Birthing Question

[ionut7]

Honestly I have no clue if this is the right kind of sub to post something like this is so if not I apologize but I’m looking for some advice. Due to an unfortunate series of events (that has since been handled lol) my dog was impregnated and from what I can gather the birth should happen like within a week at the max and as much as I’ve been doing research I’d love to get some thoughts from people who have dealt with this sort of thing themselves if anyone’s got insight on any of the following questions

1) how do you know when the birth is like starting every now and then my dog gets up and starts pacing before laying back down are there like signs I can look for that it’s go time for real?

2) related to the first one how do you know when it’s over? I’ve read that getting head counts can be unreliable so like will she know she’s done birthing and move onto the cleaning and all that or will she be looking for guidance at some point?

3) when she’s doing the birthing what do I do with the puppies that are already out? like will she want them all close by in the whelping area shes all set up in or are they in the way and should go somewhere else?

4) And this ones the final one and the one im most worried about lol are births usually risky safety wise for the mother? the vet said there's no reason to expect any complications on her end so I’m trying to just put it out of my mind but I’d love to be reassured she’ll most likely be perfectly fine when it’s all over

Sorry that this is kind of a lot and if anyone’s got any answers don’t feel obligated at all to tackle all 4 I’m just trying to do as much last minute prep as possible, thanks so much in advance for any help

 

[94tamara]

@ionut7 Have you talked to your vet? Did she get an ultrasound that gives an idea of how might be in there?

 

[ionut7]

@94tamara Yeah I’m annoyed with myself because I guess I timed it all wrong and she got pregnant at the very end of her heat and not the beginning like I thought the vet did an ultrasound but then said the skeletons hadn’t formed yet so we couldn’t get a headcount and when I asked if it was worth coming back he pretty much just said no and said she’s mostly likely pregnant and to just prepare for a birth

 

[drsharles]

@ionut7 Do you have any idea of when her pups would be due? An ultrasound is really only good for confirming pregnancy not giving an accurate puppy count. The best time to take an xray is day 56-58 when the puppies skeletons have calcified.

 

[ionut7]

@drsharles Like within a couple days at the max! She had to have been impregnated like December 12 at the very latest i lowkey think they might be coming today she’s been doing this non stop panting and shivering thing that google says is a sign of labor starting so I’m frantically googling everything i can think of to make sure it all goes well

 

[drsharles]

@ionut7 I checked my breeding calculator and based on 12/12 her due date would be 2/13. Dogs can whelp a few days before or a few days after their estimated due date. A first time mom can be in stage one labor for 24 hours or more. If you haven't already I would get a whelping box setup for her. Find a place that is quiet and warm to try and reduce stress to her while she's whelping her pups.

 

[ionut7]

@drsharles I’ve got one all set up for her that she’s been sleeping in lately so that’s one thing handled at least lol is it common for stage one to last that long? She’s been like this for about 7 or 8 hours by now and I was hoping she’d get things moving before I went to sleep but I guess I’ll just need to commit to setting a ton of alarms to keep an eye on her

 

[klpotte3]

@ionut7 @oldwoodsman is a puppy expert and has a lot of great info on their profile. You should go there and read through it. It should answer some of your questions.

They also have a YouTube channel where they have filmed some whelpings. You should go watch that too.

Risk wise, there is always risk. Things can go wrong. Your vet is the one that's most familiar with your case and the person you should be listening to.

 

[ionut7]

@klpotte3 Ty for this!

 

[oldwoodsman]

@ionut7 1) See this comment for common signs of impending whelping.

2) Radiographs (x-rays) done in the 55-58 day time frame will be the most accurate for giving you an expected count. They sometimes undercount.

3) She will generally want them close by. Personally, I find that momma will not want to leave at all for first 12 to 36 hours, will leave only for potty breaks for next 3-5 days, and will then be comfortable spending more time away from them as time progresses.

4) Births are inherently risky. I have never found good statistics on the maternal mortality rate, and it will be significantly less that neonatal mortality, but it is is variable from breed to breed, and is non-zero. For the neonatal mortality rate, a Norwegian study of 224 breeds, 10810 litters, >100000 pups showed that on average, 25% of litters will have at least one mortality by the end of week 2. 23% had one or more stillborns.

Here is a link to my Encanto Litter Whelping, which is one of the videos that @klpotte3 mentions. This was a stray that was captured and came to me one week in advance of the whelping.

 

[ionut7]

@oldwoodsman Thanks for this! Looking at stuff now I think the labor might be starting were at about 60 days rn give or take a few since I’m not sure the specific day they would have conceived so I’m just trying to make her comfortable since this afternoon she started panting and shivering and hasn’t really stopped since then (so I might be a little late for the x ray lol)

And thanks for much for linking the video! I’m not sure why but something about the idea of her doing it while laying down had me worried she’d somehow like squish them or something so this helped put my mind at ease

 

[oldwoodsman]

@ionut7 Make sure your pen has pig rails, so she doesn't accidentally smother them against the pen. That's the black rail in my video.

 

[ionut7]

@oldwoodsman Ok perfect I’ve got a little area all set up for her that she’s been spending time in so that should be good, but in your experience do dogs like KNOW to go to it when it’s time to actually start? She’s been sleeping there for the past couple weeks but if when the time comes if she just sits down and starts birthing on one of the dog beds in my house should I move her or is it not a big enough deal to risk shifting her all around?

 

[oldwoodsman]

@ionut7 I'm a rescue whelper. I have had them try to deliver:

• On my couch
• In my bed
• In my closet
• In the yard
• In the dining room
• In the living room
• In their crate
• In one of my other dog's crate
• In the whelping box

 

[ionut7]

@oldwoodsman And were any of those places like a risk to the puppies in any way? Which feels like a dumb question lol how dangerous can a couch be but I’m terrified I’ll miss something obvious and it will lead to an issue you like let them deliver in some of those spots?

 

[oldwoodsman]

@ionut7 Bed or couch are both very messy (due to the birth fluids) but can be dangerous if the puppy were to then fall off.

 

[ionut7]

@oldwoodsman Oh ok is the mess like harmful in any way or just a pain to clean up because outside the whelping area I’ve got set up the only other place I can imagine her trying it in is a big dog bed on the floor of my living room would that be safe since there’s no distance to fall?

 

[oldwoodsman]

@ionut7 Probably.

 

[wakalix]

@ionut7 I will let the experts answer but perhaps give the age and breed(s) of your dog ? It might be easier to guess how it will be.

 

[ionut7]

@wakalix Oh duh you’re super right I didn’t even think of that lf that for some reason lol I’ll add it rn!