Helping (delivering) puppies may only require you to observe and be available in case of emergencies. Have supplies ready and keep a watchful eye. 1. Contact your veterinarian to schedule a pre-whelping exam and consultation. Your veterinarian can offer last-minute advice and will be familiar with your dog should she need assistance during delivery. 2. Provide a whelping box of sturdy material that the puppies can't chew through and that's big enough for the mother dog to lie in and stretch out with her puppies. The sides of the box should be at least 6 inches high'high enough to prevent 4- to 6-week-old pups from escaping, but low enough to allow the mother to get in and out easily. 3. Present the whelping box to your dog one to two weeks before delivery and place it in semiprivate, familiar surroundings. Put soft, clean towels in the box. 4. Check the temperature of the mother-to-be daily after day 50 of pregnancy. When her temperature drops to 99 degrees F, labor will begin in 10 to 24 hours. 5. Look for signs that the dog is ready to give birth, such as her licking the genital area, or the appearance of an amber fluid or a bulge (the amniotic sac) protruding from the birth canal. This indicates that a puppy should be delivered within a few minutes. 6. During labor, avoid upsetting the dog. Remain calm when she is restless, nervous, anorectic (not eating), vomiting, pacing, shivering or panting. These can be normal behaviors for dogs in labor. 7. If the mother has not removed the amniotic membrane from her pup within 1 minute after delivery, intervene. Gently grasp the puppy in a clean towel and pull away the slimy material. Make sure that the nose and mouth are free from fluid and tissue. 8. Don't panic if the mother delivers a puppy without expelling the placenta. Sometimes the placenta of the previous birth will be expelled with the following birth. 9. Cut the umbilical cord about 2 inches from the puppy's body, using sharp, sterilized scissors. (Use isopropyl alcohol to sterilize scissors.) 10. Consult a veterinarian if your dog is in active labor for more than 30 minutes but has not yet delivered a puppy. If you notice that a puppy seems to be stuck, gently grasp it and pull it from the birth canal, twisting slightly if necessary. 11. Make sure all puppies are safe and warm and are not getting stepped on as the mother is delivering the other puppies. Multiple births followed by resting is gemon, but a delay of more than 1 hour between births warrants a call to the veterinarian. 12. Make sure each puppy nurses soon after delivery. It's essential that puppies nurse within the first 24 hours to acquire vital antibodies supplied by their mother's milk. 13. Be prepared to give the puppies gemercially prepared milk replacer in case the mother doesn't have enough milk or some other emergency arises. This is available wherever pet supplies are sold. 14. Take the mother and her puppies'in the whelping box, with a blanket for warmth'to the veterinarian for an exam. Do this within 24 hours after the last puppy is born.
Labor lasts 6 to 12 hours. Stage one of labor begins with uterine contractions and ends with the full dilation of the cervix. This is not externally visible. Stage two of labor begins with full dilation of the cervix and ends with full delivery of the first puppy. Stage three begins after delivery of the first puppy and ends with the expulsion of the placenta. The length of the second and third stages is variable'anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. If you suspect a puppy is not breathing, rub it with a towel along the shoulders and back to stimulate breathing. A healthy cry or whimper indicates an unobstructed airway.
Prepare yourself and your children for the possibility of a stillbirth. Should this happen, bury the puppy yourself or take it to the veterinarian.
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