The floor of the area where the puppies are is of great importance. Ifit is of concrete or rough wood, it should he covered with severalthicknesses of burlap or cloth before the bedding is put down. If therough surface is not covered, the pups will wear away their navels,infection will creep under the skin, and the puppies will die unlesstreated promptly. Indeed thousands of puppies die each year from in-fected navels.
Treatment for this consists of cleaning away the infected parts andinjecting an antiobiotic. An antiseptic powder or ointment should be applied and worked under the skin, which should then be covered witha gauze pad bound in place by adhesive tape. It is best to keep thepuppy under treatment isolated and carry it to the mother for nursingfive or six times a day. The puppy should be treated until the skin hasgrown across and healed. Another method is to dissect the infectedarea away and suture the skin together. Healing may require five daysOr more.
As soon as puppies begin to crawl about, a pen must be made forthem. They can use sand runs. Grass and concrete are the devil's owndevices for spreading worm infestation. The best plan for small kenneldogs one that has everything to recommend it and few drawbacks is to provide a wire-bottom pen. The wire for the bottom of the pen, one-inch square mesh, should be 9-or i-gauge, preferably welded. Lighter netting soon breaks, unless thepuppies are a light breed. Smallish bitches can be kept in this kind ofpen and allowed to whelp in the hutch.
