Are you seeing signs that your dog is pregnant? When you notice a change in behavior such as tiredness and changes in the amount of food your dog is eating, you may be wondering if your dog is pregnant. Your dog could even be gaining weight with swollen mammary glands, but that does not necessarily mean your dog is pregnant. Hormonal imbalances are considered to be the cause of false pregnancy signs in dogs, causing non-pregnant dogs to display the same symptoms as pregnant dogs. False pregnancy symptoms might appear one to two months after her first heat ends and linger up to a month. If your pup will not be bred, spaying her can stop future false pregnancy concerns.
When it is clear that your dog is pregnant for the first time, you will want to be informed about canine prenatal care and how to help a dog give birth for the first time. A veterinarian should be contacted ahead of time if you are planning to breed your male or female dog. This will ensure healthy breeding practices will be followed to protect the health of the parents and pups. Female dogs should not be vaccinated when pregnant. Staying up-to-date with vaccinations, heartworm protections, and flea prevention is so important.
Your veterinarian can confirm a pregnancy with an ultrasound on the 25th day of pregnancy and abdominal x-rays can be taken after 45 days. For more information, contact and follow the advice of your veterinarian.
Your veterinarian will give you valuable information on how to prepare a dog for giving birth. Good nutrition is obviously very important. After four weeks of being pregnant, your dog should be on a higher calorie diet. Several over-the-counter, veterinarian-recommended, high-quality dog foods for pregnant dogs are available. Switch to puppy food.
A stool sample is also recommended for knowing how to prepare a dog for giving birth, to check for intestinal parasites. Intestinal parasites are able to spread to the puppies in the womb and during nursing. Only use deworming medicine prescribed by your veterinarian as many over-the-counter deworming medicines are dangerous for pregnant dogs.
To prevent herpes virus infection, the mother dog should be isolated from other dogs three weeks before birth and three weeks after delivery. The herpes virus can be deadly for her newborn puppies.
As the time for delivering puppies draws near, a quiet nesting area for birthing should be prepared for her and the pups. Find a warm, comfortable spot that your dog can easily get in and out of while still keeping the puppies confined.
How to help a dog give birth for the first time involves taking her temperature rectally 7-10 days before her due date. Her temperature will drop below 100 degrees F within 24 hours of labor; doing this will let you know the puppies will arrive soon.
After the first puppy is born, the mother dog will usually instinctively remove the protective birth sack the puppy is born in. Watch to make sure this happens, however. You must remove the membrane yourself if she does not. Carefully break the sack while holding the puppy with its head lowered. Wipe away fluid from the puppy’s nostrils and open its mouth while keeping the head lower than its lungs. Hold the puppy gently but securely in a towel while stroking its body to stimulate breathing.
The mother dog will also cut the umbilical cord instinctively – but not always. You might need to help her out. Never pull on the umbilical cord; it could damage the puppy’s organs. Gently tear it with your first two fingers and thumb about an inch from its body. After each puppy is born, the placenta (which is a greenish-black mass of membranes) will be expelled; this is a normal process. The mother will likely eat the after birth, this is normal.
Generally puppies are born around 45-60 minutes apart from each other, but knowing exactly how long it takes for a dog to give birth depends on the type of dog, how many puppies there are, and if this is the first pregnancy or not. It’s natural for a mother dog to take a break during the birthing process, but if she has been straining for more than 60 minutes, or if her break has been more than four hours, get her to the veterinarian as soon as you can.
After the puppies are born, there are some important health problems to look out for. When you see these problems, take your mother dog to the veterinarian quickly:
The mother dog will still need a higher calorie diet while she is still nursing the puppies. She will also still need a quiet place that is clean to take care of her puppies.
New puppies are so cute! It will be hard to keep your hands off of them, especially if you had to remove the birth sack for them, but for the first two weeks, intervene as little as possible. You are there to oversee their health, provide a safe warm environment, and help the mom dog do her job.
New puppies should be left alone as much as possible to protect them from germs and to keep their stress levels low. The mother dog will be naturally protective and you may see aggression you have not seen before. For now, let them be; soon you will be playing with the rambunctious puppies while the mom appreciates a needed nap.
Especially during the first four weeks, the puppies will need warm bedding as they are not able to regulate their own body temperature. You could use a heating lamp to keep the puppies warm, or you could put a heating pad under the whelping box you have set up for them, only do this to half of the whelping area. In the case that it gets too hot, they can move away from that area. Maintain a temperature of around 97 degrees F for the pups.
You will help raise a good dog by socializing the puppies early. When they are used to interacting with people they can truly become man’s best friend.
You can learn a lot about the personalities of each pup as you watch and interact with them. As you get to know their individual personalities, watch for the little guys who are not growing as quickly as their littermates. There could be an underlying health condition causing the pup to not grow as it should. However, it is normal in a litter to experience size variation between the pups.
Besides being stronger, there is a reason puppies should not be separated from the mother dog before 6 weeks old. They learn very important social rules from their littermates and their mother. It is best to wait until the puppies are 6 weeks old to ensure the social lessons from the pack are firmly ingrained.
Start the weaning process by allowing the puppies’ access to puppy food around 3-4 weeks of age. Canned puppy food is fine, or you could also soften a dry kibble with water; see which one they like best and offer that. The mother will still be there to nurse them as much as they want, but gradually they will eat more dog food and nurse less. By the time the puppies are 5-6 weeks old they will be weaned.
Schedule the first round of puppy vaccinations after the pups are weaned around 6 weeks of age. Thereafter, the puppies should receive a round of shots every three to four weeks until they are around 16 weeks old. Follow the advice of your local veterinarian who knows what schedule is best for your dog.
You should contact your local veterinarian as soon as the puppies are born for valuable recommendations on how to care for puppies and when they should first be examined. Sometimes veterinarians like to check for umbilical hernias, cleft palates, and other health concerns. Other times they will advise you to wait until they are older for a checkup. Your veterinarian may also recommend deworming to begin in intervals starting around 2 to 4 weeks of age and vaccinating at 6 weeks of age.
Chipman Road Animal Clinic is the leading animal care clinic serving all of Lee’s Summit, MO and the surrounding areas. Our door is always open, so you can drop by whenever you want or need to. When you need to know how to prepare your dog for having puppies or how to help a dog give birth for the first time, we will guide you every step of the way.
Our veterinarian services are the most affordable around with excellent care offered. Call or stop by today! No appointment is needed.
We are located at 211 Chipman Road in Lee’s Summit, MO 64063. Call us at: 816-524-1886.
Contact Us
Chipman Road Animal Clinic
211 NW Chipman Rd
Lee's Summit, MO 64063
Phone: 816-524-1886
Fax: 816-524-7523
Office Hours
Monday: 7am-6pm
Tuesday: 7am-6pm
Wednesday: 7am-6pm
Thursday: 7am-6pm
Friday: 7am-6pm
Saturday: 8am-12pm
Sunday: Closed
Doctor Hours
Monday: 8am-6pm
Tuesday: 8am-6pm
Wednesday: 8am-6pm
Thursday: 8am-6pm
Friday: 8am-6pm
Saturday: 8am-12pm
Sunday: Closed
For after-hour emergencies, please contact one of our recommended partners:
MO: Blue Pearl Animal Hospital - Open evenings and over night, call (816) 554-4990
KS: Mission Veterinary and Emergency - Open 24 hours, call (913) 722-5566
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