How to take birth in dogs at home?

Signs of the beginning

By the end of the second month of pregnancy, the owner should especially carefully monitor his pet so as not to miss the first signs of the onset of labor. Harbingers that puppies are about to be born are usually as follows:

1. 1. The dog’s behavior becomes restless. All expectant mothers behave differently. Some try to hide somewhere, as if making a nest for themselves. Others constantly follow the owner, as if trying to beg for something.
2. 2. Appetite decreases or disappears altogether. There is also vomiting.
3. 3. Relaxation of the muscles of the pelvis and abdominal cavity begins to occur, the stomach drops.
4. 4. Milk sometimes appears on the nipples.
5. 5. Whitish mucus exudes from the loop.
6. 6. The day before delivery, rectal temperature drops from the usual 38-39 ºC to 37 ºC in large dogs and to 35 ºC in small breed dogs. With the help of daily measurement of rectal temperature, it is easy to find out whether the animal is going to whelp in the next day, or it will happen a little later.
7. 7. Just before the birth, the dog’s pulse quickens, shortness of breath appears, sometimes it starts to shiver.
8. 8. To understand that the bitch is about to give birth to offspring, the intrauterine behavior of the puppies will also help. Just before childbirth, they stop moving in the mother’s stomach.

If the above symptoms appear, but within a day the birth has not begun, the dog should immediately be shown to the veterinarian.

childbirth

When the owner is going to assist the veterinarian or perform childbirth at home on his own, he should first cut his nails short and wash his hands thoroughly.

Childbirth in dogs takes place in three stages:

• contractions (preliminary stage);
• birth of puppies (main stage);
• separation of afterbirths (final stage).

preliminary stage

Contractions last from 2 to 24 hours. At this time, the dog becomes even more restless. She scratches the bedding, constantly looks back at her stomach, and breathes quickly and heavily. She is sick. The rectal temperature of the woman in labor during this period does not change. The uterus is contracting, but the abdominal muscles are still at rest. The cervix opens. The vaginal muscles are relaxed. The stage ends with an increase and intensification of uterine contractions.

The owner can help his pet at this stage only by his presence and affectionate treatment. It is strictly forbidden to use any stimulant drugs on your own!

Main

As soon as the dog’s waters break, the main stage of the birth process begins: the birth of puppies. At this point, the abdominal muscles are involved in contractions. Puppies can go out with their heads or with their hind legs forward. Both positions are considered correct. The interval between puppies is 0.5-3 hours.

The help of a veterinarian is necessary if, three hours after the waters broke, not a single puppy was born (especially if brown or greenish discharge from the bitch’s loop is also observed). Also, the help of a doctor will be needed if, three hours after the birth of one puppy, the next one is not born, which is palpable in the mother’s stomach.

Having given birth to a puppy, the bitch must independently free him from the amniotic sac, gnaw through his umbilical cord and lick the baby. Following this, the puppy finds the nipple without assistance.

But sometimes instinct fails a new mother (especially when she gives birth for the first time). If the bitch does not react in any way to the puppy that has just been born within four to six seconds, the baby should be brought to her muzzle. If after this no reaction follows, the owner will have to accept the newborns. It is done like this:

1. 1. The amniotic sac bursts and the puppy is taken out.
2. 2. If he does not breathe and does not make any sounds, his oral and nasal cavities should be freed from mucus. Then lift the puppy by the hind legs and shake.
3. 3. The umbilical cord is cut with scissors at a distance of at least two centimeters from the abdominal wall and tied with a silk thread previously soaked in an alcohol solution.
4. 4. The puppy is wiped with a towel and placed on the mother’s nipple. After he eats a little, and his gastrointestinal tract begins to function, the first feces will stand out from the anus, usually they are black. If this does not happen, the baby needs to gently massage the tummy with a finger.
5. 5. After five to ten minutes, the puppy is transferred to a box prepared in advance for babies. If this is not done, the bitch may accidentally crush her child, giving birth to his brother or sister. The box should be placed so that the mother can see her offspring.

Final

Immediately after the birth of the next puppy, the placenta that surrounded it in the womb, that is, the afterbirth, separates and comes out. But the remains of the placenta can also come out with postpartum discharge (during the first week following the birth). Usually giving birth dogs try to eat the placenta. Two or three eaten placenta will only benefit: along with them, hormones that stimulate labor activity will enter the body. More afterbirths eaten will cause diarrhea.

The owner needs to carefully monitor how many afterbirths have already come out, how many of them have been eaten, and write it all down in a notebook. The remains of the placenta in the uterus can cause purulent inflammation. Therefore, if not all of the afterbirths have come out, urgent action must be taken. To start at home in the bath, the dog should be put on its hind legs and direct a warm jet of water onto its stomach. It will also be useful to massage the abdomen from top to bottom. If all this does not help, the bitch must be taken to a veterinary clinic. You will need to seek help from a specialist in the following situations:

• temperature rise;
• profuse bloody discharge;
• purulent discharge with an unpleasant odor;
• discharge that does not stop a week after childbirth.

When the birth is completed successfully, you should change the bedding under the woman in labor and put the babies to her. A dog with puppies needs to be kept warm and dry, as well as complete rest. Strangers should not be allowed into the room where the female with offspring is located. Its also desirable to be there as little as possible.

Childbirth in dogs of very small breeds

Large dogs such as the Shepherd or Husky most often give birth without assistance. But childbirth in dogs of very small breeds, such as Yorkshire terriers, is inevitably associated with risk.

This happens because puppies of large breeds are 50 times smaller than their mothers, while those of miniature ones are only 10 times smaller!

In addition to Yorkies, breeds such as the Jack Russell Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, and Chihuahua are at the greatest risk. Problems in miniature dogs arise not only because of the relatively large size of their puppies, but also because the birth instincts of these animals are weakened, and their psyche is unnecessarily vulnerable.

Babies in small mothers appear five to seven days earlier than in their normal-sized relatives. It is hardly worth taking such births at home, especially when the dog is going to whelp for the first time. It is better that the birth process takes place in the clinic, under the supervision of specialists. But if you still have to provide obstetric care at home, and the puppy can’t be born in any way, you need to act as follows:

• As soon as, with the next attempt, the fetal bladder appears from the mother’s loop, the puppy should be fixed in the birth canal, holding its head or place above the hips with two fingers.
• During the next attempt, the baby will need to be carefully pulled towards you and fixed again. It is worth releasing the head and shoulders, and the puppy will come out by itself.
• Careful “loosening” of the baby from side to side is allowed. But in no case should you pull the puppy by the paws.

Small dog breeds produce more puppies than large ones.

Possible problems

When puppies are born, the following problems most often occur:

As can be seen from the table, in some cases you can try to help the dog on your own, in others you need to immediately seek help from specialists.