What to do when the dog is giving birth

As soon as the vet pronounced that the dog is pregnant, the family would excitedly await for the arrival of cuddly puppies. The arrival of the puppies will be considered by the family as a momentous event. Pregnancy is a normal episode in a dog’s life and dogs will be their usual active and spirited self even when the time to give birth comes. Dogs have been giving birth without needing human intervention and 98% of dogs deliver their puppies without any complications.

Unfortunately, uncomplicated deliveries are not true with all dogs. The pooch may not be able to expel the puppies – pup can get stuck in the birth canal. This scenario can result to the death of the pet.

Dogs, similar to humans would experience labor pains and owners can do nothing to help the pet but to make sure that the soon-to be mama is comfortable. Dogs would show different reactions to labor pains as dogs, like humans differ in personalities thus some would be aggressive and others allow the attention given by the human family. Dogs must be allowed to give birth naturally and the owner should only give assistance if necessary. Your participation in the birthing process is to make sure that the newborn puppies are not crushed by the dam straining to expel another pup.

After the pup is expelled, the mama dog will do the cleaning of the new born pup from tearing the sack to biting off the umbilical cord. Licking is done not only to clean the pup but also to stimulate respiration. After the pup is cleaned, it can be placed in a separate box to prevent it from being crushed by the mother dog that is straining to expel the next pup.

Although dogs normally deliver puppies without a hitch, there are instances when difficult pregnancies would require dogs to have human assistance. A dam can get too exhausted if the pup that is being expelled feet first is stuck in the birth canal. Immediate human intervention is necessary to save both the puppy and the mother dog. Holding the exposed part of the puppy with a towel, gently pull in a downward direction gently until it is expelled. You need to clean the puppy too. Tear the sac at once to stimulate respiration. Rub the puppy with a towel and remove the fluid from the nose and mouth. Clean the whelping box and return to puppies to the mother dog.