Whelping Stories:
A Midwoof Call Labor begins...
I am whelping a dog today. Her owners brought her to me the other day, and I started taking temperatures. They ranged between 99.5° and 100.5°,
but last night I had...
5:30 p.m. – 99.3°
7:00 p.m. – 99.0°
8:00 p.m. – 98.9°
9:00 p.m. – 98.8°
10:00 p.m. – 98.7° (I know I HAVE to get up and take the temperature in four hours so I set the alarm.)
**************************************************
1:00 a.m. – 98.0° We have our drop; undetected pre-labor has started.
4:00 a.m. – 98.4° some nesting behavior.
6:30 a.m. – 98.4° more nesting, refusal to eat breakfast.
I have taken some pictures to show other things that have happened in the last day. I KNOW she is in pre-labor ONLY from the temperature. The refusal to eat canned tripe, or any favorite treat, is another sign she is in pre-labor.
but last night I had...
5:30 p.m. – 99.3°
7:00 p.m. – 99.0°
8:00 p.m. – 98.9°
9:00 p.m. – 98.8°
10:00 p.m. – 98.7° (I know I HAVE to get up and take the temperature in four hours so I set the alarm.)
**************************************************
1:00 a.m. – 98.0° We have our drop; undetected pre-labor has started.
4:00 a.m. – 98.4° some nesting behavior.
6:30 a.m. – 98.4° more nesting, refusal to eat breakfast.
I have taken some pictures to show other things that have happened in the last day. I KNOW she is in pre-labor ONLY from the temperature. The refusal to eat canned tripe, or any favorite treat, is another sign she is in pre-labor.
Here is another sign: she has frequent small pees. At this time, it is fair to give your dam an indoor potty area in the whelping room, as she feels pressure and will want to try and pee every 20 minutes.
This is the position she has been in for a couple days, stretched out,
to get pups lined up.
to get pups lined up.
Her mucus plug has been letting go for the last few days, and
her vulva area has really swelled up.
her vulva area has really swelled up.
We always hope that milk (colostrum) comes in before whelping.
The above picture shows a dry teat.
The above picture shows a dry teat.
We have colostrum, the yellow pre-milk. YIPPEE!! We are ready
Colostrum coming from the teat.
To check for colostrum, you have to get
BELOW the milk ducts.
BELOW the milk ducts.
And then express the milk toward the teat.
Do NOT squeeze the teat as the milk is much farther back.
Do NOT squeeze the teat as the milk is much farther back.
It is 9:30 am and we have some moaning. Normal vomit, clear liquid.
9:45 a.m. – Water broke. I chewed up a Tums and spat in the dam’s mouth,
for calcium.
for calcium.
10:46 a.m. – Strong pushing contractions. An internal gloved, lubed finger exam shows a puppy entering the birth canal.
Dam is pushing pup number one.
SHOOT, a pup is breech; one foot STUCK. Just happen to my Bebe the first time she was with me
Get out the lube to inject it up past the puppy...
Making some progress, pulling on each contraction...
Got to here, but NOW STUCK SOLID—feet are wiggling, this puppy is going to die.
Pup goes lifeless. It MUST COME OUT...but it will not.
I PULL, nothing to lose, as you cannot kill an already dead puppy. The dam screams and sinks her teeth in my hand...OUCH!
(Picture taken eight hours after the bite) A dog bite can really hurt. But remember, giving birth can make the dam (like people) do these things. Some dogs will bite the puppy that is hurting them...so be prepared and keep a close watch when a problem, hard-birthing is present.
11:08 a.m. – girl, lifeless, but I was able to revive her. Dew claws are removed,
and she is nursing.
and she is nursing.
If you breed, PLEASE learn how to revive puppies!
Pup number two...11:18 a.m. – contractions—push, push.
11:28 a.m. – REALLY pushing and a bubble appears.
11:39 a.m. – still pushing hard, feet appear.
11:28 a.m. – REALLY pushing and a bubble appears.
11:39 a.m. – still pushing hard, feet appear.
Shoot, another stuck puppy.
I had to pull this one harder...
This pup was really stuck.
And the feet stopped wiggling. This puppy was born white, blue and lifeless. It took me longer to revive him, but I did.
PHEW! Please learn how to revive puppies, as puppies that appear to be born dead are sometimes still alive and can be revived. Do NOT set them aside. Rough them up. Get him under heat, and give him a good rubbing to make him mad...get gently aggressive. Head down to drain the mucus. PLEASE learn from your vet or mentor on HOW to revive a puppy BEFORE you whelp.
This puppy’s shoulders are too big to pass easily...200 grams is 7 ounces.
This puppy’s shoulders are too big to pass easily...200 grams is 7 ounces.
Pup number three coming out head first.
Puppy takes his first breath, and gasps...this is a good sign...and exactly what you want.
Pup number four came easy at 12:30pm. The dam did it all on her own. This one is a normal birth. Pup is in the sac. Now I break the sac and get the pup going.
There were four pups born to this litter, and all four are doing well. Photo submitted by Annie, Thanks Annie
Mom and puppies on day three. Each puppy has gained 12 grams per day.
Courtesy of MistyTrails Havanese
If you like to learn go to this website above and you will learn a lot more and I can tell you if you do not what to learn... PLEASE DON'T BREED YOUR PET!!!! And tell you know how to keep your babies a live.
Thank You
Connie of P.C's TISSUE
Thank You
Connie of P.C's TISSUE