My dog is about to have her puppies and i have no idea what i'm supposed to do or how to prepare for it. Help!

Answer 1

http://wiwi.essortment.com/dogsgivingbirt_pxf.htm <== so much info

Impending Labor
When your dog's due date is approaching, you should begin monitoring her rectal temperature. When her temperature drops below 100o F (normal canine temperature is 101-102o F), labor may be expected within 24 hours.

THE FIRST STAGE OF LABOR

During this stage, uterine contractions begin. The ***** will appear very restless and may pace, dig, shiver, pant, or even vomit. This is all normal and all an owner can do is see that the ***** has water available should she want it. This stage of labor is very long, lasting 6-12 hours and culminates with full dilation of the cervix in preparation to expel a puppy.

THE SECOND AND THIRD STAGES OF LABOR

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.

Puppies are born covered in membranes which must be cleaned away or the pup will suffocate. The mother will bite and lick the membranes away. Allow her a minute or two after birth to do this; if she does not do it, then you must clean the pup for her. Simply remove the slippery covering and rub the puppy with a clean towel. The umbilical cord may be tied in a knot about one inch from the pup and cut with scissors on the far side of the knot.

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.

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

CALL YOUR VETERINARIAN 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 ***** to spike a fever in the 24-48 hours following birth. This fever should not be accompanied by clinical signs of illness.

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

PROBLEMS TO WATCH FOR...

METRITIS (INFLAMMATION OF THE UTERUS)

Signs of this condition are as follows:

* fever
* foul-smelling vaginal discharge
* listlessness
* loss of appetite
* no interest in the puppies
* decreased milk production

If these signs are noted, usually in the first day or two postpartum, a veterinarian should be consulted. Your dog may have retained a placenta or have suffered some trauma during delivery. Animals who have required assistance with delivery are often predisposed to metritis.

ECLAMPSIA

This condition results when the ***** has trouble supporting the calcium demand of lactation. Calcium supplementation predisposes a ***** to this condition. Usually affected animals are small dogs. They demonstrate:

* nervousness and restlessness
* no interest in the pups
* stiff, painful gait

This progresses to:

* muscle spasms
* inability to stand
* fever
* seizures

This condition generally occurs in the first three weeks of lactation and a veterinarian should be consulted immediately.

MASTITIS (INFLAMMATION OF THE BREASTS)

Normal nursing glands are soft and enlarged. Diseased glands are red, hard, and painful. In general, the ***** does not act sick; the disease is confined to the mammary tissue. The ***** may be sore and discourage the pups from nursing; however, it is important to keep the pups nursing the affected glands. This is not harmful to the puppies and helps flush out the infected material. Hot packing may be helpful.

Most dogs are excellent mothers and problems are few. The basic rule is to seek veterinary care if she seems to feel sick of if she ceases to care for her young. Puppies nurse until they are about six weeks old and then may be fully separated from their mother. A good age for adoption to a new home is 8 weeks or later.

Answer 2

Provide a warm (floor temp of 80F is ideal), dry; draft-free place (a box that is big enough for her and the pups). After two weeks, the floor temperature can be dropped by a few degrees a day. Fill it with newspapers. Insure that the mother has her pups in this box (get her used to it prior to labor). Feed the mother as much puppy food as she will eat. When it gets to about 60 days, start taking the mother’s temperature a few times a day. When it drops about a degree, it will very soon be time (within about 12 hours). Mother Nature will take care of the birthing but if it is more then two hours after one pup, a call to the vet for advice is not a bad idea. Stay with her as sometimes there can be a problem and often the first puppy will need to be massaged in a towel to spark the new mother's instincts to lick it. Do not interfere with her mothering - it may look rough to you but is vital for the pups education but do try to get each pup to nurse right away because the early milk is where they get their initial immunities. Get rid of the birthing papers and replace it with a washable carpet-like material (they need good traction to develop leg muscles properly). Keep feeding the mother puppy food until the pups are completely weaned in three to six weeks. Handle the puppies for a few seconds daily from day one (for human socialization) but be sure to sanitize your hands and shoes before entering the room (parvo is not to be toyed with).

This should get you started. "The Home Veterinary Handbook" has a short but good section on this. I recommend getting and reading it. Many books on training will also cover this. They will also cover feeding the puppies (what/when) too.

Good luck. A first litter is more nerve racking for the human then the dog.

Answer 3

Ok..he is three months ancient. Is there any one with a view to be competent to stick house with him whilst you're at institution? He's fairly too younger to be left for overly lengthy intervals of time. Is he crate-informed? Toys are exceptional and well, however fairly a pit bull demands lot's of every day pastime to run off a few extra vigor. There are a few endeavor toys for puppies wherein they need to remedy a puzzle to get the deal with at the back of it (they're probably particularly robust) A Kong is a well toy (my puppy loves his) Most of the toys nonetheless are probably no longer particularly as a lot amusing for them while their human is not round. And disguise your footwear till he is performed teething. :D

Answer 4

So your dog is about to have pups and you've done nothing to prepare for it, nor got any idea what you are meant to do....

There's a good reason why people should have to get a licence or pass some sort of test before owning a pet. This is disgraceful and I can only hope that you get off your butt now and call the vet to find out exactly what you should (and shouldn't) be doing.

I hope your dog and the pups are all ok.

Answer 5

Try and get yourself "The Book of the B itch".from Amazon.
I call it "my Bible" as far as breeding is concerned. It will help you through every stage from conception to whelping. You may be able to get it from the Library.

Just make sure you let your Vet know when she starts her labour so he can be on standby. He will be able to talk you through it if you have any problems.

If you have this book and your Vet on the end of a phone you
will be fine. A lot of listers have already given you good advice about the birth etc., so I won't go into that. Just stay calm and good luck with everything.

Answer 6

well just take care of her when she has her puppies because it's hard sometimes she will get on top of them and that can hurt the puppies also don't put allot of blankets on top of them make sure you go every 30 min make sure she is not hurting the if she was pregnant before she will know what to do but if she wasn't sometimes the dog wont take of the lil bag so good luck but remember keep them in a safe warm place

Answer 7

If she is inside make her a couple of bed in a very quiet part of the house so she feels safe. She will then have a choice of where she wants to have her puppies. If she is outside then make the entrance to her kennel just big enough for her to get into it will be like a cave and she will feel save.

Answer 8

well luckily you dont need to do anything except find a safe warm place and some materials for her to make a bed with that can be thrown away because she will make a bloody mess when she gives birth the only thing you have to worry about is if she stays in leighbor more than about 24 hours and the puppies wont come out but also watch to make sure that if she wont feed her babies that you can get som artificial milk but only if she tries to abandon them and that sign wont show untill a few hours later.

Answer 9

then why did you breed her? you've had two months to learn what to do & waited until the last possible minute? I don't understand.

do you have a whelping box? scales? a way to mark each puppie to keep records?

especially if a small dog, do you know how to tell if she is in trouble & needs a C-section?

here is excellent information

http://www.debbiejensen.com/

Answer 10

Look up whelping puppies on the net. There is plenty of information but I would suggest you call your vet they will be more then happy to help