Unless the prenatal visit revealed specific risks, it is not usually necessary to intervene during whelping.
The first signs of whelping appear within sixty-three days of fertilization, on average. A gestation period of sixty-five days may indicate problems, while a period of seventy days is definitely abnormal.
The first contractions are uterine contractions, which often cannot be detected except by the nervous behavior of the bitch, who looks repeatedly at her sides and usually seeks a quite place to be alone and make a bed, if she does not already have a nest. Loss of appetite (anorexia) is normal at this time, and can even extend to vomiting. This preparatory phase lasts an average of six to twelve hours, but can last up to thirty-six hours in a primipara. If the owner is worried, he should check vaginal dilatation using one or two gloved fingers, at the same time determining the presence and position of any puppy in the birth canal.
The entrance of the first puppy into the birth canal causes visible contractions of the abdominal muscles (Ferguson's reflex) that help the expulsive efforts of the uterus and should cause the first water sac (allantois) to break within less than three hours. The second water sac (amniotic sac), with the puppy inside, then appears at the vulva (a maximum of twelve hours after the water first breaks). If the amniotic sac is not broken by passage through the birth canal, the mother usually ruptures it within a minute of birth, breaks the umbilical cord, and licks the newborn puppy's torso, which stimulates the first breathing movements. At this stage, intervention is necessary only in the case of a breech presentation (about forty percent of births that are taking a long time) or if the puppy remains inert in spite of maternal stimulation. In the first case, help the mother by pulling lightly in time with the abdominal contractions. In the second, make sure the upper portion of the puppy's airway is not obstructed (which is frequently the case with breech births), and if necessary, clear it by means of an enema syringe or centrifugal motions, which also promote blood flow to the head. If these measures are ineffective, cold water or respiratory stimulants must be tried.
Each puppy is generally followed within about fifteen minutes (unless the contractions are intense) by its afterbirth, which is usually eaten by the mother. Puppies are born at intervals a few minutes to a half-hour. A delay greater than two hours between puppies is a sign of an abnormality such as primary uterine inertia (caused by fatigue, hypoglycemia or hypocalcemia) or secondary uterine inertia due to blockage (transverse presentation, presence of two fetuses in the birth canal at the same time, blockage of the birth canal). In these cases, medical and/or surgical intervention is necessary.
Log in
