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Care of The Pregnant Bitch
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Care of the Pregnant Bitch
Caring for Newborns and their Mothers
The Cradle
Care
of
the pregnant bitch
The normal pregnancy or
gestation period lasts about 63 days. Pregnancy can be detected as
early as three or four weeks with ultrasound examination. You
veterinarian may also be able to palpate fetuses at that stage, but
this is a less reliable method of
detection. Radiographs (x-rays) will not show fetal skeletons until 45
-50
days into gestation. It may be helpful to know the exact number of
puppies to expect at whelping time, so x-rays are still considered a
useful tool.
In the last two weeks of pregnancy, the bitch should be provided with
an area for whelping and nursing her pups. Many breeders build a
whelping
box to meet certain criteria. It should be large enough for the bitch
to
be down and still have room for a litter of puppies. The sides should
be
high enough so that four to five week old puppies can not jump out. The
ideal temperature for the box floor would be about 75 degrees F, which
can
be accomplished with ordinary light bulbs. There should be no drafty
areas.
The diet for a pregnant bitch should consist primarily or totally of a
high-quality commercial dog food. A diet balanced for feeding puppies
will meet her increased demand for energy, protein and minerals. The
amount fed may be gradually increased during pregnancy, so that she may
be consuming 1 1/2 times as much at the end of pregnancy as she was at
the beginning. (Two-thirds
of the growth of the fetus occurs in the last onethird of pregnancy).
Calcium
and other mineral supplements should not be added to the diet already
mentioned
for normal pregnant bitches. Those that have had eclampsia (caused by
low
blood calcium) after previous litters may benefit from calcium
supplements given in the last week of gestation and throughout
lactation.
Most dogs whelp (give birth) without any complications. However,
complications can happen, and it is imperative that the bitch not be
alone for one full week before and one full week after the puppies are
born. This means adjusting work schedules (vacation
time).
Approximately one day before whelping, the level of progesterone in the
blood, which has been high throughout pregnancy, falls to levels not
seen since the dog first went into heat. Within 14 hours of this
progesterone
drop, there will be a fall in the dog's rectal temperature (normally
around
100 to 102 degrees F; prior to whelping, the temperature may drop below
99
F). This temperature decrease is usually followed by labor within 12 to
24
hours.
Labor consists of three different stages:
Stage I begins with the first contractions of the uterus and ends when
the cervix is completely open and ready for puppies to pass out through
the
birth canal. Owners cannot usually see the contractions, but your dog
may
exhibit panting, restlessness, vomiting, anorexia (loss of appetite)
and
nesting behavior. Stage I may last from six to 24 hours. It’s best to
keep
the environment quiet for your dog so as not to further excite her.
Little
else can be done for these completely natural events of whelping.
Stages II and III alternate with one another: Stage II ends with the
delivery of a pup, whereas Stage III ends with the expulsion of the
pup’s placenta. It may take between 15 minutes and two hours between
the deliveries of one pup and his placenta and the next. You shouldn’t
be concerned unless pups have not passed for longer thantwo hours or if
your dog has been actively straining to deliver a pup longer than 30
minutes with no success. Contact your veterinarian or your local
emergency hospital immediately should this occur.
The new mother should vigorously clean each puppy as he’s born,
however, some do not, and to save the puppy, you must do this for
her. This helps to remove placental membranes, dry each
puppy from maternal fluids and stimulate the puppy to breathe. (The
mother will usually eat the pup's placenta; this is natural.)
Approximately 40 percent of puppies are born breech (hind end first).
This isn’t a problem unless the mother is straining excessively with
little change in the pup’s position. Any deviation from the
normal whelping process should signal you to seek immediate veterinary
advice.
It is wise to have a smaller box set outside of the whelping box, with
a warming source (heatpad, on low, with towels over it) in the box to
place the puppies in when mom is delivering the next puppy.
Very soon after birth, puppies should begin suckling from the mother,
and in fact, this helps the contractions for the next puppy, as
suckling
stimulates contractions. Newborns have very low reserves of
energy, so they must obtain fresh reserves from the milk. In addition,
since
very few antibodies come from the mother through the placenta (blood)
before
whelping, puppies must get infection-protecting antibodies from their
mother’s
first milk. However, if puppies don’t ingest the milk within 12 to 16
hours
after birth, very few antibodies can be absorbed and the puppy will be
susceptible to infections until he can produce his own antibodies after
four weeks of age.
Some bitches, even though they have milk and the puppies nurse with no
problem, just don't like to clean their puppies. If so, then it's our
job. We caused these puppies to be born, the buck stops with us; if
they need to be cleaned we have to do the job. We have to be gentle,
but we have to be just as certain that we're successful in stimulating
defecation and urination as we are that the puppies are getting enough
to eat.
Mom’s nutritional needs are increased while nursing puppies. Feed
her 1 ½ to 2 times her normal non-pregnant ration while she is
nursing.
A healthy puppy should be start being able to start to eat solid food
at 3 weeks of age. Start him on dry puppy food mixed with warm water
and
stirred into a gruel. A litter of six usually starts on about 1 cup of
food,
and that amount is increased until the puppies are eating about 1 –
½ cups each per feeding. Add yogurt, about ½
teaspoon per puppy being fed. By 4 weeks of age, add Pedigree
canned chicken to that (about ¼ teaspoon per puppy)
At six weeks, substitute cottage cheese for the yogurt. Remember
to increase the amounts of food as they
grow. Puppies should look chubby.
I personally do not wean my puppies from their mother. She
typically does this on her own, and as long as she nurses them even
once/day, she eats her increased ration of food. Expect your girl
to start losing hair. This is the effects of major hormone
changes. Some girls go quite
bald. You may notice she is losing weight. It is important
to
keep on top of this. All of her calories are devoted to
milk production, and she needs you to be sure she is getting enough
calories to maintain her weight and health.
reprinted with kind permission from Dian Welle
******************
back to
top
Caring for Newborns & Their Mother
Veterinary & Aquatic Services Department, Drs.
Foster & Smith, Inc.
The puppies are here. They
have been weighed and identified; they have nursed and are now sleeping
quietly (except for the normal twitching). Now what? Your job is far
from done.
Nutrition and feeding
The bitch will be ready for some food and water. Bring the dishes to
the whelping box, as she will not want to leave the newborn puppies. Do
not leave the dishes on the floor in the whelping box, as the puppies
could crawl into them. Hang the dishes from the side of the whelping
box or offer her food and water at least every 2-3 hours to start. She
should be taken outside on a frequent and regular basis to eliminate.
Within 2-3 days, the bitch's appetite will dramatically increase to 2-4
times her pre-pregnancy intake. She will need a near constant supply of
a high quality puppy food (do NOT use large breed puppy formulas, which
are generally lower in protein, fat, and minerals) and water to
maintain her weight and health while feeding the puppies. She should
still have her vitamin/mineral tablet. She should not look gaunt or
thin if her weight is
maintained. Ideally, she should weigh the same at the time of weaning,
as
she did when she was bred.
A healthy puppy is firm, plump, and
vigorous. Puppies should nurse
every 2 hours or so. If they nurse until their stomachs appear round
and
they sleep quietly, they are eating enough. If they are crying and
moving
a lot, they are not eating enough. They may be swallowing air, which
makes
the stomach appear larger. As they become weaker, they will lay still
and
not cry. A puppy may lose weight in the first 24 hours (less than 10%
of
birth weight), but after that, the weight should increase steadily.
Their
weight should double in the first 7-10 days. Before, during, and after
nursing,
the bitch will lick the stomach and perineal area to stimulate
urination
and defecation. She will continue to do this for 2-3 weeks.
Puppies should gain 1-2 grams/day/pound of anticipated adult weight.
Weigh the puppy daily for the first 2 weeks, then weigh at least
weekly. A food scale typically works well for weighing the puppies.
Failure to
gain weight is often the first sign of illness in puppies.
At about 3 weeks of age, the puppies will begin to imitate the bitch
eating and drinking. A secure shallow
water
dish should now be available at least part of the day. At 3½
weeks of age, the puppies can start receiving puppy mush.
Prepare the puppy mush by placing 2 cups of high quality dry puppy
food in a blender with 12.5 oz liquid puppy milk replacer and fill the
rest of the blender with hot water. This should be blenderized until
the
consistency of human infant cereal. (This feeds 6-8 puppies of a
medium-sized
breed.) The puppies should receive 3-4 meals a day of this to start.
Once
the puppies have checked it out, walked in it, and have eaten some, the
dam can be allowed to finish it and clean the puppies off. Each week,
increase
the amount of food, decrease the amount of the milk replacer and water
that is added and the time of blenderizing, so by 7 weeks of age, the
puppies
are eating dry food. Once they are on dry food, it may be left in with
the puppies (when the dam is out of the box) or the meal times can
continue.
As the puppies eat more solid food, the bitch may be let away from the
puppies for an ever longer period of time.
By the time the puppies are 6½-7
weeks of age, they should be fully weaned from the dam's milk, eating
dry food, and drinking water.
If the weaning is not rushed, she will naturally start decreasing milk
production, as the puppies increase their intake of solid food. As the
puppies begin eating the puppy mush at 4 weeks of age, start changing
the bitch's diet
back to adult food to also help her decrease milk production. Start by
replacing 1/4 of her puppy food with adult food. Keep increasing the
adult food and decreasing the puppy food until by the 7th week
postpartum she is eating
only adult food. During the last week of weaning, the dam's food
consumption
should be less than 50% above the maintenance levels and declining
toward
maintenance levels. Hopefully she has been fed well during pregnancy
and
lactation so she weighs the same at weaning as she did before pregnancy.
Sanitation and housebreaking
During and after whelping, the bitch should be allowed to go outside to
urinate and defecate. Take her out on a leash (bring a flashlight if
it is dark), and watch her closely, as she could have another puppy.
The whelping box needs to be changed at least once a day at this stage,
and 2-3 times a day as the puppies begin eating solids and the bitch is
not cleaning up after them. A large heavy paper may be laid on the
bottom, several layers of newspaper over that, and a tightly stretched
blanket over the newspaper. The blanket should be large enough to fit
under all 4 sides of the box. If the box was made so the sides set into
the floor, the sides are picked up, the blanket stretched, and the
sides set down to hold the blanket in place. Puppies can become lost
under blankets or under wrinkles in blankets. When cleaning, check the
consistency and color of the puppy stool. It should be brown and
formed, but not overly firm. Any deviations and the veterinarian should
be called.
To facilitate housebreaking, the puppies should be given definite
feeding, playing, sleeping, and elimination areas. Once the puppies are
mobile,
they will use one area for elimination. To assist in housebreaking, a
low
board can be secured across the whelping box to divide the elimination
area from the eating/sleeping area. Cover this area with a layer of
newspapers
with cedar or pine shavings on top. The new owners then place a small
amount of cedar or pine shavings in the preferred location of their
yard to aid in housebreaking. Keep the elimination area clean and dry.
Temperature
Newborn puppies are able to maintain a body temperature about 12°F
warmer than the air temperature. The temperature under the heat lamp in
the whelping box should be around 85°F for the first 2-3 days, and
then can be dropped to 75-80°F depending on the surrounding
temperature.
A temperature of 70-75°F on the far side of the box is fine.
Puppies
head toward the heat source to nurse so do not have the heat source
warmer
than the bitch. Hanging a household thermometer on the inside of the
whelping box will help you know the temperature in the box. Puppies
typically lay side by side or on top of each other to share warmth. If
the puppies are
scattered throughout the whelping box and away from the heat lamp, the
temperature
is too warm. If they are all piled on top of each other, it may be too
cold. Puppies need the extra heat, as they are unable to regulate their
body temperature until several weeks old. The rectal temperature of
newborn puppies is about 97°F and rises each week until about 4
weeks of age when it is a normal adult temperature of 100.5-102.5°F.
Health of the bitch
Each mammary gland and nipple should be checked at least once a day for
redness, hardness, discharge, or streaking color. If mastitis develops,
the veterinarian should be notified immediately. If caught early,
milking out the affected gland and applying hot compresses will help
prevent a spread of the problem. Sometimes, antibiotics are necessary.
If she gets multiple glands with mastitis, the puppies will need to be
bottle fed. The puppies' nails should be trimmed weekly starting within
days of birth. This will help prevent some of the scratches on the
dam's mammary glands. The deciduous teeth start coming in around day
11. Check the mammary glands of the bitch daily for bite marks.
The bitch will have a bloody discharge from her vulva which may be
quite heavy for several days. It should decrease in amount and become
darker and be almost gone within 2-3 weeks.
The bitch's hair coat may have become very thick and luxurious during
the pregnancy. Around the time of weaning, the bitch starts to shed.
This extreme loss of hair coat is natural and it should be back to
normal in about another 4-5 months. This shedding is more extreme than
a normal shed cycle and some bitches become quite bald. This is often
called 'blowing a
coat.'
Puppy health care
Unthrifty puppies should be examined as soon as possible by a
veterinarian to check for birth defects. Some defects, such as a cleft
palate are not compatible with life. These puppies should be humanely
euthanized.
Dewclaws are removed and tails docked at 2-4
days of age. Make an appointment with your veterinarian for these
procedures to be done. Check your breed's standard, as some breeds need
to have dewclaws left intact in order to
show. Tail length changes, so again, the current breed standard should
be consulted. When the puppies are at the clinic and having these
procedures
done, the bitch should be taken for a walk around the block until the
puppies
are done. She should not be close enough to the clinic to hear the
puppies
crying. Once they are put back with the bitch, the puppies normally
nurse
and then sleep.
Vaccinations are started at 6-7 weeks of age. Some breeders give a
parvo virus vaccine at 5 weeks of age, if the puppies are at a
high-risk.
Ask your veterinarian if your puppies should be vaccinated early for
parvo
virus.
Strategic deworming is a practice recommended by the American
Association of Veterinary Parasitologists (AAVP) and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They recommend puppy deworming
for roundworms and
hookworms start at 2 weeks of age and be repeated at 4, 6, and 8 weeks
of age. Thereafter, use a heartworm preventive medication that is also
effective against hookworms and roundworms. Drs. Foster and Smith
suggest
that owners of newly acquired puppies obtain the deworming history of
their
new pup and contact their veterinarian to determine if additional
deworming
is needed. The bitch should be dewormed at the same time as the puppies.
A health check done by a veterinarian at 6-7
weeks of age before the puppies head for new homes should include
checks for heart murmurs, hernias, cryptorchidism, demodectic mange,
other parasites, eye disorders, etc.
Normal puppy development
The umbilical cord normally falls off within 2-3 days of birth.
Infections of the umbilicus are rare in clean, well-managed kennels.
Puppies normally twitch and jerk while sleeping. This helps with the
development of their nerves and muscles.
The puppies crawl well by 7-14 days, walk at 16 days, and have a normal
gait at 21 days. They need to be on footing that offers traction. By 4
weeks of age, the puppies follow each other and carry toys in their
mouths. They will play-fight with each other and learn how to inhibit
their bites. If a puppy bites a littermate too hard, the littermate
will yelp and stop playing with him. If the puppy is allowed to bite
humans, he will not learn to
inhibit his bite. It may be cute as a 7-week old, but it will not be as
a 7-year old.
Puppies are born without teeth. The deciduous (baby) teeth start to
erupt at 2-4 weeks of age. All of the deciduous teeth are usually
present by 8 weeks of age.
The puppies' eyes will open around 12-15 days of age. The retina
matures around 21 days of age. Puppies should see clearly by 4 weeks of
age. Do not pry open the lids for any reason, as the immature eye is
not yet ready to handle light. If the eyes appear swollen before they
open, take the
puppy to a veterinarian immediately as an eye infection may be present
that needs to be treated to prevent loss of vision. Some puppies will
take a day to open the eyes while others will take 3-4 days. The eyes
will
have a bluish color to them at first and then change to their adult
color
over time. If the eyes appear white or solid blue, take the puppy to
the
veterinarian right away.
The ears open at 14-17 days of age. They should hear clearly by 4 weeks
of age. Deafness may not be noticeable while the puppies are together
and first noticed when the puppy is in her new home.
Interactions between the bitch and puppies
By the time the puppies are 2-3 weeks old, the bitch should have an
area near the whelping box, but
separate
from the puppies to allow her time to rest. At about this time, the
puppies will start trying to leave the box to explore. They should be
well supervised and have safe toys available. The box at this point
should be big enough to be divided between eating, sleeping, playing,
and
eliminating rooms. At this stage, a crate with the door removed and
lined
with sheepskin or a dog bed can be given to the puppies for sleeping
quarters
and to familiarize them with crates.
Puppy socialization
Early socialization of the puppies will help
them become confident
and develop fewer behavior problems. The puppies should be exposed to
everything possible from metal food dishes dropping, to vacuums, garage
doors opening and closing, thunderstorms, sirens, garbage trucks going
past, cats, and other pets, etc. Do not try to keep the area quiet
during
the day. The puppies need to get used to normal household noises.
Children
should be allowed to play outside the whelping box (supervised so they
do
not enter the box or drop toys in), as children behave differently than
adults. Everything the puppy is exposed to now, will help her become a
well-socialized, unafraid adult. The puppies should be handled several
times a day. They can be picked up, their teeth looked at, ears
checked,
toes played with (nails will need a weekly trimming), and have anything
that may be done as an adult started slowly now. Play helps to develop
the puppy's mind, as he needs to find solutions to problems he
encounters.
If the puppies are not in new homes by 10 weeks of age, they should be
separated
from each other for a large part of the day and given one-on-one time
with
humans. They can have play times during the day, but they should eat,
sleep,
and be handled separately. Being in a kennel (group) situation beyond
10-12
weeks of age decreases trainability.
References and Further Reading
Cain, J; Lawler, D. Small Animal Reproduction and Pediatrics.
Pro-Visions Pet Specialty Enterprises. St. Louis, MO. 1991.
Ettinger, SF. Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 3rd ed. W.B.
Saunders Company. Philadelphia, PA. 1989.
Evans, JM; White, K. Book of the Bitch. Howell Book House. New York,
NY. 1997.
Feldman, E; Nelson, R. Canine and Feline Endocrinology and
Reproduction. W.B. Saunders Company. Philadelphia, PA. 1987.
Finder Harris, B. Breeding a Litter: The Complete Book of Prenatal
and Postnatal Care. Howell Book House. New York, NY. 1993.
Fogle, B. The Dog's Mind - Understanding Your Dog's Behavior. Howell
Book House. New York, NY. 1990.
Foster, R; Smith, M. What's The Diagnosis. Howell Book House. New York,
NY. 1995.
Holst, P. Canine Reproduction: A Breeder's Guide. Alpine Publications.
Loveland, CO. 1985.
Lee, M. Whelping and Rearing of Puppies. T.F.H. Publications, Inc.
Neptune City, NJ.
Rutherford, C; Neil, D. How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With, 3rd ed.
Alpine Publications. 1999.
The Monks of New Skete. The Art of Raising a Puppy. Little, Brown,
and Company. Boston, MA. 1991.
copyright © 1997-2009, Foster & Smith,
Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
C 2006 Drs. Foster and Smith, Inc. Reprinted as a
courtesy and with permission from PetEducation.com(
http://www.PetEducation.com)
On-line store at
http://www.DrsFosterSmith.com
Free pet supply catalog: 1-800-323-4208
******************
The
Cradle
D. Welle
Blue Knight Labradors
When I was new at breeding, I
read an article in the AKC Gazette that I believe was called "The
Family Cradle". It was written by a breeder following a sad outcome of
her litter. She spoke of sitting on the edge of her whelping box,
wishing for what might have been, rubbing her hands across the edge of
the box, and feeling the multitude
of tooth marks and nail marks from litters past. She spoke of the
delight
of feeling those marks from past litters, and that the rough,
unfinished, unsightly box was a family treasure -- the family cradle
for her dogs.
I can no longer find that article, which I kept for many years, but I
don't need it anymore. I have a family cradle of my own, in fact, two
of them. They're rough, unfinished, full of tooth and toenail marks.
Some would find them ugly. To me, they are beautiful, and carry the
memories, hopes, and dreams that I have had for 20 some-odd years.
Of the two whelping boxes I have, one is my favorite, and if I only
have one litter, it is the box that is in use. I was given one of my
whelping boxs, by a friend of mine, Barbara Davis, owner of Champion
Bold Aaron CD, WC (*The* dog who inspired me to get into the breed --
the dog who was,
in my opinion, the best Labrador on four legs). When Barbara got out of
dogs, she gave me the box. It had been used by her for almost ten years
and one can only imagine how many of Aaron's own puppies were born in
that
box. When she gave me the box, every yellow dog in my kennel, and most
of
the blacks, had Aaron behind them. It was fitting that the grand,
great-grand,
and great-great-grandpups of Aaron should continue to be born in that
box
and each of them leave their mark (quite literally) on the walls of the
box.
Those little tooth marks, each of them, represent a life that was
either a show hopeful, or the life-long pet of a puppy buyer that spans
30 years now. Those tooth marks are precious to me. The rough texture
of the box
is comforting and beautiful.
The box is simple. Just a 6X4 space with a removable divider somewhere
around 1/3 of the way across. The smaller side for bitch resting, the
larger side being the puppy side. It has no "pig rail" because I am
among a few who believes that addition actually contributes to neonatal
injury or death. It isn't fancy, it's easy to clean, and it serves a
purpose, and it's far more practical than its simplicity would indicate.
As I rub the edges of the box today, I remember large healthy
trouble-free litters, and also the sadness that occurred in the box.
But during the
sadness, the box served its purpose as a cradle for hope, dreams and
prayers
given up for small lives that sometimes, were never meant to be.
Sometimes the box is a place of comfort for my girls when their labor
has gone very wrong, and they suffer the pain of c-section. I wonder if
somewhere in their memories, they remember the comfort of the box when
they were newborns and growing puppies. Is it possible that the box
gives them a sense of home, security and comfort? I will never know.
But I do know that sometimes, a
bit of magical healing happenes in the box.
I remember Wish when she had an infection, and she permitted the
lactating female of a friend to nurse her puppies, while both of these
bitches laid in the box and tended their charges. I remember Abby, who
came so close
to dying after a ruptured uterus, and raised her litter in that box. I
remember when I had had two litters, and one mother was exhausted after
a c-section, and the other mother jumped in the box to tend the babies
until she gained her strength. And I remember a single puppy who only
felt the comfort of the box for the short 24 hours of his life, and how
his distraught mother slept alone in the box following his death.
There have been so many litters born in that box, that I hardly recall
them all, but I have memories of wet, firm bodies, and first breaths.
Of the anticipation of each delivery. The Joy of looking at healthy
litters nursing quietly in front of contented mothers.
When you visit my home when a litter is present, please come rub the
rough spots on the whelping box. They are the marks of the past, and
the
dreams of the future. Each one represents a life that started in this
rough,
but precious and miraculous family cradle.
I anticipate that one day I too will pass a family cradle on to some
upcoming wide-eyed new Labrador enthusiast/breeder. It will go to
someone
who will appreciate its imperfections, its rough texture, its mauled
edges--Its
promise.
copyright
2004 - D. Welle
Permission
to reprint granted if author and http is provided
