welping

Question
my lil mama will be delivering soon. She has had two clearish watery discharges and her stool is very soft. Could you help me with a time line of when her babies may be here

Answer
Time of gestation is between 56-63 days.

You should have kept a calendar on her heat cycle she was in upon her mating and conception.

I cannot tell her progress and stage she is in, not knowing dates.

If her time to whelp falls within the 56-63 days, she will begin "nesting" and this is hoping that you have provided her with a whelping box to deliver in and then nurse newborns. It must be big enough for her and puppies so she won't step or lay on them, lipped around the edges approximately 5-6" so pups will not scoot out and fall out--- padded and comfortable (newspaper shredded for whelping is fine, but replace with blankets after they are born).

She will pee more often and the after pooping completely- she will stop eating. At least not eat her normal amount. She might drink more water- or less water.

She will pace and pace, and act weird for her normal behavior-- she will go into her whelping box when the time is close.

You can tell when she is having contractions by her panting and pacing- or laying and panting- grimacing facial movements- and then panting.

Also, if her body temperature lowers- she is in labor stages. Her normal body temperature should be around 101-102 therebouts- and will lower into 98, 97, 96 as in labor. This is a sure sign. I always use a rectal thermometer with Vaseline to check every hour.

When a pup is in the birth canal- you will see her vaginal area swell- the area between the vagina and anus is enlarged- then a shiny, blackish "pearl" will begin to appear- this is a pup in his sac that she will deliver and chew off, releasing the pup and then she will chew his umbilical cord down close to his stomach-- CAUTION: Do not let her chew it too close and continue chewing- some new moms can be overly aggressive chewing it-- then she will lick the puppy clean and she might even begin to deliver another as she is tending to the pup.

Some pups can take 15 minutes between delivery- to 30 minutes- to an hour. Write the births down in a time log with a description of the puppy-- male, female, white blaze on face, all black mask, etc., one white foot more "socked" than the others, etc. -- distinguished features.

NOTE: It is possible, especially with a first litter- to have problems and if a puppy is not delivered within a hour of the last- call your vet. It could be an obstructed puppy which means it is stuck in her birth canal and will die. Other puppies cannot be born because of this and they will die- and she can die. Also, if one is being delivered breech- feet first-- you will have to help her-- wait for her contraction-- and with sterile hands- gently grab the puppy by the shoulders (and yes, you might have to put your fingers inside her) and gently glide the puppy out on her contraction. This is very dangerous- as you can hurt the puppy and kill it. I recommend having someone there that is experienced.

Have your vet on standby- and if you can- take her in now and have her checked by your vet and get an X-ray to see how many puppies she has to be positive of all them being delivered. The vet can tell if she is in labor or ready to be.

Also, it is suggested to tie a different color yarn string around their neck. range, blue, yellow, pink, red, etc. to give them identity- don't forget to put that in the log when they are born: orange male, white blaze on face, one white boot-sock left rear foot, born at 3:01am, #1 birth, etc.

When she finishes with one and is delivering another- remove the newborn she had and cleaned and finish drying him with a clean towel and place him in your "incubator."

An "incubator" should be a big plastic laundry basket, or the like, with a blanket folded and laid neatly inside, then a heating pad, then another towel or blanket on top of it. Drape the "basket" with blankets all around sides and top to keep air and drafts out. This is your incubator to keep the newborns warm.

They cannot regulate their body temperatures until they are almost 10-14 days old. They will die if their body temperatures get low. Dogs body temperatures are high compared to humans- 102 etc. A newborn should never get below 99-100-- ever.

After all pups are born and you are sure she has had them all-- change the bedding in her whelping box to clean blankets, etc, and give her puppies back to her inside it-- place them up to her for nursing. She will have antibiotic milk for around 2-3 days, then produce regular milk that contains antibiotics. She will lick the pups and also, each nursing, she will lick their genitals to stimulate the pee and pooping- and lick it up so not to leave any in the bedding area.

Newborns cannot pee or poop on their own for a couple of weeks- she licks to stimulate it and cleans it up.

I highly suggest you Google whelping newborn puppies and also caring for newborn puppies and learn ALL you can on a crash course.

This should have been done in the early beginning and in preparation. Her whelping box and all the materials you need should have been bought and made available and prepared.

Unless you know about such things and are experienced- you should learn it all and fast. You have no time. Crash course research now.