My Dog Is Having Puppies}

My Dog is having Puppies

by

Deborah Beecham

You will need to provide a whelping box for your bitch, which should allow plenty of space around her when she is lying on her side, they are usually constructed from cardboard, wood or some people even use children’s paddling pools.

Whatever you decide you need to be well organized before the due date.

The whelping box should be placed in the designated area, and should be away from any drafts, you should encourage your bitch to use it in the days leading to the birth, so she feels settled and happy. Use her regular bedding at this stage as the scent will be familiar.

A few days before the puppies are due to arrive you may notice some changes in your bitch, she may be unsettled and show signs of discomfort, by now her walks should be limited to a gentle stroll around the garden as she will tire easily due to the weight of her babies. She may pant and scratch up; you may want to give her some paper in her box for this purpose (nest building).

In addition to the whelping box you should gather the following items to hand:

Some Old Clean Towels (the rougher the better)

A Rounded Sterilized Scissors.

Some Newspaper.

A “Ready Box” with several towels in.

The Telephone Number of your Vet.

A Hot water Bottle.

A Plastic Bag.

The normal temperature of a dog is between 101/102F. Twenty four to forty eight hours before the puppies arrive the temperature will drop to 99 /98F. Around this time she may refuse food. This is nothing to be concerned about.Around this time you should put her into the whelping area and keep a close eye on her as whelping is now eminent. When she is ready to deliver keep her in the whelping area and do not allow her to go running about all over the house.

When labor begins she may look to you for reassurance and then look at her rear with some surprise or alarm. Stay close by, but do not cuddle or baby her at this time, just sit quietly and give the odd word of comfort and encouragement.

When the contractions start you will see the bitch start to strain, do not panic, just remain calm and continue to observe, with quiet reassurance. Before long you will see a dark colored bag appear it looks like a bubble full of water, this contains the puppy, the bag will probably rupture on delivery if it does not the bitch will break the bag open with her teeth and chew through the cord she will lick the pup vigorously to stimulate it and may seem quite rough with it, this is perfectly normal so don’t worry.

It is important that the sac is removed from the puppies head immediately so if the bitch does not do this you may have to assist or the puppy will be unable to get air into its lungs and will die.

Break open the sac with your fingers and give the pups nose a squeeze, this should cause the pup to cry, if it doesn’t give the nose several squeezes and put your fingers in its mouth to clear any mucus, if it still doesn’t cry it may have a lot of mucus in the nasal passage, pick the pup up in the towel, newborn pups are very slippery a towel will help you grip it firmly then pointing the puppy downwards holding the body with on hand and its head with the other give a few good shakes of the head and wipe off any mucus on the mouth and nose. Rub the body vigorously with the towel as soon as the pup squeaks then you know it’s on its way to life. Only concern yourself with getting the puppy breathing at this stage nothing else.

If you have to cut the cord, cut two to three inches from the body and pinch the end tightly until it stops bleeding. Dry the pup with a clean towel and give it to the mother.

Fill your hot water bottle at this stage, not too hot and put it in the ready box. When mum is ready to deliver the next puppy she will lose interest in the one she’s just had, so pop it into the box to keep it warm and dry while you wait for the next arrival. Ensure that you have afterbirth for every puppy born and the bitch hasn’t retained any, she may want to eat them and it’s perfectly normal but only allow one or two as any more will upset her digestive system. If you find you cannot account for all the afterbirths take your bitch to the vet for a check over as retained afterbirths can cause problems for your bitch.

You will usually be able to tell when the whelping is over as the bitch will settle down with her new babies looking proud and happy. At this time she will probably appreciate a drink.

As whelping a litter is such a huge subject you may want to get a book on the subject as I am finding it hard to cover every aspect of it in this article Below are some things you may want to keep in mind.

If your bitch is having contractions don’t let her strain for a long period of time if nothing is happening. (over 45 minutes)

Clean up as you go, whelping has a certain sickly aroma; put all dirty papers, afterbirth and such into your plastic bag for disposal.

Keep everyone away, especially children and maintain a calm atmosphere.

When whelping is finished, make sure the bedding is replaced with clean and make sure it is warm and draft free.

You can use a hot water bottle or a heat pad to keep the box warm.

It’s a good idea to weigh your puppies at birth and then regularly after to ensure they are gaining weight.

Finally if you have any concerns however small they seem, ring your vet for advice better to be sure rather than sorry.

If you have enjoyed my article and are interested in articles on domestic pets then why not get my free eBook “10 top tips for pet owners” you can also recieve my weekly newsletter click here to download your copy now http://www.pawsclawsandwetnoses.com

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My Dog is having Puppies}