Unless you think it will cause too much stress, it is advisable to ensure that the rear end and the teats of the bitch are clean and easily accessible so that she can give birth and feed her pups in the most hygienic conditions possible.
If she has long hair, you can carefully clear the area around the vulva and teats using round tipped scissors. To avoid being taken by surprise, take her temperature three times a day.
Generally, most bitches manage very well by themselves. Your role mainly consists of providing her with quiet surroundings and your comforting presence. But if you do have any concerns in advance, do ask your vet for advice.
Labour can last from just a few minutes to several hours. Check on your bitch every 15 minutes or so to make sure everything is going smoothly, taking care not to show her if you are worried. Subsequent puppies will be born within anything from a few minutes to four hours later.
Typically, most puppies will be born within hours of the last puppy, although greater variation can occur. References 1. England, Gary C. ISBN: We're not around right now. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap. Worming Parasites are a concern, as they have the potential to infect the puppies at birth.
Prepare for whelping To avoid being caught by surprise, start preparing the place for your bitch to whelp as early as you can. Check the bedding Check that you have enough linen to change the bedding in the whelping area regularly.
Obesity greatly increases the risks of pregnancy and whelping, and decreases fertility. She should receive a booster on her DHLP-PV within six months of breeding but at least 2 weeks before the breeding date. Some dog owners will require a Brucella test; this is a contagious disease of dogs, transmittable to humans, that usually is passed during breeding.
If a stud owner requires this test, they are doing so to protect both their dog and yours. To avoid injury to the male, let the dogs become acquainted while leashed. If the bitch acts aggressively or tries to injure the male, stop breeding attempts and re-introduce them after a vaginal smear to check her heat status, or after a day or two.
During breeding, the female will stand with her feet planted and her tail off to the side. The male will mount her, and after breeding will remain attached to the female for minutes; this is called the tie. It is natural at this point for the dogs to be joined facing in opposite directions.
Leave the dogs alone until the tie ends naturally. The bitch should be bred every other day until she rejects the male. There are several methods of pregnancy diagnosis, all with some limitations. Palpation can be done from 20 to 30 days, but may not pick up puppies in obese dogs or those with only one or two pups. Ultrasound , can pick up pregnancies from 21 days, but is best performed from 28 to 35 days.
This method is not always accurate on the number of pups, but it can be done earlier than x-rays. The most accurate method is X-rays , taken after 45 days. This allows us to give an accurate count of puppies about two weeks prior to whelping. Bitches often go through false pregnancies, exhibiting all the signs of pregnancy, including mammary development and nesting behavior. This usually only lasts 60 days, and is easily identified by performing ultrasound to rule out pregnancy.
Many bitches will go through a period early in their pregnancy when their appetite is poor. This is normal and should only last for days. About 2 weeks prior to whelping, prepare a nest for your bitch. Embryo development is occurring. In the coming days, increasing fluid in the uterus will prevent the palpation of the puppies until closer to delivery. She also recommends feeding your pregnant and nursing dog a high-quality puppy food to ensure her nutritional needs are met.
Your pregnant dog is now in stage two of her pregnancy. In this stage, the term for her yet-to-be-born puppies changes from embryos to fetuses.
As the fetuses continue to grow and develop organs they will increase dramatically in weight as much as 75 percent! An ultrasound can detect fetal heartbeats, thus your veterinarian may the estimate the number of puppies your dog is carrying. You can have your veterinarian to do an inexpensive witness relaxin test to test the presence of relaxin after 4 weeks of gestation. Relaxin is a type of hormone that is released only during pregnancy.
Photo by Brian Jetta Hibbs. X-rays are probably the most effective way to determine if a dog is pregnant. X-rays are also the most reliable way to determine how many puppies a dog is carrying. Some people argue that X-rays can harm puppies inside the uterus due to the strong radiation. As mentioned above, a dog's pregnancy period is nine weeks. In these nine weeks, a pregnant dog should be carefully tended to so that it can give birth to healthy puppies.
During the first couple of weeks, you can feed your dog her normal diet. Supplements like vitamins are not necessary. Veterinarians would recommend puppy food which is high in proteins, fats, and minerals.
Hence, puppy food is also easier to digest. If your dog has been doing exercise regularly, you can carry on with the activity. But make sure to let her do only mild exercise like walking. You may also engage in light game activities such as playing fetch and catch. Vaccination should not be given to your dog during her pregnancy. This is to make sure that your dog and her puppies are healthy. Try to know the due date of your pregnant dog. Your veterinarian should be able to estimate the due date of your pregnant dog.
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