It is important to direct each newborn puppy to a teat if the mother does not push it in that direction herself, so that it can drink the colostrum (first milk), which contains protective antibodies that confer passive immunity on the puppy (in contrast to the active immunity gained through vaccination or infection).
When the number of puppies is less than the number predicted from the X-rays, a new abdominal X-ray should be taken in order to find any missing puppies and avoid an unnecessary Cesarean if they are found... in the mother's stomach. In fact, it is not uncommon for the mother to eat stillborn puppies along with the placentas.
Some homeopathic herbal products aid the emptying and involution of the uterus. Some simple rules of hygiene help prevent the uterus from becoming infected during the expulsion of the lochia (greenish discharges during the three days following parturition). Systematic use of antibiotics is absurd in economical, medical and sanitary terms. Not only might the antibiotics pass into the milk and poison the puppies (sometimes causing malformation of the dental enamel), they also select for resistant organisms against which they are no longer effective.
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