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This Page is currently under construction and will be updated as soon as possible. Through our years of experience and improvements, we would like to share the knowledge we have gained with other people.
Also, if you have any questions about dogs giving birth (whelping) or any related topics, feel free to contact us. We would love to give you information and helpful advice.
Disclaimer: We have been breeding golden retrievers since 1996. Because of the experience we have gained, we beileve that our knowledge can help others.
Although, we are not certified professionals or veterinarians. Therefore, all of the information listed on this page and on our website is simply what we recommend.
You should see a vet immediately if you believe something is wrong with your dog. We hope that our suggestions have helped.
*Scale
*Clock
*Gloves
* Scissors
*Paper&Pencil
*Petastic-Stain&Odor Remover
*Vet-wrap Bandages or Ric Rac in a variety of colors
1)Bulb Syringe: Remove liquids from puppies' mouth/nose when first born. Also known as aspirating, using a bulb syringe is very easy. But, make sure you expel the air that is in the syringe first and then suck out the fluids by letting the bulb bulge out again. This way, you won't make the amnionic fluids go down the puppies throat. After taking it out of the pups mouth, squeeze the bulb to make the fluids come out on a towel and repeat. We use this for every puppy and it it essential! Generally, if the puppy isn't whining or making noise, it probably is having trouble breathing.
Warning: If for some reason a puppy seems to be unresponsive or looks still born, rock the puppy up and down in your arms. Bring your arms up to the top of your head and swing the puppy down to your legs. This sometimes works to revive them.
Another suggestion is to rub the puppy vigorously in order to get its blood pumping. We have used both of these methods to revive a few of our puppies.
2)Iodine: Put on puppies' umbilical cords when they are born; usually we dip a piece of string in the iodine and tie it around the cord to prevent infection. However, there is a risk of hernias happening if you tie it. We've noticed that the mama dogs will try to get the cords off because it is not normal. Therefore, simply dipping the cord in iodine works better.
3)Scissors: Helps to cut umbilical cord, if necessary. Never had to use these, but scissors could come in handy if it is a first time mother that has never had to tare a puppy's cord before. The closer to the puppies body, the better. However, always wait to cut the cord until the puppy and its after birth or placenta is out of the mother's body and the sac surrounding the puppy has been opened so the puppy can breath.
5) Laundry basket/Box: Convenient for dogs that have a lot of puppies per litter. Our dogs usually have anywhere from nine to twelve puppies at one time! In order to keep some pups from being squished, we layer a clothes basket with blankets and put in the puppies who are dry or have been nursing for a while already while other pups are being born.
(Our average whelping process takes about 6 hours!)
4)Clean cloths: help keep pups warm, clean them up, dry them off, and generally are needed because whelping is a messy process. These can consist of old kitchen towels you don't use any more, ripped up bath towels, or even an old shirt that can be cut into smaller pieces.
6) Thermometer: Extremely useful in helping to know when your dog will have her puppies. Taking the dogs temperature when it is about one or two weeks before her due date, will let you know within 2 to 12 hours of her estimated time to give birth. During this time, we take our dog's temperature a few times a day, especially in the last week she is due or starting around day 57. A normal dog's temperature is about 101-102. However, due to hormone levels, a pregnant dog's normal temp is around 100. Her temp will begin to fall below 98 or 99 which indicates that she will have her puppies within the next 12-24 hours. Once her temperature drops below 99, it will rise back up to 99 or higher. and this will let you know she will be having puppies within the next 2-12 hours.
How to take her temp: Lubricate the thermometer with Vaseline and insert it into her rectum about two inches. You can use a regular human thermometer and keep it in there for about two minutes or until it beeps. Taking the temp should be a relaxing process that happens while she is lying down. Also, make sure you are consistent; try to take the temp at the same times every day (am and pm).
7)Alcohol Cleaner: Used to clean the scissors with cotton balls soaked in an alcoholic cleaner. We have always had this on-hand but, haven't needed it that often. Only needed to sterilize the scissors and prevent infection.
8)Newspapers and 9)Black Plastic Garbage Bags: Needed to layer the whelping box and help clean-up the after birth. We put one layer of the garbage bags on top of our removable linoleum flooring that is in our whelping box. After the garbage bag layer, we put down newspapers, then garbage bags, newspapers, et cetera. Keep repeating until there seems to be plenty of layers. Finish with the newspapers on top, so the surface isn't very slippery. Also, an old blanket that is not treasured can be put down to keep your dog comfy. To clean up, we can throw away a layer of newspapers along with the garbage bags during long periods of waiting for another puppy.
10)Whelping Box: Pools work well because if their ease of cleaning. However, wooden boxes come in handy because they have a rail attached on the sides to prevent the mama dog from crushing the puppies. Whelping box size depends on your dog. Make sure your dog has room to lay down completely and be comfortable when stretched out.
11)Scale: Weigh each puppy as it is born and every few weeks as they grow up. We have never used this method before but, I am curious to see what the results would be. This can be very helpful in determining if one puppy is becoming malnourished.
11)Clock: Records time of birth of each puppy and a radio that plays classical music helps calm our dogs. We always have one in our whelping room. This also helps to see how long it has been between puppies; some can be within a few minutes and others may take up to a few hours. But, anything after three hours would begin to worry me.
12)Gloves: Can be used for yourself when delivering puppies. We have never used gloves because your hands work just as well. Although, when handling the iodine, I would recommend using them because it can stain your skin or clothes. Make sure your hands are clean when assisting with the puppies.
13)Paper&Pencil: Obviously useful when recording each puppies time of birth, weight, color, gender, and other descriptions. As well as, recording any signs that your dog is ready to give birth and make sure to keep track of her temperature readings for each day; therefore, if she has another litter in the future, you will remember her signs and be able to better estimate when she will have her puppies.
14)Petastic: A brand of pet stain and odor remover that works really well for cleaning the area and neutralizing the smell. Also, for puppies learning how to be potty trained, it removes the smell of ammonia which prevents the puppy from peeing in that spot again.
Ric Rac Pictured Above
15)Vet-wrap or Ric Rac: Identify each puppy as it is born. A lot easier with markers such as ric rac, especially with our goldens because their colors only vary slightly and they don't have very identifying characteristics when they are first born. Ric Rac is great for pups that are just born because it is small like ribbon but, is easier to tie and doesn't rip as much. We use vet-wrap when the pups are old enough to move around (about 3 weeks old) because they can't rip off the material and it is really stretchy. Easy to use and helps when recording information about each individual puppy, including their weight, personality, and health.
What We Do When Our Dogs Give Birth...
WHELPING BOXES
A few types that we have used include:
*kiddy pools
*moveable wooden boxes
*built-in wooden boxes
Good idea for smaller dogs:
*plastic storage bin with a whole cut out of its side
Aspirating or cleaning out the airway of one of Eesa's pups using the bulb syringe. This is after the sac has been removed.
Notice: the bulb part of the syringe is pushed inward before entering the pup's mouth, this way I am not forcing air/fluids to the back of the pup's mouth. Rather, I am able to let the bulb fill with fluids when I release the pressure. Thus, I can remove the syringe, squeeze the fluids out onto the blanket, and repeat the process.
