Any whelping advice?

[InvisibleTouch]

A friend's dog is about a week from giving birth for the first time. Mine will be bred sometime this Spring. It'll be a first for all of us. We've read everything we can find, of course, scoured the web, talked to other breeders ... but any advice from this group would be most welcome. Anyone want to share their experiences, or particular pearls of wisdom?

[radfringe]

1. prepare a whelping box

or an area in the house for the dog a week or so before the due date.
Let the dog get comfortable in it. put down some old sheets to protect your floors.

Most dogs will handle the birth process just fine. But there may be problems if (as in this case) it's the first time.

The dog will get restless, wander about a few hours before giving birth -- so make sure the dog is comfortable with the SPOT you picked out otherwise she may chose another place. Keep things quiet, and don't have alot of commotion going on around her.

If a pup looks "stuck" when coming out - gently help it pull it out during a contraction. The mother will usually "nip" the umbilical cord -- but sometimes with "first-timers" they are nervous and not sure what to do -- so have some sterile scissors ready and cut the cord 2-3" from the belly button, gently wipe the end with an alcohol wipe.

Wipe the nose to clear it, and gently swap out the mouth. Gently swinging the pup downward a couple of times will help clear any fluid in the lungs. Hold the pup cradled in both hands for support.

Rub down the pup with a towel will help stimulate it (as well as cleaning off the "gook" ) -- then give it to the mom for further cleaning. Depending on how the dog reacts -- you may want to move the pups out of the whelping box to prevent the mom from rolling and squashing the pups until the birthing is complete. Get a plastic storage box, and sandwich a heating pad between towels to warm it up, keep the pad on low -- we just want to keep the pups warm.

if a pup is not breathing -- make sure the nose/mouth is clear, try gently swinging the pup upside down (as mentioned above), gently rub the chest, and if you are not squeamish you can try mouth-to-nose resuscitation - place your mouth over the pups nose/mouth and blow with tiny tiny gently puffs - then repeat the gently swings and vigorous but gently rubbing.

since it's a first birth -- don't be surprised if there are long periods between the pups coming out. Check with the vet for how long you should wait before you should worry, and when it is "safe" to bring in the mom and pups for a check-up.

good-luck

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. Excellent link here

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/dogs-faq/medical-info/whelping/

Whoops...edit to say this is Mayberry's wife posting. Didn't realize he had logged in his user name on my computer.

[InvisibleTouch]

3. My thanks to both of you...

...though a bit belated. I didn't realize there'd been replies to my post, and I haven't checked here in a few days. Much appreciated, though!

I'm waiting waiting waiting for my girl to finally come into season. It should happen any day now ... but I've been saying that for a month. I'll post updates as they happen!

[CornField]

4. The best whelping box -- children's hard plastic pool

It's low enough to let the mom in and out, but high enough to keep the pups in. It's a great height for reaching in and helping. And the best part of all -- it's completely waterproof and cleans up/sanitizes easily.

If the pups are going to be purebred, you can keep track of them easily by having different colors of string/ribbon that are used to tie off the pups' cords. (Later - when things are more quiet - the ribbons can be exchanged for nail polish or identifying markings)