Childbirth in Dogs - How to Prepare

Many dog breeders consider it necessary to intervene in the process of childbirth. Their anxiety and anxiety can be understood. In the vast majority of cases, human intervention is unnecessary and most often brings only harm. Often complications during childbirth occur precisely because the owners decide to intervene in the process to help the dog and alleviate her pain. Some bitches prefer to be left alone, others not against human society, but that there is no fuss, noise, etc. around them.

If the dog should give birth to the first time, she may not be able to cope with the task, so you need to be prepared for this. When the time comes, prepare a place for delivery in advance. The best thing for this is a large cardboard box. Its bottom needs to be covered with a clean, soft rag. You may also need sharp scissors to cut the umbilical cord, soft cloths to wipe the newborns and a special place for the puppies. They can be placed in a small cardboard box, inside which will be warm and soft.

From the sixtieth day of the dog's pregnancy, it makes sense to measure her temperature twice a day. Normally, the temperature should be 38.5 degrees Celsius. Directly, before giving birth, the body temperature of dogs decreases by 1 degree. At this stage, within 24 hours before delivery, the dog may have whitish mucus discharge. Childbirth in a dog is divided into three periods.

The first stage of labor.

The first period of childbirth lasts from six to twelve hours.

Childbirth in dogs is accompanied by changes in behavior.

The bitch becomes less active, refuses to eat, vomiting may appear, and she can become excessively agitated and aggressive.

She can climb into the closet or under the bed. The contractions of the uterus at this stage are insignificant and can not be seen.

The second period of childbirth. At the second stage, the birth of dogs becomes more noticeable: the bouts become stronger, and the dog is clearly straining. This stage lasts from fifteen to thirty minutes. The membrane around the puppy is torn and liquid is released, serving to lubricate and improve the passage of the fetus through the birth canal.

The dog, podtnamazhivayas, pushes the puppy through the membrane. The placenta at the end it eats. The placenta does not do any harm to the dog and its eating is a natural instinct. It is very important at this time not to interfere unless absolutely necessary.

When the umbilical cord and placenta are disconnected from the born puppy, the blood flows to his brain, he begins to breathe on his own. A newly mum can be extremely aggressive, worrying about the safety of puppies. This behavior is typical even for the most complaisant bitches. Genera in dogs should ideally go through naturally, without human intervention.

Childbirth in dogs ends with the third period, when the puppies are already born.

The dog, as a rule, makes small breaks between the birth of puppies within fifteen to thirty minutes. After all the puppies were born, the dog licks them and feeds them. Gradually, recovering from the shock, she comes to, becoming calmer and more flexible. The size of the litter varies depending on the size of the dog. Genera in small breed dogs can bring from one to three puppies, while in large breeds of dogs the number of litter can be up to ten pieces.

In primiparous or, conversely, not very young dogs, labor can take place with difficulty, with complications. If the dog can not give birth on its own and you are afraid to help her, so as not to do any more harm, you can agree with the veterinarian in advance so that he can come and take delivery from the dog. Or, if you live in a large city, you can take the pet to the veterinary clinic, where she will be provided with all the necessary assistance.