Articles Index/Whelping
Posted 12/18/97
I understand that one breeder read about the importance of "twitching" in newborn puppies in the Norwich Book and so saved some of the litter which faded. If you stand and watch a litter of pups during the first days after birth, you will see them "twitch" in different parts of their bodies. This is a sort of jumping movement and can sometimes be so strong it lifts the puppy off the bottom of the box. Only healthy puppies "twitch" in this way and while they do so there is little to worry about. So watch them every day to make sure they are vigorously twitching. If they don't or if they stop after having twitched to start with, then something is wrong, even though the pups may look fat and healthy. Sometimes getting an antibiotic into them immediately will save them. But unfortunately, it is not always easy to convince your vet that antibiotics are necessary, as the pups look all right and many vets do not know the importance of twitching.
Marjorie Bunting from Autumn 1985 Norfolk Terrier Newsletter
ANTIC, Summer 1986
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