Adventures Outdoors'
IN WISCONSIN
Delivery and care of Puppies
By Rick Spoerl
As I set down the burger king meal for my kids, I heard Xena, my female lab barking. I ran downstairs to the whelping box and looked in it. She was barking at a squirming wet little black ball that lay on the bottom of the whelping box. She had given birth to her first pup.
Being a new mother she seemed a little confused. I got in the whelping box with her and calmed her down. I placed the pup near her so it could start nursing. I started petting her and telling her "good, good". As Xena licked her pup she began to relax. I plugged in the heating pad in a small box I had previously set up and set the temperature to the lowest setting. Just then, Xena became anxious, looking and licking at her vaginal area. I put the puppy in the box with the heating pad. Xena’s body tensed up and she stretched and curled her tail upward. Than I saw the black shiny object protruding from her. With a couple contractions the newborn slide out onto the floor and Xena immediately and most frantically started licking the pup. She slurped up the sac that had covered the pup and ate the placenta that followed. The pup began squirming and crying. After she licked the pup nearly dry I placed it next to a nipple and the pup began sucking. I than took the other pup out of the box, placed it next to her and both pups laid there feeding. This went on with five more pups being born each about ten to twenty minutes apart.
Most deliveries go without complications. You should be there if possible. Especially with a first time mother. Even if just for the first few pups. I normally see the whole process through. Puppies can be born from a few minutes apart up to an hour. If more than a couple hours’ passes or the female is crying, there is probably a problem and the vet should be notified immediately.
As the pup starts to come out, it can be head first or butt first. Both ways are considered normal. The first few should come out relatively easy, but as labor continues and the mother tires, it may take quite an effort for her to expel them. You can help her by gently grabbing the pup and slowly pulling the pup out. Be careful not to tug too hard. The pup should exit the birth canal within ten minutes. The puppy will be covered in a sac that normally the mother will remove. If she doesn’t remove it you can pull it off. Next she should nip the umbilical chord with her teeth leaving an inch or so hanging off the pup. If it bleeds, you can tie a string around the piece of chord to stop the bleeding and put a drop of iodine on it. She will also eat the placenta as it comes out. If you don’t see it come out, don’t worry. Her body will expel and absorb it later. She should also continue licking the puppy which will dry it as well as stimulate it. If she doesn’t, you can gently wipe it with a towel.
Still born pups are common. Usually it doesn’t affect the delivery. On occasion it can stop delivery for a short time. If it appears a pup isn’t breathing or moving shortly after delivery you can check its mouth to be clear of mucous (use a syringe or other sucking device to clear the mouth) and place the pup with its belly in the palm of your hand and head between your two fingers. Than lower your arm in a downward motion and swing the pup letting gravity try and clear the pup’s lungs.
While she gives birth you can put the pups in the box with the heating pad or hot water bottle in it. Keep the temperature 80-90 degrees F. The box should be big enough so the pups can move away from the heat source if it gets to hot. Than move them back to her to nurse as soon as she’s done with each birth.
If the mother has twenty minutes of intense labor without a birth, ten minutes of a visible puppy without birth, weak labor for more then six hours without a delivery or continuous bleeding from the vagina for more than ten minutes, seek a vet’s advice immediately.
Give her a break now and then during delivery. Take her outside to relieve herself but keep a close watch on her. During a delivery years ago I had to scoop one of Xena’s pups out from under her in the backyard.
After the delivery is over make sure to check on them every couple of hours, making sure they are eating and staying close to the mother. At times you’ll have to gather them up and put them next to mom. If there are pups that are to week to feed or the mother wont feed them, you’ll have to feed them. Purchase a puppies nursing bottle along with some puppy formula before hand just in case. They will have to be fed several times a day. Contact a vet for an exam on weak pups and feeding instructions.
The puppies and the female should visit the vet at about two to three days after birth for exams as well as dewclaw removal.
The puppies’ eyes will open at 7 to 14 days old and will begin to be quite mobile. The pup’s weight should be monitored with a scale. They should about double there weight in one week. I put different colored nail polish on the pup’s backs to identify them. At two weeks they should be standing or trying to stand. All should be running at four weeks. At two to three weeks I like to put puppy formula out and push their noses towards the pan trying to get them to taste it. By the third week I’m adding puppy food to it. By the forth week I add water to the puppy food making the consistency thicker and thicker, like oatmeal. I also provide water to the pups and only allow the female short periods with the pups after four weeks. They can be pretty hard on her beyond five weeks. Usually by the sixth and seventh week the pups are ready to slowly be weaned off the mushy food and go to straight dry food. I start throwing some dry kibbles around the food pan. Keep an eye on them as they will occasionally choke on the dry food.
Keep a clean whelping box. The mother will eat the stool of the pups and keep them clean for a couple weeks but after they get older you will need to clean the box every couple hours and clean the pups as they will get messy after eating. The theory being that if the pups are used to being in a clean place than hopefully this will carry over to their new owners home and they will house train easier and be clean pets.
The puppies are provided some immunities after birth. Some antibodies are also provided through the mother’s milk. After weaning, the puppy can become susceptible to disease. Worming can begin after weaning as well as the puppies first shots. These are given at six weeks and normally consist of distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, para influenza virus, parvo virus, corona virus and rabies. Check with your vet on the schedule of heart worm as well as the best time to start rabies shots. A microscopic and or treatment of intestinal parasites or worm check should also be accomplished at this time.
We must also mention socialization. Playing with the puppies and getting them used to certain sights and sounds will better prepare them for what’s ahead in their lives. I have lots of kids and usually don’t have a problem finding someone to play with a couple pups. After three weeks I like to take a quarter of the litter out and play with them for fifteen minutes or so. I take them out in groups so as to not get them too concerned. Then by the fifth week I can take them out individually and play with them. I believe this helps when they finally leave the litter for good.
When I start feeding them regularly after weaning I announce my presents by blowing a duck call. Later I blow the duck call and bang on the furnace ducting letting them know their going to get fed. They begin to associate food with these noises. During play time I throw wings of ducks and geese around praising the pups. As they get older I play fetch with the pups that will cooperate. I use toilet paper rolls as they are light and easy to carry. I don’t let them chew apart any of their retrieving objects. I do however let them chew on other play toys like balls and rawhides that I keep in the whelping pen. I don’t introduce live birds to pups at this young age. It’s not needed and can only hurt.
Now your ready to introduce your pups to there new owners. They should be healthy, clean, introduced to lots of socialization with humans and be used to occasionally being without their mom or the rest of the litter.
