THE WHELPING PERIOD
Most female dogs will whelp alone and without assistance, needing only supervision by you to see that all is going well. Be ready to help her or seek help when labor begins if any abnormalities develop. When in labor she may lie on her side and strain or stand in a "urination stance" (squatting as if to urinate) as she strains.
STEPS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:
1. Abdominal straining in the urination stance if lying on her side.
2. Appearance of the "water bag" at the vulva.
3. With continued straining the "water bag" should be forced out within 15 minutes. The puppy will be contained within this membranous sac. The mother should chew the membranes from around the newborn puppy and free it from the sac.
4. Afterbirth placenta should follow each pup within 5 to 15 minutes. Don't allow the mother to eat more than one or two afterbirths since she may get indigestion and diarrhea if allowed to do so.
5. Another puppy should follow in 1 to 2 hours. If the mother continues to strain and have contractions for more then 2 hours without giving birth to another puppy.
Make sure the heating pad is not too warm and cover it with some towels. It is not necessary that the puppies nurse until the mother dog has completed whelping all her puppies.
6. After the mother has completed whelping she will lie down and rest with no further straining or contractions. Then, take her out of the whelping box and allow her to urinate outside. Return her to the whelping box and give her the puppies to nurse.
7. The mother should be examined within 24 to 48 hours after whelping
No comments:
Post a Comment