Bokkie's Shih Tzu Whelping Story:

This is Bokkie's first litter.

I was on the way home when I got a panicked call from my 17 yo; Mom Bokkie has obviously gone into labour very quickly and had already had a puppy and it was dangling still attached to the placenta. She was walking up and down in the bathroom floor with the puppy being dragged around on the cold tiles. Jon broke open the sac and dried and tried to warm the pup. The next pup was quite quick to come after that. And I arrived home seconds after it was born. Again Jon opened up the sac and I tried to calm Bokkie who was quite stressed. I persuaded her to lie down in her bed. And the next ten minute were spent frantically trying to get puppy 1 warm enough again and then getting the two pups feeding.

Well done to Jon, if he had not kept his head while talking to me on the phone, we could have lost the first pup at least! He know knows how to deliver puppies! Between talking to us on the phone, and the Internet he managed just fine.

Bokkie went on to 4 more pups - how on earth did she fit them all into her tiny abdomen, no wonder she was so big! Two of the pups were breech and she managed just fine - well done my sweet Shih Tzu lady! Except for her first panic, she whelped so well. Here are some photographs of a puppy being whelped.

The little sac bulges as little Shih Tzu Bokkie pushes. It should be a head out first but it is not. A breech puppy.

Out come a breech Shih Tzu pup with a little help - no problem!

Mommy Shih Tzu is very tired this time and needs help with breaking opening the sac.

Into the receiving blanket pup goes for a good rub and drying off. The weather is chilly and although the room is as warm as toast I take no chances of the pups getting cold.

I also swing my pups upside down to get all the fluid out of the lungs. The head and neck need to be well sported and gravity does the rest.

 It is over seven years since last I have delivered pups (I used to breed Bichons in NZ); so I was a tiny bit nervous, but the rhythm of it all came back to me with the greatest of ease. And I still love the amazing miracle of a new life coming into the world.