As your dog’s body prepares to give birth, her birth canal relaxes and widens, while her puppies turn around into the correct position for birth. The preparation stage of whelping often lasts between 6-12 hours but can be as long as 36 hours (especially for a first-time mum or a nervous dog). During this stage, you may notice your dog’s behaviour changing.
Signs often include
>> Restlessness
>> Hiding away
>> Panting
>> Eating less
>> Vomiting (contact your vet if you are concerned)
>> ‘Nesting’ – digging, pacing and circling her whelping box
You may also notice your dog passing a small amount of red/brown mucus from her vulva and having very weak contractions (but not straining). Just before your dog starts having her puppies, she should start to settle down, ideally in her whelping box.
Giving birth
Once strong contractions and straining begin, your dog will start having her puppies.
>> The first puppy often takes the longest to be born; if contractions are weak, it can take between two-four hours, but if contractions are strong, it should come within 20-30 minutes.
>> There will then be a time gap between following puppies, ranging from five minutes to one and a half hours. As long as your dog is comfortable, a gap between puppies is fine.
>> If at any point, your dog has been straining and having strong contractions for 20-30 minutes, without progressing or producing a puppy, contact you vet urgently.
>> Most puppies are born headfirst, but some come tail first.
>> Puppies are born inside a thin sac, which the mother will remove, enabling them to breathe.
>> After each puppy, your dog should pass an afterbirth (placenta), which they often eat. The placenta is the structure that provides oxygen and nutrients to the puppy while it’s developing in the womb. A placenta should appear approximately 15 minutes after each puppy; however, they don’t always come in order, i.e. a few pups may be born before their placentas are passed. If not all placentas are passed, an infection can develop in the weeks following whelping.
>> Your dog should seem comfortable between each puppy, settled, and licking her new-born until her contractions restart and straining begins again.
>> There will be some clear or bloody fluid coming from your dog’s vulva during whelping; this is normal. However, a lot of blood isn’t normal (more than a few drips).
>> You may see a small amount of green-tinged discharge following a pup being born, but a thick green discharge without a puppy is a concern.
Contact your vet for advice if you are concerned at any point during your dog’s whelping.
T: 01608 730501. Our vets cover 100% of our out of hours service, so you can be sure you will se a familiar face any time of day or night.
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