Whelping aftercare

Question
Hi!  I am considering breeding my female yorkie and I would like to know the usual amount of after care when whelping.  Meaning, if everything goes well and she is a great mom, how much time from work should I plan on taking off?  How much human interaction is usually needed on a daily basis for puppies?  Does the mom do most of the work?  Thanks!  Laura

Answer
Honestly I myself wouldn't work at all with a litter of pups. Even ten minutes with a pup in trouble can mean the difference between life and death. But if you really want to breed and work, I would at least plan on staying home until their eyes are open and they are eating well.  Which would be three or four weeks old. Even then you run the risk of hypoglycemia, which can kill a yorkie puppy SO quickly. I've never bred a litter and left them, so I'm a little out of my element on that one. Little toy dogs in particular run the risk of hypoglycmia and other issues that a good breeder can catch and quickly rectify. Those are things mommy has no control over. As for daily interaction, the more the better to develop a well adjusted baby. They need to be loved and played with from birth, to smell your breath and feel your heartbeat and touch long before their eyes and ears open. They need their feet handled, their ears touched. to be turned on their backs and have their tummy's rubbed. They need to be bathed and groomed and dried and their nails cut weekly after they are four weeks old or so. By the time they are three to four weeks old they should have food offered to them three times per day. They'll also need considerable cleaning up after as puppies make huge messes when eating and after mommy stops cleaning up after them. Their papers and bedding need to be changed at least twice per day with a complete disinfection. Their little bottoms need trimming by two weeks to three weeks to keep their feces from matting to them and causing impactions. They need to be dewormed every two weeks beginning at fourteen days old,. using panacur for a minimum of three days. They need their first vaccinations (bronchiosept intranansal preferably) at three weeks. a neopar vaccination at four weeks, their first five way at six weeks. They will need to have their tails docked and dewclaws removed at three to five days of age. Raising a litter of puppies is messy hard work, time consuming, expensive when done correctly, rewarding at times and heartbreaking at times. They need a heat regulated bed so that they don't get too cold or too hot. They need an area where mom is private and safe, and can get away from the pups as they get a couple of weeks old without them following her. It's quite an undertaking. Then you have the question of , what if she isn't a great mother? What if she has to have an emergency csection and doesn't want the pups , then you have to hand raise them. What if she developes milk fever and can't raise them, what if she has a weak pup that can't nurse, what if she dies? Alot of things to take into consideration. Anyway here's a website that I find to be pretty thorough and easy to understand. I hope you find it helpful :) And should you decide to go ahead and breed your girl, please feel free to come back for help and/or advice.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_giving_birth_to_puppies.html

blessings,
Cindi