In the first stage of labour the body is getting ready to start passing out puppies. The first stage usually lasts for hours. Your dog may be seen to be restless, panting, shivering, pacing, nesting and wanting to go to a quiet area.
Some dogs do not show any behavioural changes in the first stage. The second stage of labour is the fun part — giving birth to puppies! It usually lasts 3 to 12 hours. In this stage abdominal contractions can be seen. In normal labour, your dog may show weak and infrequent straining for up to 2 hours or at the most 4 hours before giving birth to her first puppy.
Normally the mother will break the membrane that still covers the puppy, lick the puppy all over and chew through the umbilical cord. Sometimes the mother might need help to open the membranes so that the puppy can breathe. Deborah Lundin is a professional writer with more than 20 years of experience in the medical field and as a small business owner. She studied medical science and sociology at Northern Illinois University.
Her passions and interests include fitness, health, healthy eating, children and pets. Share It. T hese include poor contraction of the muscles of the uterus, abnormalities associated with foetal or maternal fluids or twisting or rupture of the uterus. Sometimes the uterine muscles never start to contract properly and a Caesarean operation must be performed to deliver the puppies.
In other cases labour may develop normally but is prolonged and the muscles of the uterus become exhausted before all puppies have been born. Intravenous solutions containing glucose and drugs may help to stimulate contractions of the uterus, but a Caesarean operation may still be necessary.
Previous damage to the pelvis such as healed fractures can make the birth canal narrow. Some bitches have abnormalities of the birth canal or unusually small vulvar openings these may require a partial episiotomy surgical incision to deliver puppies vaginally.
Includes puppies that are too large, or in a abnormal position, presentation or posture. Puppy oversize can occur with prolonged pregnancy in abnormally small litters and is a common cause of dystocia.
The normal position of a puppy before delivery is with the foetal backbone lying along the top of the womb. A mild dystocia may arise if they are lying the other way up.
In most breeds puppies can be born normally in either anterior head first or posterior back feet first presentation. It is only a transverse sideways presentation that is associated with dystocia and this is rare. Deformed puppies may also become stuck in the birth canal. If the puppy is not in the correct position it is not easy to correct this with the use of forceps or traction because of the small size of the birth canal of the bitch.
If a puppy is stuck in the birth canal then a Caesarean operation is needed in most cases. If it is known in advance that problems are likely during delivery your vet will probably want to book the date of the Caesarean as a routine procedure.
You should always discuss the options for your pet with your vet well in advance of labour to ensure you have the right plans in place. Your vet will want to have an accurate history about ovulation timing and breeding dates, as well as any events surrounding labor and performing a careful physical examination.
This will include examination of the birth canal for any abnormalities or the presence of a puppy stuck in the birth canal. A hand held ultrasound may allow detection of foetal heart beats and abdominal ultrasound and x-rays can be very helpful in assessing puppy viability, litter size and puppy position.
Blood tests to measure calcium and glucose levels are also helpful in identifying metabolic disorders contributing to dystocia. This area should be warm and comfortable, and your dog should be able to get in and out as she pleases while keeping the puppies contained.
It is also important for the mother to be isolated from other dogs three weeks prior to labor and three weeks after delivery to prevent herpes virus infection. This virus rarely causes disease in adult dogs, but can be deadly for puppies.
The temperature should be taken rectally for the most accurate reading. There are three stages of dog labor. Contractions in the first stage can last hours. Puppies are usually born minutes apart, but the mother dog may take a break of up to four hours between puppies.
The first stage is defined as cervix relaxation and the start of intermittent contractions. However, you are not likely to see the contractions at this point in the birthing process.
During this stage, your dog will act restless, travel in and out of the nesting box, pant, dig, and sometimes even vomit. This stage can last as long as hours. The second stage of labor begins with stronger, more frequent uterine contractions that eventually lead to the birth of a puppy. Puppies are usually born every minutes, with minutes of hard straining.
Expect some puppies to be born tail first, as this is not abnormal for dogs. It is normal for the mother to take a break during the whelping process, and she may not strain at all for up to four hours in between puppies. If your dog has been straining for more than 60 minutes, or she takes longer than a four-hour break, take her to your veterinarian as soon as possible. Larger breed dogs typically have larger litters. The average number of puppies in a litter is six to eight, but some large breed dogs have been known to give birth to up to 15 puppies!
Your veterinarian can take an x-ray after 55 days of gestation to get a count of how many puppies your dog is expecting. Puppies are born with a protective fetal membrane that is usually removed by the mother dog shortly after birth.
If she does not remove this sac, you must manually remove it to stimulate the puppy to breathe. Stimulate the puppy to breathe by stroking their body firmly with a towel. The final stage of labor is passing the placenta. The vaginal discharge may last in small amounts for up to eight weeks after the puppies are born.
The discharge will normally appear reddish-black since it consists mostly of old blood. If the discharge is overly bloody, has an odor, or looks like pus, your dog should be examined by her veterinarian as soon as possible. It is normal for mother dogs to have a fever greater than Metritis, or inflammation of the uterus , can occur when the placenta is retained or some form of trauma occurred during delivery.
If you see signs of fever, lack of appetite, odorous vaginal discharge, lack of interest in the puppies, or lack of milk production, please contact your veterinarian immediately. Eclampsia may occur during the first three weeks after giving birth and is caused by inability of the mother to keep up with the calcium demand of lactation.
This is usually seen in toy breeds, and calcium supplementation during pregnancy predisposes a dog to this condition. Dogs that have this condition will experience restlessness, muscle spasms, a stiff gait, and even seizures. Please consult your veterinarian as soon as possible if you see any of these behaviors.
Mastitis , or inflammation of the breast tissue, occurs when the breasts become hard, red, and painful due to infection. The mother will likely be sore while nursing, but it is important for the puppies to keep suckling to help reduce swelling and promote excretion of the infected material.
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