impending puppydom!

[aggiela]

how will i know when my dog goes in to labour. Are there signs that she is getting close to giving birth.

[lankeela]

If you have given her somewhere to have the puppies, i.e. a whelping box or a special bed, then she will go into it and start scratching up the paper or bedding quite viiolently, then lying down, and then getting up and doing it again. She would normally then start to give birth quite soon after this. I find newspaper is best, then she can scrap it up all she likes and you can take away the messy bits once she has given birth. During the last couple of days you will be able to see the puppies move, if you study her tummy closely. She will probably lie on her side or back a lot as it is more comfortable and the little blobs will pop up and down like custard boiling in a pan.

Hope all goes well, there's nothing on earth like new born puppies arriving into the world and finding their way to the milk bar. What breed is she?

[aggiela]

thank you lankeela. I actually gave her a telling off for scratching up today as she has never done this before. She is in her own space and is lying on her side and holding her leg up quite a bit. May have puppies sooner than later lol

[aggiela]

Sorry forgot to say she is a lovely lab, staffy cross. She got 'caught' by an other lab when my husband was in charge of her (of course!) our local kennels have a list of willing lovely homes for up to 15 pups! I'm sure she won't need them all.

[little coojy]

lankeela is spot on, let us no how many and when it happens, labs on average do have fairly large litters, my cousins least was 6 and most was 10, good luck.

[little coojy]

cousins lab that is lol

[lankeela]

If you know the date she was mated, then count 63 days and she should be due. They can have them up to a week before or after that, but usually within a day or two.

Once she has started panting and having contractions, she should give birth within a couple of hours - any longer and let the vet know. Most important thing is to make sure the puppies are out of the bag they are born in - just tear it with your fingers (its like tough plastic) or they won't be able to breath. If the bitch doesn't bite through the cord, then grip it with your finger and thumb and tear it - it is best torn roughly rather than cut neatly as it heals better. Let her eat the afterbirth if she wants to, and if she doesn't start licking the puppies and they don't seem to have any life in them, rub them briskly with a towel and they should start squeaking. This usually gets the bitch going on them. If she doesn't know what to do with the first one or two, place them on a covered hot water bottle until she has had the rest, she will probably start taking notice of them by then.

Most important - keep them warm! Ooh, there's nowt like new pups. Be prepared to waste many hours just staring at them.