Pre-Birth Checklist for Puppies.

Posted in Royal Canin | By: Royal Canin | 19 Dec 2011 1:39 pm    

"Birth"

Pre-birth checklist

• Choose a room for the delivery that’s easy to clean.
• Place a box well away from any noise, insulate it from the floor using several layers of newspaper and cover it with clean towels or sheets.
• Make sure you have enough clean linen at hand to change the bed, disposable gloves, kitchen paper and some scales to weigh the puppies.
• Make sure the nest is sufficiently warm. The temperature must be around 30° C.
• Place bowls of water around the room so that the air is not too dry.
• Make sure you have a tin of puppy milk in case any of the puppies have problems suckling and read the instructions beforehand.
• If your bitch is long haired, clear the area around the vulva using round-tipped scissors.
• Note down the number of your usual vet and keep it close at hand.
• Make sure there is always a bowl of drinking water available.

Important!
The temperature in the nest needs to be 30° C because puppies can't regulate their body temperature at birth.

You can then progressively lower the temperature in the nest to 25°C in week 4.
Put water containers in the room to make sure that the air is not too dry.

The unborn puppies!
Even inside the womb, puppies are sensitive to touch, so if you stroke your bitch’s tummy regularly they will enjoy it.

Helping your bitch to whelp

Generally, bitches manage very well by themselves.
Your role mainly consists in providing her with quiet surroundings and your presence , but if you have any concerns in advance, do ask your vet for advice..
Between the first contractions and the birth of the first puppy, the time can be anything from a few minutes to 3 hours, although the time can vary enormously.
Once the first puppy is delivered, if your bitch doesn’t tear open the foetal sac herself do it yourself wearing gloves.
Subsequent puppies will be born within anything from a few minutes to 4 hours later on.

Don’t worry if your bitch eats the placenta as soon as it’s expulsed.

What to do??

•  When whelping begins, go and check on your bitch every 15 minutes to make sure everything’s going smoothly, taking care not to show her if you’re worried.
•  Call your vet if the contractions are unproductive or if things seem to be taking an abnormally long time and if you’re worried.
•  If you need to warm a puppy up, rub him gently with towels.

What not to do??

•  Never pull the puppies, especially by the paws, to help their expulsion
•  Never put the puppies in cold water
•  Never use a hair dryer, as there is a real risk of burns and above all dehydration
•  

TO KNOW MORE:
http://motherandpuppies.royalc anin.in/pregnancy-and-birth/th e-final-weeks-and-the-birth