dental floss close to the puppies belly.  You can then cut the cord away from the placenta.  After this is done, the mother may eat the placenta. Its ok to let her.  Its natural and actually healthy for her.  Do watch that she doesn't eat it until its off the puppy.  Some mothers will try to bite the umbilical cord themselves and they can either get it too short or can tear the puppies belly, so its best that you cut the cord for her.  
Next dry the puppy a little bit with the towel and make sure its breathing (see below if puppy isn't breathing or having trouble) then you can put the puppy down by its mother and let her lick it off some.  
Now, watch for the next puppy.  
Sometimes the births happen fast, sometimes slow.  Be prepared and walk yourself through the process a couple of times so that you are ready when it begins.
 
Offer your female plenty of water during this process as it takes alot out of her.  You can also give her some canned food if she will eat it, to keep her strength up.
If your female needs to potty during the process, go ahead and let her, just watch her to make sure that she doesn't deliver a puppy while relieving herself.  If she does start to deliver, don't worry, it has happened before, so just let her deliver as normal, wait for the placenta to come out, pick the puppy and placenta up and take them inside, cut the cord then dry the puppy off and let mom lick the puppy.  
After the mother licks the puppies for awhile, put them on her teat so that they can nurse.  Watch to make sure that they are nursing ok and get a good grip on the teat.

*If a puppy isn't breathing, rub it with the towel vigorously on its chest.  Make sure that all the fluid is out of the nose and mouth.  If it doesn't start breathing after this, hold it at chest level and gently drop your arm downwards a couple of times.  If you have a needle (any kind will work ie syringe needle, sewing needle, even a stick pin), stick the puppy in the end of his nose and keep it there for about 10-15 sec. (this helps stimulate breathing)
If this still doesn't start the puppy breathing, put your mouth over the puppys nose and mouth and give a very small breath. Repeat until puppy is breathing, or until you feel that the puppy has expired.  This sometimes happens for whatever reason, so don't blame yourself and don't feel bad.  You have other little lives that will go on.

I know that this is allot to take in, but once you go through it a couple of times in your head, you should feel more comfortable with the process.

IS A PUPPY PEN WITH THICK BLANKETS SUITABLE FOR BIRTHING?
The puppy pen is ok for a birthing area, but if you want to stay and assist, you will need some room to maneuver around and a kitchen or bathroom floor is advisable.  Instead of blankets, I would suggest newspapers with soft paper towels laid down on top.  Birthing puppies is a very messy job and you will need to remove the soiled papers and put down fresh or have plenty of layers so you can keep removing the ones that get wet and dirty.  (if you worry about newsprint getting on the female or puppies, most newsprint places sell or give away end rolls of unprinted paper that makes great paper to lay down under the female and puppies.)  
Once the puppies are all out, you can go ahead and put mom and puppies on blankets or towels.

DO STANDARDS USUALLY DO OK OR ARE C-SECTIONS COMMON WITH THIS BREED?
We seldom have had complications with our females delivering puppies naturally.  You shouldn't have any problems, but since problems sometimes occur, have your Vets number handy and you may even inform him/her ahead of time so they are prepared to help you if something does come up.  Also, even if its your dogs first time, most mothers will take to birthing naturally.  She may seem confussed at first, but after the first puppy, nature kicks in and the mother seems to know what to do.  Do be there just in case though.  Better to be safe than sorry.

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask me.  

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim