My dog had puppies. What if she didn't bite off their umbilical cords?

What a cute little puppy!! I would not do anything to the cord stump at this time. Watch for redness, swelling and discharge. If you notice any of these things, or the puppy seems unwell then have it examined by your vet. If the opening into the abdomen does not close over properly there is the risk of an umbilical hernia forming which would need to be surgically repaired.

If the [puppy](https://www.petcoach.co/article/caring-for-newborn-puppies-their-mother) is still bleeding from the umbilical cord and if there is a long enough piece of umbilical cord, you can take some sewing thread, soak it in iodine or alcohol and try to tie it around the umbilical cord. This should stop the bleeding. If there is not enough cord there to be tied off , roll up some gauze, put it on the navel and carefully wrap a bandage around the puppy's abdomen using that gauze roll as a pressure pad. If you cannot do any of this , or if the puppy looks very pale or is lethargic, you need to take it to your vet today or an emergency room. There is a chance that your puppy could bleed to death if the bleeding is not stopped.

Your bitch may not act like the typical mother because she is way too young to have a litter, and her mothering instincts may not have kicked in yet. Have a box, lined with warm, soft twels ready. As each pup is born, the mom should cut the cord by "scissoring" it with her teeth. If she does not, tie dental floss about four inches from the pup, and at five inches from the pup. Scrape the section in between the ties with a butter knife (you can go back and forth) until the piece of cord is shredded (shredding instead of cutting "seals" the cord better)As soon aa the cord is cut (or before, if you have to do it yourself), clear the pup's airway with a baby bulb syringe--mouth first, then nose. Finally, rub the pup vigorously with a thick towel to get it mostly dry. Put it in the towel-lined box, Have a low-watt light clipped to one side of the box so the puppy can move into and out of the warm spot on the floor of the box. Watch to be sure a placenta is delivered for each puppy. Finally, between births you can give the pup or puppies to the mom to nurse, but remove them if another pup starts to come so she doesn't hurt them accidently. call the vet for breech (feet first) birth, retained placentas, excessive bleeding, or other concerns.

Thanks for reaching out about Chanel. You should leave it alone. The umbilical cords with continue to dry and fall off. Clipping could allow an infection to enter the body and could potentially lead to a serious infection. The mother should take care of things. Good luck.

Ensure the mother has cleaned their noses and nothing is obstructing their breathing. If the mother has not broken the cords you can tie off the cord with some cotton or dental floss sterilized with boiling water. Tie two very tight knots at least one inch from the kittens belly and half inch apart and cut between the two knots with sterilized scissors. She may eat the placentas when she is completely done with the [queening](https://www.petcoach.co/article/queening-giving-birth-in-cats) (delivery). If she doesn't, you can dispose of them after a few hours.

Poor pups. This can sometimes happen with the umbilical cords, especially if the sutures are placed close to the skin. I would not recommend placing any topical ointment on a bleeding wound. Instead I would suggest cleaning it with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water and then flushing it daily with just sterile Saline, both found at your local pharmacy. This will hopefully keep the area from getting infected until they can be seen. Take special care not to soak the pups and only use a gauze to apply this so that it quickly dries. Newborn pups can’t regulate their temperature until they are around 1-2 weeks of age. Then it’s best to take them back to your vet for a recheck exam since this is a complication from a previous visit. The vet may need to place skin glue to the open area and possibly give the pups some antibiotics. I hope that your pups are able to recover well. Best wishes and take care.

Unfortunately some dogs are poor mothers, and it's not normal that she bites them. The best thing to do is remove the puppies from Frickle to keep them safe, and you will have to bottle feed them yourself so they can survive. I will put a link below on how to raise newborn puppies, but please be aware that it is very time and labor intensive. You need to go out now and get some puppy formula. I recommend KMR, you can get it at a pet store or the grocery store. As for Frickle, I would have her spayed. When dogs are poor mothers, it's never recommend to breed them again, and she does not sound like a dog who should be bred again. http://www.2ndchance.info/orphanpuppy.htm