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How To Recognize Whelping Signs

How To Recognize Whelping Signs

If you own the dog for first time and she is pregnant, then you would have lots of doubts about how the labor will happen and the issues during the labor. This video gives you the guidelines about how to prepare yourself for your dog's labor time.

Hi, I'm Jamie Crittall from Beech House Veterinary Centre in Surrey, and I'm here to talk to you about dog breeding. Hi, I would like to talk to you about how to recognize the signs of whelping in a dog. They often occur at night when it's quiet and classically from day 63, but it can happen anything from sort of day 57 of pregnancy.

There are 3 stages of whelping or 3 stages of labor, and the first stage is the one that is sort of the eminent signs that your bitch is about to whelp, and classically, will happen over a period of 12 to 24 hours and if it's your bitch's first litter, may take as long as 36 hours. But it should become slightly restless, should be looking at her tummy a lot and she may start nesting and as result you think, “Oh, she is going to be close.” And if you got the thermometer, it's really good thing to know what's your dog's body temperatures.

Usually, it will be between 38 and 38½ degree centigrade. When she is about to whelp, that body temperature suddenly drops at least by a degree. In toy breeds, you end up getting the biggest drop anything down to 35 degrees.

In the medium breeds, that may be about 36 and in the giant breeds, only about 37 degrees. But once you get that sudden drop, your bitch is about to eminently whelp. Now, the second stage of labor starts when her tummy starts contracting, you see these real muscle contractions.

You will see the first water break and as result, the puppy is eminently on its way, and her body temperature starts to come back up. And at that stage within that first hour, you would like to think the puppy is going to come. If it's taking longer than an hour, you need to think about contacting your vet for an advice.

So, to recap about determining when your bitch's about to whelp, she will start nesting, she will seem uncomfortable, she will start looking at her tummy and this restlessness will then develop. You want to check her body temperature, a sudden drop by at least a degree will mean that she is eminently about to start going into labor. Second stage is where the puppies are coming out and you start tosee her tummy contract real muscle contractions and she will be straining.

And within an hour, she should have produced her first pup. If she hasn't and you've seen her waters break and her body temperature is coming back up, that's the time to get touch with your vet because there may be a problem and you need some advice. If everything is going smoothly, she is well on her way to producing the puppies. .