WHELPING STAGES

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

PREPARATIONS AND SIGNS OF WHELPING

PREPARATION FOR WHELPING
1. The place where the mother dog is to whelp should be prepared a week or so in advance, allowing her to sleep there at night and rest there during the day so that she can accustom to the strange surroundings when the time comes for her to whelp. It should be away from activity, noise, and other pets.
2. A whelping box should be constructed using either plywood or sturdy cardboard packing cartons. For a medium sized bitch, a whelping box of four feet square is adequate. The front of the box should be cut away so the bitch can enter and leave the box without any trouble.
3. Provide a warm place to put the puppies as they are born either a hot water bottle or heating pad. The puppies can later be transferred to the whelping box when the mother dog has completed giving birth. If the puppies get too hot they will "scream" and cry, and if too cold they will whimper.
4. Most mother dogs will start to shed some hair around the nipples about 2 weeks before whelping. The underside of the mother should be gently and thoroughly washed and rinsed clean before the whelping. Any abnormal discharges such as bloody milk, or greenish yellow pus in the milk coming from the nipples and mammary glands should be brought to the attention of your veterinarian.
5. Tie a knot 1/4 to 1/2 inches from the puppy's abdomen and clean is with antiseptic lotion. A milk supplement and bottle feeder may be needed.
6. Smaller breeds will definitely need a heat source in the whelping box. Be careful of heat lamps. 7. Prior abdominal radiographs of the dam during her 8th week will help at birthing to determine the end point and exactly what to expect. This is especially helpful for first time owners.
8. Have emergency phone numbers handy for regular and after hours handy.
II. SIGNS OF ONCOMING LABOR
There may be a pre-labor period 8 to 24 hours in duration. The following signs may be seen during the pre-labor period, indicating the approaching whelping.
1. The bitch becomes restless, getting up, lying down, and changing her position frequently. She may vomit from nervousness.
2. She may paw and scratch at her bedding as if she were preparing a nest. She may tear newspaper up into little pieces in her attempt to make a nest.
3. Lack of interest in even the most tempting food is usually a sure sign that whelping is approaching.
4. Rectal temperature will fall below 99*F twelve hours or less prior to whelping.
5. Milk can be expressed from the nipple near or at the time of birth in those bitches having their first litter and about 4 days prior to whelping in those bitches which have had one or more litters previously.