Talk About Whelping

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Talk About Whelping

• Pre-whelping Management
• Normal Whelping
• Abnormal Whelping
• Whelping Interventions
• Emergency Situations
• Elective vs. Emergency C-Section
• C-Section Facts
• Successful Whelping
• Post-Whelping Care of Bitch

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Puppy Support

• Puppy Resuscitation
• Puppy Supportive Care
• Warming the Environment
• Healthy Puppies
• Puppies in Trouble
• Care of Weak Puppies
• Bottle Feeding
• Gavage Feeding
• Importance of Weighing Puppies

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Pre-Whelping Management

• Before Breeding
• Things to consider
• Is this the bitchs first litter?
• If not, when was her last breeding?
• Was it normal? If not, why?
• How old is the bitch?
• What is her general physical condition?

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When Breeding

• Ovulation Timing
• Different methods
• Progesterone
• Vaginal slides/smears
• LH surge testing
• Determine Whelping Date

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Before Whelping

• Determining Pregnancy
• Relaxin, Palpation, Ultrasound, X-ray
• Determining Number of Puppies
• When and how to X-ray
• Risk Assessment
• Increased Risk
• Older Bitch
• Back-to-Back Litters
• Singleton Puppy
• Large (9) Litter
• Previous maternal-caused C-section (primary
  inertia, small pelvis)
• Previous suspicious or bad whelping
  (malpresentation, secondary inertia)
• Previous whelping with high puppy mortality

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Normal Whelping

• Maintaining a Normal Pregnancy
• Monitor bitchs weight gain
• Provide healthy diet
• Provide access to as much exercise as bitch
  wishes
• Limit exposure to other dogs, especially those
  going to shows or performance events

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• Provide Safe, Quiet Whelping Area
• Away from other dogs
• Quiet and draft free
• Easy to heat and humidify
• Easy to keep clean

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Determining Labor

• Pre-first stage
• Take rectal temperature on regular basis
• Watch for loss of appetite
• Lots of sleeping alternating with periods of
  restlessness
• First Stage Labor
• Panting
• Shivering
• Continued restlessness
• Nesting behavior
• Loss of mucus (clear or yellowish)
• Second Stage Labor
• Intermittent abdominal contractions
• Hard, pushing contractions
• Breaking of water sac (puppies have 2 sacs)
• Delivery of puppies

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Normal Labor Delivery

• Temperature drop followed by delivery of first
  puppy within 24 hours
• All puppies delivered with placentas
• No longer than 3-4 hours rest between delivery of
  each puppy
• All fluids passed are normal color, consistency
  and smell
• Bitch rests after delivery is complete

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Abnormal Whelping

• Signs of Trouble
• Reached approximate due date without temperature
  drop or signs of labor
• Needs evaluation by vet
• May require progestrone test to determine
  completion of gestation
• 24 hours since temperature drop without signs of
  2nd stage labor
• Prolonged 2nd stage labor without delivery of 1st
  puppy
• Blackish or green discharge before delivery of
  1st puppy
• Long periods of intermittent hard contractions
• Bitch appears to have finished whelping when you
  know there are more puppies.

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Whelping Interventions

• Things to help a whelping along
• Fetal monitoring
• Whelp-wise monitors start of labor, length
  strength of contractions, fetal heart rates
• Assisted delivery
• Pull by back of skull or lower mandible for
  face-first presentation
• Pull by legs above hocks or skin on back for
  feet-first presentation
• Remember to pull out, then down
• Massage abdomen to move puppies toward birth
  canal

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• Feathering rubbing along inside of vaginal
  tract to induce contractions
• Use of Oxytocin
• Only when contractions have stopped
• NO obstruction (if you can not determine, do not
  use)
• Promotes placental separation

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• Use of Calcium
• Only to strengthen contractions
• Give orally or Sub-Q by injection
• Safer, does not promote placental seperation

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Other Support

• Oral support
• Ice cubes or water
• Vanilla vogurt-ice cream
• Nutra-cal or high-energy paste or liquid
• Avoid solid food until delivery is complete
• Moral support
• Keep environment quiet and calm
• Avoid distractions, keep strangers to a minimum
• Walk her on lead to keep her awake and let her
  eliminate between puppies
• Talk to her in a soothing manner

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Emergency Situations
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Elective vs. Emergency Section

• Reasons for Elective C-Section
• The bitch has a history of uterine inertia,
  complicated delivereies, or cesarean section
• The bitch has a malformation of the birth canal
• A breed or family history of oversized puppies
• X-rays show one or more oversized puppies
• X-rays show a large litter or single puppy litter

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Reasons for Emergency Section

• Uterine inertia unresponsive to oxytocin or
  calcium
• One or more pups oversize in relation to the
  dams pelvic width
• Obstruction of the birth canal (soft tissue or
  bony obstructions)
• Puppy malpresentation
• Uterine torsion or rupture
• Depressed fetal heart rates (below 150 bpm)

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Advantages of Elective vs. Emergency C-section

• Clinic is better staffed during working hours
• Bitch is not stressed and will recover from
  surgery more quickly
• Puppies are not stressed and will not require
  aggressive resuscitation
• Cost

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C-section Facts

• Normal sequence of events
• Blood panel is taken (optional)
• IV line is started
• Bitch is masked down with oxygen
• Anesthesia is administered by mask or injection
• Bitch is intubated (down throat) and monitoring
  starts
• External prep, including shaving, local
  anesthesia and draping
• Abdomen is incised
• Uterus is removed from body
• Uterus is incised and puppies are removed with
  placentas (puppies are resuscitated separately)
• Injection of oxytocin is given directly into
  uterus to shrink it
• Layers of muscle and skin are stitched up
• Bitch is taken off anesthesia and may be given
  pain meds
• Bitch recovers in heated environment
• Puppies are given to bitch to nurse

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Post-Surgical Care

• May uses antibiotics or pain management
• May give small injectins of oxytocin to encourage
  milk production/milk let-down
• There will be dishcarge
• Keep incision clean and dry
• Monitor temperature and watch for signs of
  infection
• Feed bland foods/liquids for 1st 24 hours
• Encourage water consumption

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Successful Whelping

• Safe delivery of live puppies
• Bitch is healthy and can care for her litter
• Bitch is able to deliver more litters (if desired)

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Post-Whelping Support of Bitch

• Check temperature once day
• Feed as much as she will eat in small meals
  several times a day
• Monitor water consumption and encourage her to
  drink
• Water consumption is more important than eating
  in the first few days for production of milk
• Encourage her to leave her box to eliminate
• First few days you might have to force her to
  leave her babies
• Good mothering is the best sign that she feels
  well and is recovering normally

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Puppy Resuscitation

• Removal of mucus from respiratory tract
• Bulb syringe
• Suck mucus by mouth
• flinging/swinging puppies
• Vigorous rubbing
• Pinching/shaking of scruff
• You want to hear them cry/scream
• Keep head lower than rear
• Heat slowly
• Start with hair dryer on lowest setting
• Follow with heating pad
• Last resort
• Pin into front of face
• Drop onto flat surface
• Put in bowl of hot water

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Puppy Supportive Care

• Clamp cord, dry with iodine/povidine
• Remove puppies from bitch while she is whelping
  other puppies
• Keep on heating pad, low heat/covered
• Puppies with breathing compromise kept warm
  quiet until resolved
• Gasping/Gurgling puppies
• Keep head lowered, elevate butt

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Warming the Environment

• Heat environment to body temperature (95-98º
  F)for days 1-7
• Heating pad in box
• Heating lamp in corner
• Space heater in whelping area
• 35-55 humidity in area
• Days 7-14, 80-85º F
• Days 14-21, 75-80º F
• Day 21, normal room temperature
• Provide area for bitch to cool herself

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Health Puppies

• Feel heavy when picked up
• Maintain firm muscle tone (not limp)
• Squirm and twitch every 10-15 seconds (activated
  sleep)
• Sleep in loose piles and shift position often
• Lay with limbs stretched and head extended

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Puppies in Trouble

• Lay in one position without moving
• Are limp when picked up
• Will not attempt to right themselves when head is
  lowered
• Will either lay perfectly still with head tucked,
  or continue to try to position themselves under
  other puppies
• Will often fuss and cry
• Will not have normal reflexes

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Care of Weak Puppies

• Fluid support
• 60-90 mL of fluid per 300 G daily
• Either lactated ringers, dextrose 5 or formula
• Make sure puppy is warm test inside mouth or by
  thermometer
• Fluid under skin warmed to body temperature
• 10-20 mL every 3 hours
• 50 dextrose rubbed inside mouth
• Liver juice or Puppy Stat liquid
• Tube formula or fluid into stomach every 2-3
  hours
• Help with elmination
• NEVER FEED A COLD PUPPY BY MOUTH

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Bottle Feeding

• Use Volu-feeder with preemie nipple to begin
• Goats milk or formula
• Put on bottle as soon as possible
• Use 50 dextrose to give energy boost before
  starting
• Digestion begins in mouth
• Enzymes in mouth that aid digestion
• Peristalsys starts with sucking
• Use Baby bottles with regular nipples later

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Gavage Feeding

• Start with 8-10 French flexible silicon tube
• If puppy is over 300 Grams, use 12-14 French
• Measure from mouth to end of last rib
• Mark tube with permanent marker or tape
• Use 20-30 mL syringe with proper amount of
  pre-warmed fluid or formula
• Insert tube slowly into mouth and continue to the
  mark
• Check to make sure puppy is breathing normally
• Slowly depress plunger to inject food into
  stomach
• Pinch tube when removing to avoid fluid going
  into lungs
• Gently tap puppy on sides to encourage release of
  any air
• IT IS STRONGLY SUGGESTED WHEN GAVAGE FEEDING TO
  ADMINISTER ANTIBIOTICS TO AVOID ASPIRATION
  INFECTIONS.

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WEIGH, WEIGH, WEIGH!!!

• Best indication of each puppys growth and
  progress is a consistent daily weight gain
• Weigh newborns (1st week) twice daily
• If they lose weight or do not gain in 2
  consecutive weighings, consider supplemental
  feeding
• Weigh older puppies (2nd week and beyond) once a
  day
• Weigh the puppies the same time each day
• Record weights on puppy chart
• Daily weighing can discontinue when pan feedings
  begin