Dogs Giving Birth: What To Do

One of the best moments of a dog's life, as well as its master's, is when it is about to give birth to a litter of puppies. Now you can either help out or let nature do its work, but it always helps when you are there to assist your dog during its time of labor.

This may sound quite strange, but a lot of successful births have pushed through with the help of humans during the time the mother gives birth. A lot of pups die because of a lot of complications during birth, so if you want to do as much as you can to stop this from happening with your dog, then here are tips and guidelines on what to do when the due date is near.

To start off, you have to be prepared once your veterinarian tells you your dog is pregnant. You can buy a whelping box for the mother and the litter so that the birth won't have to take place in a hidden and cramped area around the house.

The whelping box should be big and wide enough so that the mother can move around, and secured enough so that the puppies won't crawl out of the box and risk being in danger. Also, try to look for a whelping box that has a "pig rail" around the edge since this works to prevent the mother dog from lying down and crushing her puppies by accident.

Sometimes it is difficult to tell when the due date is, so the most reliable way of finding out is to take the mother dog's temperature. Usually dogs have higher body temperature than humans, so during delivery when the temperature drops then it's time for her to give birth. You can also tell if it is time when she begins to lactate or when she starts to secrete a clear fluid from the birth canal.

Your dog could go into labor any minute and it might be detrimental to her if she doesn't get the attention she needs, especially when after three hours of contractions not one puppy has been delivered. Some of the essentials that you need to keep close with you are towels, iodine, and your veterinarian's phone number.

Asking for a vet's help would be a great idea especially when this is the dog's first birth and your first time in helping out with the delivery. Once your dog matures and is more experienced, then she will be able to handle the delivery on her own. All she needs will be encouraging words and something to drink to give her energy.

Once each puppy is born, the mother will then have to tear off the membrane that protects and surrounds it and will begin to lick the puppy clean. If she doesn't, then it is your job to take it off and help out by removing any fluid inside the puppy's mouth to get it to breathe normally. Once that's done, you can rub the puppy with a soft towel until it begins to cry.