What to expect when you’re pup is expecting

Your beautiful fur baby is about to become a mom and make you a grand-pet parent. Helping your pup during the birthing process can be a beautiful moment and yet, at the same time can be overwhelming. Imagine coming home from work and realizing the puppies are coming! What do you do?

Thermometer isn’t Needed

Some may find it helpful to use a thermometer to figure out if the puppies are coming or not. However, for some mom’s to be, using a thermometer maybe inaccurate. Because some dog’s temperatures may drop a few degrees below normal range of 101-102.5 a few hours before the whelping begin and other dog’s temps doesn’t drop. So don’t become too worry if your dog’s temp drops a few and the puppies haven’t arrived yet.

Signs the pups are arriving

If you start to notice the following, start getting prepared for delivery. You should also call your vet to have on stand-by.

  • No interest in eating about 24hrs before whelping.
  • Begin to lick her vulva.
  • Showing signs of being uncomfortable due to cramping
  • Begin to notice a shiny grey looking sac or water balloon like hanging from her vulva.

tip1: Once you have alerted your vet that Ms. Fluffy is having her babies, call every 15 mins with an update or when you’re not sure what to do.

tip2: you may want to protect your floors, in the event that your dog starts to walk around and the sac leaks it’s fluids.

Delivery

Your dog should be in the delivery process within an hour of presenting the shiny grey sac. Normally the first pup is  challenging, so don’t panic if your dog begin to strain and moan. If the first puppy hasn’t been born yet and an hour has passed, contact your vet. You may have to move the birthing event to the vet’s office.

Once the first puppy is born, he/she will be covered in a plastic wrap  thin membrane. If your dog hasn’t attempted to remove it, you must so the puppy can breath. Puppies have a grace period of 6 mins to breathe before brain damage or death occurs. Now you can remove the afterbirth (blackish green tissue). You should begin to clean your grand-pup if your fur baby doesn’t. This process will start over again for each pup.

tip1: If your dog hasn’t given birth 65 days after successfully mating, something is seriously wrong and you should contact your vet.

tip2: there is no benefit for your dog to eat the afterbirth, so discard properly.