<-back to articles

Birth of Puppies

What to expect...

Prenatal Care
Awareness of potential problems is very important. It is a good idea to keep track of your dog's breeding date so you know when to be looking for potential problems.

After about 35 days of pregnancy, the dam's caloric requirements will begin to increase -- she simply needs more food. In general, she should require almost twice as much food as usual. When she begins nursing she will need approximately three times as much food. Do not supplement calcium or excess vitamins as this can cause metabolic imbalances and may be harmful to the pups. The best nutritional plan is to buy a good, quality dog food and feed according to the package and good old common sense. These diets are balanced and require no supplements. Exercise of the pregnant bitch need not be restricted until after the first 4-6 weeks of pregnancy -- then, still exercise her, but scale back the duration a little. It's very important to give a pregnant bitch sufficient exercise, but don't overdo it too close to her whelping date.

Some time around the 45th day, your dog should be examined by a veterinarian. At this time, the skeletons of the unborn pups will have mineralized and are thus visible on an x-ray. Your bitch's abdomen can be x-rayed to estimate the number of pups. Ultrasound may be used to confirm pregnancy much earlier (after 25 days, the embryonic heart may be seen beating) but it is more difficult to count the number of pups using this method.

A comfortable area should be set aside for whelping and raising the puppies. The bitch should feel at home here and should be able to come and go as she likes while the puppies must remain confined.

The gestation period of the dog is considered to be 63 days though this is not written in stone and a normal range might be 58-68 days. Click here for a Whelping Calendar

Impending Labor
There are varying opinions about the use of monitoring the bitch's rectal temperature. Some bitch's temperature will drop from a normal range (101 to 102.5 degrees) to a degree or so below their normal a few hours prior to whelping, but many don't. And if her temperature does drop and no puppies are forthcoming, are you going to rush her into surgery? Of course not. Recording the temperature, and over-estimating its importance, can cause you more anxiety than any value taking the temperature may have as a prognosticator of labor -- so don't bother with it if you don't want to. However, some find it a helpful practice. If you chose to monitor her rectal temperature, do it you should begin as her due date approaches. When her temperature drops below 100 deg. F, labor may be expected within 24 hours.

First Stage of Labor
During this stage, uterine contractions begin. The bitch will appear very restless and may pace, dig, shiver, pant, or even vomit. This is all normal and all you can do is see that the bitch has water available should she want it.

Second and Third Stages of Labor
The first sign that the new puppies are on the way usually is signaled by the bitch's lack of interest in food about twenty-four hours before whelping. Then you may notice she will lick at her vulva and have slight abdominal cramping. Then the abdominal contractions become more frequent -- about every half hour. All of a sudden you may notice a shiny, grayish sac drooping through the vulva -- it looks kind of like a gray water balloon. The bitch may walk around with this hanging out and will often open the "water sac" and a clear fluid will run out. The pup's on the way! In most cases the pup will be delivered within an hour of this sac being seen, since now the pup is definitely in the pelvic canal. The first pup often is the most difficult for the bitch to pass, and she may strain quite hard and even moan a bit. Don't panic yet. If she hasn't passed the pup within one hour of the "water sac" showing it's a good idea to call your vet. and discuss the need for her to be seen right away to help pass the pup.

The second stage is the "hard labor" stage in which the puppy is expelled. The third stage refers to the expulsion of the placenta and afterbirth. Each pup may not be followed by afterbirth -- the mother may pass two pups and then two placentas. This is normal.

When the pup is passed through the pelvic canal and into our world it will be covered in a thin membrane that looks like plastic wrap. If the bitch doesn't lick and nip this membrane away from the puppy right away, and most do, you should remove it so the pup can breathe. [The pup has about six minutes of "grace period" before it must breathe, otherwise brain damage or death will occur.] Give the mother a few seconds to remove this membrane; if she doesn't, you do it. You will notice that the pup is attached to a yucky looking mass of tissue by the umbilical cord. You can separate the pup from this blackish-green tissue, which is the afterbirth. [The afterbirth is the tissue that attaches very closely to the lining of the uterus. Through the afterbirth the pup "breathes" and acquires nourishment via the umbilical cord. Now that the pup is born, though, there's no need for this equipment any more. There is no real benefit for the bitch to eat all the afterbirths so discard them if you wish. In fact, some dogs can get digestive upsets from consuming a large number of afterbirths. Licking and cleaning the new pup is the bitch's first order of business now that the membrane is removed and the umbilical cord is chewed through (or separated about an inch away from the pup by you). If she ignores the pup, you can take a clean towel and rub the puppy dry -- this will stimulate it to breath and it will protest a bit. While you're admiring the new pup the bitch will probably start the process over and present another one. While the new pup's brothers and sisters are unborn, the first pup, having found a nipple, is ready to eat.

Expect one pup every 45-60 minutes with 10-30 minutes of hard straining. It is normal for bitches to "take a rest" partway through delivery and she may not strain at all for up to four hours between pups. If she is seen straining hard for over one hour or if she takes longer than a four hour break, a veterinarian should be consulted. Often, if the bitch seems to be doing nothing for a few hours and you are sure there are more pups to be delivered, the bitch often can be energized to have more contractions by a brisk walk outside. She may not want to leave the pups but fresh air and a short run or walk will get things started again. Have food and water available for her, too.

Expect some puppies (probably half of them) to be born tail first. This is not abnormal for dogs.

CALL YOUR VET. IF:

• 30-60 minutes of strong contractions occur with no puppy being produced.
• Greater than four hours pass between pups and you know there are more inside.
• She fails to go into labor within 24 hours of her temperature drop.
• She is in obvious extreme pain.
• Greater than 70 days of gestation have passed.

It is normal for the bitch to spike a fever in the 24-48 hours following birth. This fever should not be accompanied by other signs of illness.

Normal vaginal discharge after birth should be odorless and may be green, dark red-brown or bloody and may continue in small amounts for up to 8 weeks.

Sometimes the litter will be so large, either in numbers of pups or size of pups, that a problem with Uterine Inertia can occur. In these situations the bitch will fail in weak attempts to pass the pups. She may not even show any visible contractions. Here is a good example of why you should keep good records of dates and times of breeding. If the bitch has progressed to the sixty-fifth day after breeding and still no pups are on the way, there's a problem. If the uterus has been so stretched and fatigued by a large litter or large size of the puppies, she may not be able to pass them. Uterine Inertia also is common when an older bitch has a single fetus that doesn't stimulate the uterus enough to begin contractions. Your veterinarian must be consulted. Medical intervention will be tried first, an x-ray may be taken (don't worry, a single x-ray in full term pups presents practically zero risk) and if medications do not induce labor; it's time for surgery.

There are several diseases to look for after whelping. Uterine infections, mammary gland infections, and calcium deficiencies (eclampsia). Dark colored material will be expelled from the uterus for several days to two weeks.. This is normal. If the uterus becomes infected, the discharge will become foul smelling. Also, she may develop an elevated temperature and act depressed.

Breast infections will be evident by appearing hard , swollen, reddish-purple and painful. This will require immediate veterinary care.
Because of the increased demands of milk production and the nutritional demands of the puppies, the mother may suffer from a decreased calcium level in her body. This is called eclampsia. The clinical signs are muscle incoordination, tremors, excessive panting, and seizures. This is an emergency and must be treated by a veterinarian immediately.
Care of the puppies initially is done by the mother. The most important point to remember is keeping the room temperature no less than 70 degrees.

The puppies eyes should open at 10-14 days. At this time , you may begin to offer a mixture of a gruel of puppy food and formulated milk made for puppies.

As they get older and begin to wean, 3-4 weeks, give them more food on regular schedules. The weaning process should take about 2-4 weeks. This is done by gradually replacing the mothers milk with a well balanced puppy formula.

Veterinary examination of the puppies, if not done earlier, should be performed at approximately 6-7 weeks of age. They will be examined, vaccinated, and have an stool analysis for worms and be dewormed prophylactly if your veterinarian chooses.

It is much better to prepare yourself ahead of time by reading and talking to an experienced breeder if this is your first time at breeding a dog. Be certain that your bitch is wormed and the diet is excellent. Avoid the notion that you must supplement the diet because of the "stress" on the mother. The real stress nutritionally comes after the pregnancy when the pups are between two and four weeks of age. That's the time they are extracting the largest amounts of nutrients from the mother, and making all that milk can really tap into the bitch's nutrient reserves. Over-supplementing is a mistake. A high quality diet containing large amounts of quality protein and fat is important -- high fat, high protein and low carbohydrates is best.

---

None of this information is guaranteed to be accurate -- always consult your veterinarian prior to making a decision on your pet's health.