Whelping a Litter

Either you decided to have a litter on purpose, or your furfriend surprised you, and your now going to have puppies soon. I've
had people asking for advice so I thought I'd make a page to help those folks out.

So lets start at the beginning.
Did you see them tie and know that date? If so here is a link to a site that will calculate the due date for you:
http://www.schaferhund.com/gsd_pregnancy.aspx
That site will give you information too. If your not exactly sure but have a general idea try it anyway, it will give you peace of
mind to know what date they should arrive and be prepared. Gestation can vary from 59-65 days for most pregnant dogs, with
an average of 63 days.

Next, the beginnings of pregnancy.
Her vulva will remain larger, not shrink back to a small button size. Mom may have morning sickness and be off her food a bit.
This is normal so don't panic. Just offer food more often if your worried. This usually lasts a few days to a bit over a week.
Feed the same amount as normal for the first 4 weeks, then change to a premium puppy food. Mom will need the extra calories
to grow those little bodies, or it will just be taken from her and she will start to look like she's all bones poking out.
She will most likely become more loving, wanting more attention and reassurance. Calm praise and love will help her feel
secure, and make her feel safe down the road when it's delivery time and your there to help her.

2nd half of pregnancy
This is when you want to change to puppy food and double the amount fed. Pregnant dogs require 1.5 times the normal
amount of food at birth, and then up to 3 times as much to support lactation after birth. A lot of pet owners also make the
mistake of giving their pregnant dogs calcium supplements during pregnancy, which results in an overage of calcium. Too
much calcium causes premature c-sections when uterine enertia (lack of contractions) occurs. Always consult a veterinarian
on what supplements are best to give your pregnant dog to avoid conditions such as vaginitis and cystitis. A spoonful of
yogurt or cottage cheese added to her food will help the calcium needed for those growing bones in a natural way. I do give 1/2
a daily dog vitamin as recommended by my vet to my pregnant girls. Small breeds only need 1/2 tablet, medium 1 tablet, large
breeds may require 2. Consult your vet if you are unsure.

How to Feed a Pregnant Dog (from the eHow website)
1 Feed the dog as you normally would during its first six weeks of pregnancy (I switch at 4 weeks). Pregnant dogs do not need
any extra nutrition during the very early stages of gestation. In fact, since many dogs develop morning sickness, they may not
be able to eat much anyway. Yet, if it looks like your dog isn’t eating anything, you will want to get them checked out by a vet.
2 Increase your dog’s diet by 25% each week after the first six weeks of gestation. So, at week six, the dog’s food would be
increased 25%. This is the first time you would change her rations. At week 7 you would increase her food again by 25%,
making the amount bigger than what she ate at week 6. You continue following this pattern until her puppies are born.
3 Use puppy food or lactation dog food. At week six, pregnant dogs should eat puppy food or lactation dog food, since they
contain the most amount of nutrients.
4 Give your dog several small meals throughout the day. As your dog’s puppies continue developing, they may compress her
stomach, limiting how much food she can consume at one time. To counteract this problem, you will want to feed your dog
smaller rations consistently throughout the day.
5 Avoid overfeeding or underfeeding your dog during any stage of its pregnancy. Overfeeding a pregnant dog could result in
fat developing over her reproductive organs, which could make labor difficult if not impossible. And, if labor can’t occur at all,
your dog may have to undergo a Cesarean section, a procedure that is costly and slightly risky (since it is still a surgical
procedure). However, if a dog is underfeed, they could risk developing eclampsia. This is a condition where a dog develops a
very low blood calcium level. And, if it’s not treated, eclampsia could result in seizures and eventually death.

Your going to want to decide where you would like them to be born. A quiet area, away from
high traffic is best. Mom needs to feel she is hiding her babies, and will like a blanket covering
her whelping box to make it feel like a den.

Your going to want to build or buy a whelping box
Google images of whelping boxes also links on DIY building one
A whelping box is very nice to have. It will keep crawling puppies near to mom, not lost across a cold room searching for her.
A pig rail is also a good thing to have in a whelping box. It provides a small amount of space for a puppy to breath should it
become lodged between mom and a wall, where otherwise it might be smothered.
We made our whelping box using 1/2 inch plywood for our Dachshunds. The bottom is 4 X 4 feet, the sides are 18 inches high.
We made ours 3 sided, but I wish we had put on the 4th side and cut out a door and hinged it. I would suggest leaving 4 inches
high from the floor for the hinged door, so the pig rail will have a wall. I have found pups outside the whelping box and this is
why I wish for the 4th wall. I now put a 2 X 4 board along that wall, but perhaps it's time to get hubby busy making that 4th wall ;)
The pig rail I made using 1 inch PVC pipe, with elbows that had 3 holes so I could put a little foot on the 4 corners and keep it
up about 3 inches. I measured the inside of the finished whelping box and cut the pipe to fit. It sets in and lifts out for easy
clean up, and only needs to be left in the box for 2 to 3 weeks.

A week before she is due, start letting her spend time napping in the whelping box. Make it a pleasant experience, put in toys
and chew treats, a blanket, a small non tip-able water bowl. Sit in the room too, you could be busy cleaning, or just relaxing
watching tv but she will be comforted to have you nearby.

LABOR

I found an excellent site to explain the whole process with photos and outstanding information. I don't think I could do any
better, so check it out! :
DogBreedInfo.com/whelping
It has information about all aspects of whelping.

I will add to this as I think of things.

1) Tums (the kind people take for upset stomach) are given during active labor, (the ones with extra calcium)
to help contractions be strong to push if needed. One tablet crushed and mixed in something to get them to
eat it, but only a tiny bite, they will throw up if they have food in their tummy during labor.

2) NutriCal is a energy suppliment, good for pups who are not eating well or need a little extra boost, and
moms in labor who need a little energy boost. Karo (corn syrup) is something most people have in the house
already, and a drop on a puppy tongue, or a dab for mom will help give that short energy boost to help give
them energy needed to nurse or push if you don't have NutriCal on hand. The puppy NutriCal is better to have
than the Karo.

3) Once the puppy is out, you will want to make sure to open the water sack it's in, clamp the cord about an
inch from the pup and cut it. Leave the hemostat clamp on for a few minutes. Pick the puppy up in a
washcloth or small towel (use ones you won't care about, they will get stained!), and support the hemostat too
so it isn't hanging and pulling on the puppy belly button. You need to RUB vigorously to dry the pup off and
stimulate it to breathe. Suction with the bulb syringe (get one at the dollar store in the baby department) in the
back of the throat to clear fluid. If the pup sounds "wet" gurgly you will need to swing it. If a pup doesn't gasp
for air, you'll have to use more drastic measures. Wrap the pup in a clean cloth, hold it cupped in your two
hands, with the head toward your fingers, and swing the pup downward in an arc in front of you. Stop the
swing suddenly, but hold on to the pup. The centrifugal force plus the sudden stop usually clears out the
mucous. Bulb suction again, and rub a bit more. This always works for me to get a pup to be moving and
breathing strongly.

4) Make sure a placenta comes out sometime after each puppy.It might not come out right after a pup, it could
take awhile. Count them to be sure. Mom may want to eat them. If so, let her have one, but toss the rest. She
will have dark green poo after eating them, but they are full of nutrients for moms. Once your done working
on the pup put it next to moms belly to start looking for a nipple and to let mom clean and get to know her
baby.

5) You can make a rice bag... take a large ziplock bag, and fill it with a bag of cheap rice of any kind. Warm it in
the microwave for 2 minutes then fold it into a towel to keep the warmth before she starts pushing. You can
reheat it as needed. Between pups, you can place the pup(s) on the rice bag (making sure it's warm not HOT)
to help them stay warm. If they are fussing they are cold or hungry.

List of Items you might want
to have ready for the birthing.

1. Your vet's phone#
(Don't forget to alert
them for being on call)
2. suction bulb
3. Scissors
4. Hemostats
5. Dental floss (no wax)
6. Alcohol
7. latex gloves
8. Heating pad
9. Lots of towels
10. thermometer
(digital works best)
11. Goats milk/puppy
formula
12. Preemie bottles
13. syringes
14. Paper and pen
15. Nutri Cal/Corn Syrup
16. Vaseline/K-Y Jelly
17. Bedding
18. weight scale

Good luck!

Whelping Puppies

So your dog is pregnant... some tips to help you and her.

Aiello's Long Haired Dachshunds