Can anyone tell me please if it is right that I have heard that you cut the cords with fingernails instead of scissors?

Take it you are talking dogs, if so yes, grip the cord with both hands and pull apart with the help of your thumb nails. Not explained that very well sure someone will tell you better, I am not sure how to put it, you just do it ;)

Yes, if it's necessary (though I've never had to do it - the bitch has always done it herself) they should be torn with the nails and not cut (a tear seals quicker than a cut).

Any that my bitches don't deal with themselves I put between my thumb and forefinger then with a sawing action I use my nail to 'cut' it.

Yes, but it is very rarely necessary.  One of the things I don't think we mention very often (at all) when giving information on whelping is to keep your hands very clean.  Scrub hands, cut fingernails and scrub again.  There is a lot of mess around at whelping time and you don't want to risk introducing any infection into your bitch though your dirty hands

I have never heard of that...wow what you learn, something new all the time  :)

I always cut the cord with a pair of scissors and on a slant sorta speak like you do with plants. Then I squeezed the other end with a clean cloth. It never bled at all and worked like a charm....of course everything was clean and steralized....I cut the cords on all my bitches litters and never had a problem doing it that way.

Make sure you leave some cord, better to leave a little more then to cut to much off.

I've always used a pair of scissors (much more hygenic & I haven't got any nails to speak of anyway) Never had a problem.

I am surprised at these "always cut" "always tear" - surely there should be no "always" as the bitch will do it herself? Is it commonplace that certain bitches dont perform this task?

The reason i asked this ques was when we bred are westie in 1988 she was really good mum but she ripped the umbilical cord out of the puppy and we battled to save him for 2 days and it was heart breaking so thats why i asked cause i could'nt go through that x

OK Fillis. If I cut the cord - and I do prefer to get there before the bitch as they can be very rough, pick the puppy up by the cord, bite it right off etc etc. They may be excellent mums, but they don't know everything & the only time I've had problems was with a pup who could have bled to death if I hadn't intervened because Mum bit the cord right down to the skin.

Hi Fillis, perhaps this is a breed specific thing, as certainly none of my pug bitches and few of my American Cockers have any inclination to deal with their own pups.  I deliver, open bag, cut/tear cord, get breathing and dry off each pup, weigh and identify, then give to Mum.  On the rare occassions I have not done so (eg another pup arrives while dealing with first, or had to leave whelping box for a moment at the crucial time, the bitches simply ignore the new born in its sac!  I have friends with other breeds whose bitches do the whole thing, but out of all mine only 1 ever wanted to!
bye
Gwen

It must be a breed-specific thing, Gwen. I have never had to intervene in any whelping, apart from put one first-born back into the whelping box because mum thought she was going to poo in her bed, so she leapt out, and Alfie was born on the dining-room carpet! All the bitches have dealt with everything themselves. I'm there in case of emergency, but I've never had to do anything.
:)

I asked this question because I wonder if sometimes we are too quick to intervine - we want to do whats best for our bitch and puppies, but its difficult in certain matters to know just when our help is needed, and whether we give it when it is not really necessary. I too had a puppy from my first litter that the bitch took the cord right to the stomach, and the amount of bleeding was frightening. The vet advised styptic drops and pressure until he arrived to see if a stitch was necessary, - all was well in the end - but I did wonder if my help would have avoided that situation or interferrence if my bitch didnt need it would have caused other problems. She had no similar problems with the rest of that litter (her first, and and it was not the first born) or her second litter. 

The only time I usually interfere is to cut the cord as my bitches seem to be a bit overenthusiast about this & puppies in my breed have died when Mum's pulled their intestines out. I'm always present for the birth, check the pups are OK and will maybe shift puppies around if things get a bit hectic. I have helped a little with enormous singleton pups & I can only say that in 20+ yrs I've never lost a newborn puppy & have only lost one puppy in all that time - pts at 6 days when he weighed less than when he was born. I'm sure if bitches could use scissors they would :D

I use sterilised scissors as by the time my pups are here I have chewed all my nails off LOL is it just me or do you all nail bite :)

Has anyone tried these umbilical clamps I have seen advertised?

I didn't assist at ALL!  Out of the 15 pups, Daisy did nip two pups cords a bit close.  But I was right there with some styptic powder that stopped the bleeding right away.  I had some infant scissors on hand in case she didn't do what she should, but she was a great first-time mom and I didn't need them.  But after all I had read/heard by the time she whelped, I think I would have opted for "tearing" rather than "cutting".  Just my opinion.  :)

I haven't used the clamps but I have bought them for my next litter. A very experienced freind of mine always uses then with great success.   My first litter the bitch did it all but I was wanting to be prepared in case.

Time will tell :-)

I would be really grateful if someone can give a bit more info on the clamps.  They are shown on the whelping page of the canine chemist catalogue and as this is the one part of whelping that I am not looking forward to, anything that makes it easier would be great.

I am sure my nails will have disappeared totally by due date and I don't like the thought of slicing through umbilical cord with the stumps of my fingers!  Yuk!

I just hate doing it with my nails, I find it quite difficult as the cord is so sinewy.  I prefer to use scissors, but would really like to hear of anyones experiences with the clamps, as I am thinking of getting some.  I dont like the bitch pulling and tearing at the cord.