Process and Signs of Whelping Dogs

In order to have a successful birth, you will need to prepare a dog whelping box or crate for your dogs. This box should be made of sturdy material and should be at least 4’x6’x1’ high. This box will help the mother feel comfortable, protected and enclosed, while simultaneously keeping the puppies from wandering off during their first two weeks. The entire bottom of the whelping box should be covered with newspapers to help keep it clean more easily.

Roughly 12 to 24 hours before birth, signs of whelping in dog are that the mother will become very agitated. She will rotate between licking herself and trying to run around. You will need to have some tips memorized in order to help her through this difficult time.

Once a puppy is born, they will be covered with a birth sac and attached by an umbilical cord. This cord provides oxygen and nutrients to the puppy throughout its time in the womb. After they are born, the oxygen will be taken in through their breathing, but first the sac needs to be broken and the lungs must be cleared of their fluid.

Frequently, the sac will rupture on its own, normally, or with a little help from mom. If that doesn’t happen after a few minutes, you will need to take action to save the puppy’s life. You will need to carefully break the sac by very cautiously puncturing the sac with a clean fingernail. You can also pop it by rubbing the puppy’s back very gently with a towel.

If the cord is still attached, do you try to tug or cut it just yet. If you put force on the umbilical cord, it can cause damage to the puppy, causing a hernia, bleeding and death.

You will need to hold the puppy down with its rear up and its mouth down. Look to see if it is breathing. If you hear coughing or choking from the puppy, very slowly swing the puppy in a very shallow, slow arc to expel fluid from its lungs. Be careful not to pull the cord. If you do not hear it breathing after a few seconds, you will need to take a bulb syringe and clear fluid very, very gently from its throat.

If you need to use the syringe, squeeze it before you put it in the puppy’s mouth and place it in only a very short distance, then release. You will have picked up any fluid that is in there.

Put a towel over your lap and place the puppy between your thighs on the towel. Use the syringe. You can repeat to clear both of their nostrils. If you put the puppy on the towel, however, you cannot use the force of gravity to your advantage. Holding the puppy sideways or upside down is trickier, but if you can master it, you can take advantage of gravity and have a better shot at helping the puppy to breathe.

Once the puppy is breathing on its own, you can tie the umbilical cord, starting at a half an inch from their belly with unwaxed dental floss in two places about an inch apart. You will need to cut the cord a quarter inch from the tie closer to the stomach. The umbilical cord on the mother’s side should be left alone as it will slough off naturally.

Another way to handle the umbilical cord is to use hemostats to tie off the cord in two places. If you know how to use hemostats, this is the better option. You will need to ensure that the clamps do not twist the cord and that they are sterilized after each use so that each time you use them, they are clean. This is an easy way to give a puppy an infection that will kill him.

Using a hemostat only requires one person to clamp and cut with only one hand. For the dental floss, you will need at least two hands or an assistant to help with the process. You will need to put the hemostats in several containers of fresh, clean alcohol in between use on the puppies. Refrain from putting the hemostat in a jar of alcohol that’s already been used. You will also need to dab the end with iodine or another strong commercial disinfectant.

The whelping mother dog will eat the bloody afterbirth and you need to let her. Although it is not the most appetizing thing for humans to see, some vets say that the afterbirth contains a number of essential nutrients that will help the mothers after she is recovering from the process. Your vet might disagree as this point is still debated.

Once the puppies have started coming out, prepare yourself for a long stretch ahead. Puppies can come out every 15 – 30 minutes (normally) and there can be 8 to 10 puppies, which translates in a few hours of serious activity. If the mother goes longer than an hour without a puppy, she is either finished or having serious problems.

If the whelping mother dog is still showing continued contractions and an arching of her back, but not producing any puppies, there is a problem. If she is finished, she will often want to leave the bed, go outside to relieve herself and run around for a bit. Have your vet’s number nearby for any quick questions.

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