Dog Whelping

Dog Whelping - Nature's magic at work...

DOG WHELPING

A dog’s natural instincts will generally take over when labor begins. However, depending on your relationship with your canine friend, she may find it more comforting to have you by her side during the birthing process. Less confidence is very often experienced in domesticated animals during birthing, and certain pure breeds are renowned to have particular problems with whelping. Always discuss the potential problems of whelping with your vet prior to the whelping process.

Listed below are some of the actions that should be undertaken in order to assist your dog in the best possible way before and during the period of whelping.

1. Predict when and how it will happen. For most dogs, the gestation period is approximately 60 to 64 days from the last day of their heat.

2. Keep a close eye on your dog when you approach the due date. She will more than likely begin to drag clothes or towels to a dark location which is hidden away from noise and traffic. It will be more difficult to assist your dog during the whelping process if she is hidden away; therefore, it is important to prepare a “whelping box” with washable items as lining such as towels and old baby blankets, which is at least 6 to 8 inches tall on the sides. It is important to respect the fact that dogs prefer to give birth in the dark, which is why most births occur at night. A cleared out closet would be an ideal location to place a whelping box.

3. Once she has reached seven to eight weeks of pregnancy, it is important to check her temperature rectally on a daily basis. When her temperature drops to below 100, labor will begin within the next eight to twelve hours.

Labour

- Prepare yourself for between two and six hours of labor. This is not a hard and fast rule, but if the labor goes on for more than 8 hours, then you should talk to your vet immediately.

- As the labor begins, your dog will become restless consistently. She will take short naps to begin with, but the show will begin when she has a distinct marked discharge from the vulva along with regular contractions.

- Dogs generally follow their instincts during birth, so you should only lend a hand if there appears to be something wrong or if she begins to panic. Keep the birthed puppies away from her feet as she will move around during the process. Soft sounds and words of encouragement will also help her to get through the process.

- It is general practice for the birthing process to involve a pup still inside the amniotic sac followed by a placenta. Occasionally the placenta of one pup will come out with the next. It is completely natural and necessary for the dog to consume the amniotic sac and placenta during and after the birth, as this replenishes a lot of the nutrients and energy that they lose during the birth.

5. Keep a separate clean towel at the ready to handle the pups. Neonatal mortality is relatively normal for most littered mammals, but in some cases you can help the pups to live by giving them a gentle massage if you see that they are having breathing difficulties. It is also a good idea to have a small quantity of store bought milk ready, just in case the mother does not produce enough milk.

6. Ensure that your dog has plenty of access to her food and water once the pups are born.

It is imperative that you are fully prepared for your dog’s birthing process. Some simple tips to follow to ensure that this happens are:

• Wash your hands and feet. Ensuring that your environment is as close to germ-free as possible will give your pups the greatest chance of survival.

• Ensure that you have washed towels and blankets available and ready to use.

• Have any other materials that you may wish to use ready and waiting at the whelping box.

• Be calm and emotionally supportive throughout the entire process. This can make the different between joy and disaster.

• And last but certainly not least, don’t forget to breathe!

There are some warnings that need to be taken into consideration when dog whelping. These include:

• Vomiting, shivering, not wanting to eat or drink, pacing, panting, or panicking are all common for dogs during labor. If your dog sees that you are calm, then chances are she will remain calm too.

• If your dog is older or appears to be having problems during the pregnancy such as yelping, experiencing sudden pain, or being lethargic, then you may wish to obtain puppy milk in case the mother either doesn’t produce enough to feed all of the pups, or if she doesn’t make it through the delivery.

• Serious birthing problems are common in Pugs, Boston Terriers, and Bulldogs. In these cases, consult your vet as to the possibility of performing a cesarean section.

• Even though the miracle of birth is fascinating, it is better for both mother and pups if there are as few people as possible present during the whelping process.

The items that you will need to help the dog whelping run as smoothly as possible include:

• A phone with the number of your vet programmed into speed-dial;
• A sturdy whelping box, wood or plastic is preferable to cardboard as the puppies will more than likely chew on it at a later stage.
• A phone with the number of your vet programmed into speed-dial;
• Latex examination gloves;
• Clean towels and old clean blankets;
• Sterile gauze pads;
• Sterile gauze pads;

Dog whelping can be a difficult process; therefore it is important to ensure that you are prepared for every eventuality.

Check out these free dog whelping videos, which show video footage of the puppy birthing process.

See also: Dogs in Heat

               Dogs Mating

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