Whelping and Post-Natal Concerns
May, 1996
My February article in the SPO Magazine dealt with canine
breeding and caring for the bitch during pregnancy. This month, I
will discuss whclping and the care of newborn puppies and the
postparturient bitch.
In the final 12 to 24 hours of pregnancy, most bitches will have
a drop in body temperature to below 99 degrees, Fahrenheit.
However, there are normal variations in temperature through-out
the day. Therefore, checking for a drop in temperature is not the
most reliable indicator of impending labor, but it can be useful
in some bitches.
Labor itself is divided into three stages. During Stage I, the
bitch shows nesting behavior, seeking seclusion and an
appropriate location to have her puppies. She may appear restless
or nervous, shivering, panting or pacing. She may vomit or simply
lose her appetite. This stage may last 6 to 1 2 hours. All that
is required for the owner to do is provide the bitch with privacy
and an area for whelping. Internally, uterine contractions occur.
but they are not usually visible externally. When the cervix is
fully dilated, this stage ends and Stage 2 begins.
Stage II ends with the expulsion of a fetus and Stage Ill ends
with the expulsion of a placenta. The bitch with more than a
single puppy usually alternates between Stage II and Stage III
until all pups are delivered. The total length of these 2 stages
is highly variable. Bitches may deliver puppies over a period of
a few hours or as long as 24 or 36 hours. The time between the
start of Stage II labor (visible contractions) and the birth of
the first puppy is also variable. Frequently, it is less than 30
minutes. If same contractions are seen for 1 to 2 hours, a
veterinarian should he consulted. The time interval between
births of additional puppies is also variable. It is not unusual
for a bitch to rest for a while before beginning delivery again.
If this rest occurs, a lag time of more than 4 hours is
worrisome, and warrants a call to the veterinarian.
Most puppies are born head first, but a full 30 to 40% are born
breech, hind feet and tail first. The breech presentation is
considered normal and does not predispose to difficulties. Each
puppy is surrounded by several layers of fluid-filled membranes.
Although the outer membrane usually ruptures during delivery, the
amniotic sac is usually intact when the puppy is born. The bitch
should lick each newborn vigorously, to remove any membranes that
remain, and to stimulate the first respiration. If this does not
occur within a few minutes, the owner can intervene. Intact
membranes can be broken by hand, and then removed by laying the
puppy on a clean, soft towel and rubbing it vigorously with the
other end of the towel. Fluids can be removed from the mouth by
suction, using a soft rubber bulb, or by cupping the puppy in the
hands and swinging the arms sharply in a downward motion. The
bitch should sever the umbilical cord with her teeth. If she
doesn’t, again the owner may intervene by tying the
umbilical cord tightly with thread and cutting the cord on the
side of the thread closer to the placenta or the mother.
A placenta will usually be passed within 10 minutes of the birth
of each puppy. A retained placenta may or may not cause a
problem. The bitch usually eats the placentas as they are
delivered, but there is no known benefit to this practice.
Each puppy should be nursing within a few hours of being born.
They have a strong sucking reflex immediately. For those puppies
that are a little slow, you may express a drop of the
bitch’s milk onto the end of a convenient nipple, which is
then placed into the puppy’s mouth. Puppies should have the
opportunity to nurse whenever they’re hungry for the first
few weeks, which may be every 3 or 4 hours. Just as important as
this proper nutrition, is adequate heat. Puppies are very
susceptible to hypothermia and should remain close to the
mother’s body. Providing a supplemental heat source for the
puppies is an excellent idea. They can be offered solid
food, either canned food or moistened dry kibble, at about 3
weeks of age, so they can be weaned at about 6 weeks. The bitch
should dry off in a few weeks and the glands will approach their
normal size.
A number of problems may occur in the bitch or the puppies during
any of these events. First of all, clinical pseudopregnancy may
occur after breeding and failure to conceive. The bitch in a
false pregnancy may show abdominal enlargement and an increase in
appetite, as well as mammary development, all at times when they
would occur during a true pregnancy. Less commonly, a bitch in
pseudopregnancy will also show nesting behavior, abdominal
contractions and true lactation. No treatment of this condition
is usually recommended, but if the bitch stimulates milk letdown
by licking herself, this may become a nuisance and some
intervention is warranted.
Fetal death can occur for a number of reasons. If it occurs
early, the fetus is usually absorbed by the mother’s body
and may go undetected. If it occurs later in pregnancy, abortion
may result. Depending on the cause, the bitch has the potential
to abort a portion of the litter and still carry the remainder of
the fetuses to term. Fetal death can be caused by congenital
defects in the fetus itself, or alterations in the health of the
uterus or placenta. These alterations can be caused by diseases
outside the reproductive tract, or by uterine diseases (tumors,
adhesions or cystic endometrial hyperplasia) or by hormonal
imbalances. Infectious diseases that can cause fetal death
include Brucellosis, Canine Herpes Virus infection, Canine
Distemper Virus infection, Toxoplasmosis, and Campylobacter
infection.
Another potential problem is dystocia, or any difficulty in
whelping. The most common cause is uterine fatigue but dystocia
can also occur due to a fetus that is too large for the pelvis or
the vaginal canal. Litter size is the main factor determining the
size of individual puppies, with litters of only 1 or 2 being
more likely to have problems with obstruction that needs
assistance. I have already given guidelines as to when to seek
veterinary assistance during labor. You and your vet will try to
determine the cause of the dystocia and the most appropriate
treatment. This treatment may include administration of drugs,
manual assistance in delivery, or a Cesarean section.
Eclampsia is a less common but lifethreatening disease. It is
caused by a low blood calcium level and the signs usually occur
in the first 3 weeks of nursing. The initial signs may be vague
behavior changes such as restlessness or nervousness. This can
progress to irritability, excessive salivation and a stiff or
wobbly gait. If still left untreated, the signs may progress, in
minutes or hours, to muscle spasms, inability to stand, and
seizures. Death can result from respiratory depression or
hypothermia. If brought to the veterinarian’s office soon
enough, administration of calcium intravenously can cause rapid
improvement in the signs. Oral calcium given throughout lactation
prevents recurrence.
Mastitis, inflammation or infection of the mammary gland, is
usually not difficult to recognize. Affected glands are warn and
painful, with firm areas and possibly milk that is off-color.
Nursing from these glands may or may not be harmful to puppies.
Treatment of mastitis may include antibiotics, warm compresses,
manual emptying of the gland, or surgical drainage and flushing.
As previously mentioned, newborn puppies are very susceptible to
disease and other stresses. It is not uncommon for pre-weaning
losses to approach 10 to 20%. These losses may be due to
congenital diseases, physical trauma, infection, or heavy
parasite load. To minimize mortality, it is important not only to
supply proper nutrition and supplemental heat, but to get started
on a good worm control and vaccination program.
Worming may start before weaning. First vaccinations should be
given at 6 to 8 weeks of age and continued until 16 to 20 weeks
in order to achieve lasting immunity.