A Typical Whelping
written by Michelle Linnane

  The gestation period (pregnancy) for dogs is approximately 63 days, plus or minus about 5 days. Because
there is such a wide  margin for delivery and because most of the deliveries here have  begun during the
early hours of the morning, during the final week of the pregnancy I place a baby monitor beside the
whelping box at night so that I can hear any activity. Usually, my girls whelp around day 60 but I look
for other signs that whelping may be imminent, as well. Such signs usually appear within twenty-four
hours of delivery. The mother-to-be will be restless and dig at the blankets in her whelping box (nesting).
She may refuse to eat or she will vomit and have diarrhea. Additionally, her body temperature will drop to about
99 degrees just prior to giving birth (normal temperature is about 101.8 degrees). Once labor begins, "mom"
will pant and sometimes moan. Eventually, moans will be replaced by grunts which coincide with uterine
contractions. These can be felt if one places their hands on the abdomen of the bitch. I always record the time
I see the first contractions.

 The First Puppy Is Delivered
Puppies are born enclosed in an amniotic sac. An umbilical cord is attached to the placenta which in turn is
attached to the uterine wall of the bitch. Usually, each puppy will be associated with one placenta. Normally,
puppies are born head-first and each delivery  will be followed by a placenta. Though many bitches are perfectly
capable of delivering without any assistance, I like to be standing by just in case there may be complications.
I normally like to break the sack and wipe the nose to clear the air ways. I normally cut the cords to prevent
hernias.  If you are not quick enough to cut cord  I will hold the puppy
and grasp the cord providing a counter pull to prevent potential hernia. If the bitch is unable to crush and tear
the cord, then I will crush and tear it myself using my fingers. If the cord is accidently severed too close to
the pup then I will tie it off with a little bit of suture material or embroidery thread to prevent bleeding.
Additionally, I do allow my  bitches to eat all the placentas if they so desire. It is, however, important to
keep count of all the placentas to ensure that none have been retained. Once the puppy is born, I will assess its
condition. If it is screeching and indignant, then I will allow the bitch to clean it herself. If, however, it
appears sluggish, weak, or lifeless then I will attempt to resuscitate the puppy. First, I will rub it
vigorously with a towel. If there appears to be mucus or fluid in its nose and mouth, I will hold the
uppy, belly up, in a towel above my head and then swing it in a downward arc so that centrifugal
force causes the fluid to be expelled. I do this over newspaper and you can hear the drops hit the paper.
If the puppy is still not breathing, then I will lightly blow air into its nostrils. I feel for myself that I dont want to
work to hard to resuscitate a puppy as you never know how long they have been without air and what
effect that can have on the brain. If the placenta is attached they can breath that way, if the puppy comes
out without a placenta I am always a little concerned. Also I record the time of each puppies birth and
the color and sex.
 

 Two Down, ? To Go
 The duration of the whelping is dependent on many factors  including the number and size of puppies.
In a normal delivery without complications, puppies can be delivered anywhere from 10
minutes or as much as 2 hours apart. The uterus of the canine is  Y-shaped, with the tail of the "Y" forming
the cervix and the V-shaped portion of the "Y" forming the two horns of the uterus  extending along either
side of the abdomen. Usually, the puppies occupying one horn of the uterus will be delivered first then puppies
occupying the other horn will follow. As a result of this, there may be  an interlude where the bitch will not
deliver any puppies for up to 2 hours so long as there are no strong contractions don't worry. This actually
allows the new "mom" a brief reprieve where she can have a drink of water and be allowed outside to relieve
herself. Walking the bitch may also help in speeding up contractions of the second uterine horn, as well.
When walking my girls during labor, I will bring a towel and a flashlight (if it's dark outside) in case a pup
happens to be born outside. Which has happened to me. Never let them out in the dark alone!!!
 

When to call the Vet
But if the bitch is straining for more than  30 minutes and produces no puppy. But I would recommend
calling a vet. It has been more than 2 hours between delivery of pups with no further sign of active labor,
yet it is known that there are more pups.

 A Third Arrival
 In between deliveries, newborns are allowed to nurse. This is  important for two reasons: first, it is
essential that each puppy  ingest "colostrum" which is secreted from the mammary glands
immediately after birth and which is rich in maternal antibodies and will protect the pups from infection
until they develop their own immunity, and second, nursing increases uterine contractions and
helps to speed up delivery. Once contractions start to come closer together indicating that another puppy
is on its way into the world, I remove the newborns from the whelping box, put them in a laundry
basket lined with towels and a heating pad, and place the laundry basket close to the whelping box. This prevents the
newborns from getting stepped on when "mom" stretches out or moves around while having the contractions.

A Newborn Black Puppy
Puppies cannot hear or see at birth, however, they are born with a strong "rooting" instinct to latch-on
and nurse. Time of eye opening is usually 10 days following birth but can be as late as 14-16 days,
particularly in litters born prematurely. Birth weight is also dependent on many factors and varies widely
from litter to litter with weights ranging from 5 ounces to greater than 16 ounces in some cases.

A Newborn Yellow Puppy
Unlike the black puppies which are born with black skin pigment,  the yellow puppies in a litter are born
without any skin pigment and as a result have pink noses, pads, and bellies. Black pigment
gradually begins to appear within 3-7 days following birth. Some yellows take up to 14 weeks to acquire complete pigmentation.

 

  Mom and New Family of Six
Once "mom" has completed her job and the delivery is over, it's time for her to rest and time for the
breeder to get to work! "Mom"  is allowed outside to relieve herself and I remove all the pups from
the whelping box and place them in the familiar laundry basket. The whelping box is then cleaned, disinfected
and clean blankets are laid down. Each puppy is thoroughly inspected from head to toe for
any birth defects. Cords are inspected for any signs of bleeding, by the next day they will begin to dry-up
and will be clipped short. After inspection, each is placed back into the whelping box to wait for
"mom's" return.  I make an appointment with our vet to bring the new  family in for inspection later
on in the day. If needed, x-rays, an oxytocin injection, and antibiotics are
administered to the new mother at that time. Throughout the next week, I continually monitor her
body temperature to ensure that there is no infection and inspect her mammary glands periodically
to ensure that mastitis does not set in. Also the next day I give the mom a bath as they are usually a
mess.

 
 

Just About Three Weeks New
During the first 3-4 weeks, "mom" does most of the work keeping the pups and whelping box clean between
my daily cleanings and disinfections since newborn puppies require stimulation from the bitch to urinate and
defecate. During the first few weeks after birth, the puppies will sleep most of the time. Unable to stand, they will
however crawl from one end of the whelping box to the other. Between 2-3 weeks they will eventually begin to
get their legs beneathe them and start to take steps--wobbly ones at first. Between 3-4 weeks of age some
personality traits will begin to surface and they will begin to play with one another--they are a bit
uncoordinated, though. Weaning also begins between 3-4 weeks after birth, and that's when the breeder's
work really begins since clean-up is left solely to the breeder from this point. Between 4-6 weeks, the
hierachy of the litter is established and personality traits become very distinct between puppies. It is also at
this point in time that I evaluate the puppies.

Three weeks old
 
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