Is my Bitch Pregnant? Is my Bitch Whelping?
Whelping Stages
How do I prepare for Whelping? When to call the Vet?
Palpation – cheap and easy but not always accurate. Foetuses
need to be relatively developed to feel in the abdomen and so
it is most reliable from 4 weeks post mating. If dogs are fat it
is more diicult to feel a small foetus through the fat. From
this method you cannot tell how many puppies or how healthy
they are.
Radiographs – only efective from 42 - 52 days aer mating
(6+ weeks) when the foetus skeleton develops/calciies. he
most efective method to determine number of puppies ac-
curately.
Ultrasound – efective from day 24. A great method to con-
irm pregnancy and to evaluate foetal viability via heartbeat.
Blood/Urine testing – not readily available due to the unique
reproduction system of the dog. A blood test can be per-
formed through the lab however it is expensive and must take
place aer 29 days of pregnancy. As it allows faster and earlier
detection and is cheaper, ultrasonography is the preferred and
most common method of pregnancy diagnosis.
If you have followed the above directions, you are well on your
way. he next most important health issue is nutrition. Your
pregnant bitch needs to be on a well balanced diet at mainte-
nance levels for the irst 4 weeks of pregnancy. We do not want
her putting on extra weight and having issues when it comes
time to whelp.
From four weeks onwards food should increase slowly by 25-
50%. he food should again increase in second week lactation
up to twice that of maintenance levels. And slowly be reduced
just prior to weaning, so at maintenance levels again one week
aer lactation inishes.
A suicient whelping box should be made available 7-14 days
prior to whelping. Pre-made ones can be bought, or you can
make your own to size. It should be placed in familiar sur-
roundings and protected from rain wind and cold. It needs
to be private enough so the bitch can whelp with minimal
stress but easily accessible if she requires help. here needs to
be enough room for the bitch to lie out comfortably and not
squash the pups. he walls need to be high enough to prevent
the pups from escaping, but low enough so the bitch can exit
with ease for a break. Finally it must be clean and substrate
should be so and comfortable for her and the pups (e.g.
newspaper and towels/blankets).
It is diicult to determine if your bitch is actually whelping
and may need assistance or if she is just agitated. Luckily there
are some distinct behavioural and physiological changes that
most bitches experience directly prior to whelping.
A week prior to whelping the mother starts to lie in her whelp-
ing box. She may nest and scratch at the blankets and newspa-
per you have in there. A few days prior the mother may have a
clear thick mucoid discharge from her vulva. his is complete-
ly normal. If the discharge is discoloured or smelly you should
take her straight to the vet.
24h prior to whelping there is a small but signiicant drop in
core temperature. To detect this accurately you must take her
temperature at the same time in the morning and evening as
she will naturally deviate at diferent times of day. Bitches will
also oen refuse food in this time frame.Stage 1- Uterine contractions begin. he bitch is usually rest-
less, nervous and shows nesting behaviour (clawing newspa-
per and blankets to make a nest). his usually lasts 6-12h but
can last up to 24h. You should leave her in privacy in an appro-
priate area for whelping.
Stage 2 - Starts with full dilation of the cervix and ends with
expulsion of the puppy.
Stage 3 - Starts with expulsion of the puppy and ends with
expulsion of the placenta. Stage 3 does not necessarily follow
stage 2 every time. If you get 2 puppies then 2 placentas that
is normal.Dogs have been giving birth without assistance for centuries
and normally need no interference. However, a vigilant eye
can be the diference between life or death for the puppies and
the mother. If your bitch is busy looking aer one pup, you
should take care of the next. Do not let her chew the umbilical
cord too close to the abdomen. If it is bleeding you can tie it of
with dental loss. If the puppy is not breathing or appears weak
you can stimulate it by holding it in a towel and gently but
irmly rubbing its chest. Try to clear mucus from its nose and
mouth by controlled upside down full body licks (must sup-
port entire body especially neck and do not drop the puppy!).
It is also important to remember bitches get agitated through-
out whelping but oen start and stop, stand up and lie down,
strain and have a break. his is a completely normal part of
whelping. It can take many hours from start to inish. Espe-
cially if there is a large litter. However, when there are issues
with whelping time is of the essence. Contact your vet and get
them to help as soon as possible. Call the vet if:- here is bloody or green discharge prior to the irst puppy.
- Your bitch is actively straining for more than 30 - 60 minutes
without producing a pup. - If there is no straining for more than 4 hours between pups.
She may not have enough energy to push out puppies or could
have life threatening low levels of calcium. You should consult
your vet. - If your dog is shaking (but usually doesn’t), seizuring, or very
lat, you should contact your vet immediately. - An undelivered placenta. his can cause a serious and life
threatening postnatal infection.
By Genevieve Hefernan
BVSc Partner Camperdown Veterinary Clinic
1 Leura St, Camperdown, Vic
PH: (03) 5593 107722 AWSDM http://www.stockdogs.com.au