Care during pregnancy
Mild exercise like walking is essential throughout pregnancy but any strain should be avoided during the last half of pregnancy. Great care should be taken to see that the bitch avoids jumping. Grooming the dog daily is imperative. If there is some discharge, especially during the last two weeks of pregnancy, the vulva should be cleaned with warm water. Females usually deliver sixty-three days after the mating. However, a few days more or less are frequent occurrences. It is always desirable to keep a record of the mating date to calculate the probable delivery date. The whelping chart will readily enable you to find out the approximate date when the pups can be expected.
First Stage: Sometimes the first stage of labour may not be noticed, and a litter of pups may arrive without the mother displaying any sign of discomfort. However, generally, there is marked restlessness, panting and sometimes, crying, especially in a maiden delivery. The bitch may also scratch her bedding, shred the newspaper while trying to make a nest and refuse food. Her body temperature will probably come down to below 37.7 deg.C or 100 deg.F from a normal of 38.6 deg.C or 101.5 deg.F. There is usually a clear discharge of mucus which acts as a lubricant before the first puppy begins to arrive.
Second Stage: During the second stage of labour, contractions start taking place, as the female strains to expel the puppy. At the same time there is more discharge, and a membrane bag filled with fluid may also be visible. Usually the sac ruptures, liberating clear fluid. The pup is attached to the mother by an umbilical cord, which is connected to the placenta. The placenta is a circular organ which nourishes and safeguards the foetus. It is expelled after birth. A watch should be kept on the bitch off and on to see that the after birth is expelled after each pup as its retention can cause infection later. The mother usually tears away the sac, bites off the umbilical cord and eats the afterbirth. This is perfectly normal and stimulates milk supply on account of concentration of certain hormones in these membranes. However, she should be allowed to eat only one set.
Arrival of the Pups: Before or soon after the arrival of each pup, the mother vigorously licks the pup to stimulate his breathing, whereupon, you may then hear the pup’s cry. If, by rare chance, the mother does not open the sac, you should do so immediately, either with clean fingers or with a pair of sterilized scissors. Open the mouth of the pup to enable him to start breathing and rub him briskly with a soft dry towel. If the umbilical cord is not bitten off, tie the cord firmly with a silk thread, about four and a half centimeters away from the body of the pup, without pulling at the stomach wall, and then cut through a bit below the knot. Ensure the use of sterilized scissors and apply a drop of tincture of iodine. Resist the urge to help unless the puppy is in danger. It is also desirable to keep your veterinarian informed about the approximate date of whelping, so that he/she is available for help.
The time gap between the deliveries of each pup may vary from a few minutes to a few hours. If the mother seems to have no trouble, it is advisable not to interfere as Mother Nature generally takes a favorable course.
Puppies are born with their eyes closed and remain so for about ten to fifteen days. Children should not be allowed to go near the pups till all of them appear normal. Similarly visitors should not be allowed to go near the mother and her pups for at least three days.