hello,
i wonder if anyone could advise me,our litter is now 8 days old and coming along great,putting on weight,feeding v.well etc..However mum doesn't seem to be stimulating them for quite long enough and i noticed that they had been a bit unsettled  and so i have been giving her a hand using cotton pads and warm boiled water wiping them down towards the tummy,this seems to have worked but i wondered if there was anything else  i can do to help or if its better to use something other than the boiled,cooled water,she is feeding them herself and they are not being topped up at all,i haven't come across this before in my pups although i know it can be a problem in hand reared pups,
kind regards.

You could try putting a little sunflower oil on their bottoms :D this will encourage mum to lick them and clean it off - stimulating them in the process.  If you still have to keep stimulating them a little sunflower oil will prevent chafing and dryness :)