What do you do when your dog is in labor?

Question

Need this answer quickly my cousin's dog is in labor.

Answer 1

Scroll down to whelping here> http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/whelping.html
this site is complete with pictures to help you to help her and the puppies.

Answer 2

If all goes well you do nothing, the dog does it all. She will deliver a pup, clean off the sack, lick the puppy all over. The licking is necessary, it stimulates the puppy to breathe, etc. You should just be able to stand by, keep an eye that nothing goes wrong. She can go up to 2 hrs or so between puppies, or they can come one right after the other. If, after she has the first one, she is straining and pushing for more than a few hours, you need to call a vet. You have to watch that she does not bite the cord too short, if she does the pup will bleed from the cord. Then you have to tie the cord off, use a piece of thread. No big deal as long as you stop the bleeding quickly, it is easy to do.
Basically as I said, you just watch; keep an eye out for puppy bleeding from the belly, and don't let her labor too long without a puppy being born. When she stops panting,does not act restless, and settles down with the puppies it is usually over.
I have had multiple litters from different dogs. I had to tie off a cord on one puppy. One of my females kept laboring without delivering and we had to go to the vet for the delivery. Sometimes the last puppy, particularly with a long labor, can be stressed, and born appearing dead. The pup is not necessarily dead. This happened with my neighbors dog. The puppy can be saved, sometimes it is just too weak to clear the mucus etc. from the breathing passages. If this should happen, and it doesn't usually, you hold the puppy with your hand wrapped aroung the middle. You put your thumbs behind the puppies head to protect against whiplash, and you swing the puppy from over your head, forward and down, head first. This brings up the mucus from the nasal passages so the airway is clear. Then rub the pup to stimulate it. Sometimes the pup is fine and begins moving etc. Sometimes though the puppy is dead, suffocation or whatever. If this does not work after once or twice, give up, some are stillborn.
If the mother does not do these things herself, you have to remove the sack from the puppy, cut and tie the cord, thread etc. and rub the puppy with a towel until it is moving around. I delivered one litter where the mother paid no attention to the puppies when they were born. She would not remove the sack, bite the cord or lick the puppies. This was an old english sheepdog, and I guess this is common with this breed. This is the only time I saw this.
Don't worry, it usually is all taken care of by the mom, and is a wonderful thing to watch. The hard part starts when the puppies are about 4 wks and the mother stops doing all the work. Get a book from the library about breeding dogs, and enjoy.
Good luck. My E-mail is listed if you have any questions.

Answer 3

Let Her Go To Wherever She Is Most Comfy. (My Dog Chose My Bed. We Had To Get Her Off & Put Plastic But It Helped Her.) As Long As The Dog Is Comfortable she should be fine. if the dog is close to a certain family member get them there. they want to feel like everything is fine. i pet my dog and told her it was okay the whole time. it should be fine as long as you dont try to move her. she might freak out & not calm down enough to have the puppies. the gir that said to allow 30 min. between puppies is not exacly corerect. it took about 1 hour for each of my dogs puppies. it was all fine. dont panic if it takes longer. if your dog has gone 2 hours without a puppy & you feel one still in her (Press Lightly on her abdomen below her ribs & you will feel a little ball) then call the vet.

Answer 4

The best thing to do would be to let the mom dog take care of it, but there are some things you can do to help. First, of all get a box with blankets or newspaper. Then make sure she is comfortable. Make sure that after the puppies are born that they are all breathing. This is good info because I volunteer at a vet clinic.
Good luck with the puppies!

Answer 5

Nothing just watch
Only allow one hour to pass from start of contractions to first pup being born and then allow half hour between each subsequent pup.
If time lapses longer than this take her a vet IMMEDIATELY as she may have a pup stuck and need oxytocin or a caesarian.

A lot of breeders allow the mother dog to break open the sac and chew off the umbilical cord and eat the placenta - thats fine, however if she doesn't do it you will need to do it for her.

Answer 6

Make her comfortable. Watch for the pups. Let her do the work. If a pup comes out and she is having trouble getting the sack off then help her get it off. Dont wait. Then let her clean the pup. Let her do what come natural. Unless shes not doing anything. She may have pups all night long or just for a few hours. Dont feed her but you can give her water. If she is having trouble delivering a pup take her out for a quick walk but take a towel and be prepared to catch a pup while shes walking.

Answer 7

hey, ive bred dogs for most of my life, so i know alot about this. This might sound a little crazy, but if your dog starts whinning like she might be cramping, take a towel, soak it in warm water, wring it out, and place it on her tummy, it helps with cramps.. another thing, is you'll be able to tell when she's gonna give birth to the first one...she can pretty much do it herself, but PLEASE keep an eye on her, because puppies are alot like humans, they can get turned around backwards, or sideways, if so, you'll need to help her get them out, if a pup stays in there too long it will quit breathing...all u will need to do is kinda push your hand on her tummy to help it out, if that dosent work then you'll need to actually stick your fingers in here and grab the pup, i know this sounds gross, but if you want them to live, you'll need to help if need be! if you have ANY questions let me know! good luck

Answer 8

the first thing to do is assess whether she is progressing normally. is she straining?
she should be panting, possibly. laying down in a comfortable spot and kept company to make sure she is relaxed

if she is strainign actively without producing a puppy for an hour rush her to the vet, that goes for after she starts giving birth

good luck

Answer 9

ok first of all dont panic just have whoever this dog trusts the most stay with her and confort her in everyway but keep others away just make sure she is pushing these puppies out on her own it could take all night for to have puppies make sure she cleans them off after they come out dont touch them she will be just fine

Answer 10

Keep her in a quiet area and check on her every ten minutes or so. She most likely does not need your help and would appreciate peace and quiet to deliver in.

Answer 11

Roll up a newspaper and hit yourself over the head repeatedly for not spaying your dog.