Dog birth at home

 You need to prepare everything you need in advance. “Rodzal” should be warm, ventilated and calm, as well as comfortable for a person – you have to spend quite a lot of time there. A week before the expected birth, move the bitch to the “rodzal”, she should get used to this place. 

What to prepare for the birth of a dog at home

Prepare a box for newborns (special beds are available). You will also need:

• infrared heating lamp, 
• disposable diapers, 
• heating pad or plastic bottle with warm water, 
• cotton wool, 
• cotton rags, 
• towels (pieces 8), 
• hand wash, 
• thermometer, 
• milk substitute, 
• bottle and nipples 
• muzzle, 
• collar, 
• leash, 
• glucose solution.

 Keep the veterinarian’s phone number in a prominent place. A day before the event, the dog refuses to eat, the body temperature drops. The bitch becomes restless, tears the litter – makes a nest. The dog must be carefully monitored so that it does not climb into a hard-to-reach place. When labor begins, call the veterinarian – warn him to be in touch just in case. Put a collar on the bitch. Then your task is to sit still and not fuss. You can do yoga or meditate. 

Stages of dog birth

 The puppy is born in a “package” – a transparent film called the afterbirth. Usually the bitch breaks it herself and eats it. Don’t be scared – it’s normal, she won’t eat the puppy. Do not allow the bitch to eat the afterbirth if it is greenish-black in color with a putrid odor. Keep track of the number of afterbirths, there should have been as many as puppies. Sometimes the placenta can remain inside and come out only at the end of childbirth. If at least one placenta remains inside, it is fraught with inflammation for the bitch (metritis). If you are not sure that all the afterbirths have come out, be sure to take the dog for an ultrasound. A puppy can be born when the bitch is standing. It falls to the ground, but this is usually harmless. Intervention is only justified if the mother is shocked, ignores the cubs, or attacks them. In this case, call an experienced breeder – he will tell you what to do.

Something went wrong…

If the mother tries to attack the puppies, muzzle her and carry each pup out of earshot. Remove the film, wipe the puppy with a towel, eliminate mucus from the mouth and nostrils with a douche. If the puppy is not breathing, try rubbing it with a towel. Sometimes artificial respiration is required – gently inhale air into the puppy’s mouth and nose (as if blowing on a candle flame to make it sway). The chest should rise at the same time. Repeat the breath every 2 to 3 seconds until the puppy begins to breathe on its own. Place the puppies in a cardboard box with a heating pad. Make sure the kids don’t get burned. Remember that the dog is in a state of shock, talk to him affectionately, soothe. After the end of childbirth, when the bitch has a rest and drinks milk with glucose, try to introduce the puppies to her again. Lay the mother on her side, hold her head, stroke. A second person can bring the puppy to the nipple. If the bitch has accepted the puppy, you can carefully place the rest. But keep holding it. Even if everything is fine, you should not relax. After feeding, clean the puppies, wash their bottoms. If the dog calmly licks the puppies, you can choose to risk leaving them in her care, or take the box away and return it to the next feeding. Sometimes in the first hours after giving birth, the bitch ignores the puppies due to shock: she refuses to feed, wash or stay with them. Here you will have to force the bitch to feed the puppies, but you will have to wash the babies yourself. Massage (clockwise) the perineal area with a cotton swab dipped in warm water to stimulate the excretion of feces and urine, as newborn puppies cannot defecate on their own. Sometimes the bitch tries to kill offspring. But it’s better to force her to feed the puppies anyway. Put a muzzle on her and lock her in a supine position. One person can hold it, and the second can put the puppies to the nipples. Artificial feeding will not replace mother’s milk, so use it only as a last resort. 

Puppies need full feeding every 2 hours.

 As a rule, sooner or later the bitch still accepts puppies. Cases where hatred is persistent are extremely rare. Caution: Whatever happens, even if the bitch eats all the babies, don’t blame her. The birth of puppies was your idea, and it was you who made the bitch give birth. She does not understand what she is doing, hormonal disruptions and shock force her to behave in a way that is completely unusual for her.

Possible complications when giving birth to a dog at home

A caesarean section is the surgical removal of puppies when they cannot be born naturally. If you leave puppies within reach of an anesthetic bitch, she may kill them. Eclampsia is a milk fever associated with a lack of calcium. Symptoms: anxiety, semi-consciousness, throwing, sometimes convulsions. A calcium injection can work wonders in this case. Mastitis is a bacterial infection of the mammary glands. Symptoms: fever, lack of appetite. The affected nipple is hot, sore and swollen. Vet consultation and antibiotics required. Metritis is an inflammation of the uterus after childbirth. Causes: retained placenta, trauma, or dead puppy. Symptoms: dark discharge, loss of appetite, high fever. Urgent antibiotic treatment is required, possibly a smear test.