Living the experience of the birth of living beings is an image that cannot be easily forgotten and if it is also our dog that gives us this event, what better than being prepared to help her in the first instead of her? It's only 60 days to prepare before we start the "big time".
From our site we want to offer you tips for giving birth to a first-time bitch and, normally, it is associated with us being first-timers in these things too. It never hurts to prevent situations and know what to do in case she needs our help. If we are not experts on the subject, it is better to read the advice to be able to talk to our veterinarian if we have any doubts.
During pregnancy
A dog's pregnancy can last between 60 and 63 days. In this period we will see changes in our bitch of different types and it is very important to be attentive to them in order to identify if everything is going well or, on the contrary, it is advisable to go to our specialist:
- There will be a behavior change, less interest in games you used to love, more calm and more sleep than usual.
- She will more affectionate with the family but if there is a male dog nearby she will be more surly with him and, in general, they will they understand and move away, even if it's the father.
- You will have less appetite so we must be careful that the food is correct in terms of nutritional requirements that our little mom needs.
- You will need to follow regular check-ups with our veterinarian to find out how many offspring you will have (they can be counted from the 25th day of gestation) which will help in the time of delivery to know if any are missing to come out.
Prepare the nest
When they are absent between 10 to 15 days before deliveryThe mother-to-be will look for a corner of the house, never her usual places, where you can relax and be safe with your puppies
The ideal nest can be a box with high edges and lined with "bumpers" to prevent accidents to the puppies or that they may run away in the first few days. Let's remember that they cannot see the first days of life, so we want to make it easier for them to be with their mother for as long as possible.
We can also place mom's bed and some of her favorite toys in the same place, so that she is comfortable with her things
Delivery is coming
On the day of delivery we will notice changes in our bitch that will alert us that the puppies are on the way. Some of them are:
- Loss of appetite, refuses food.
- she May leak milk from her breasts
- she will be uncomfortable anywhere, restless, panting and may even shiver
- Maybe when lying down to give birth she doesn't like the site prepared as a nest, she shouldn't be forced or alarmed, she will have to transfer everything to the one she finally chooses, she considers it safer than the above for your little ones and we will respect it.
- He may try to dig, in the garden or on the carpet, but it is normal behavior before expelling the placenta, so as not to leave traces for the enemy, normal behavior in nature.
During the delivery
When the time comes, she will lie on her side and her breathing will alternate between fast and slow cycles to recover. When the first puppy comes out, the bitch will seem like she is going through a seizure and then, depending on the breed, the remaining ones will come out at intervals of 15 to 30 minutes.
Here we must pay attention to 2 very important things:
- Each puppy should be licked by its motherto remove the membranes from its face and stimulate respiration, if not inside From 1 to 3 minutes after birth, the owner must do it. We must dry him with clean towels, against the grain and to remove the fluids from his small airways we can insert our little finger in his mouth and clean his nose, so he will begin to breathe on his own.
- Generally it is the bitch that will cut the umbilical cord with her teeth, if it does not happen, the owner can do it with thread that will tie close to the puppy's belly to prevent the next knot that linked it to the placenta from bleeding to 1 cm and, with nail scissors, cut in the center.
- It is common for the dog to try to eat the placenta, it doesn't always happen. If we can avoid it, much better.
- Once the puppies are born we must avoid touching them and it is important that they are close to their mother so that they can suckle the colostrum. first 12 hours to boost your immunity.
Don't forget that sometimes complications can arise in the delivery of the dog, so it is essential to have at hand the telephone number of an emergency veterinarianto call if it happens.
