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Whelping Puppies - Labour and the Birth
It is also quite common for bitches to lose their appetite for a day or two before the birth and in many cases, there will be a milky discharge coming from their teats. Many breeders will also take the temperature of their bitch, as her temperature will drop to between 37 and 38 degrees Celsius in the 24 hours before labour begins. For some great case studies of different breeds and different aged bitches whelping puppies, click here.
The 3 Stages of Labour
Stage One
This stage can last anywhere between 2 and 36 hours (usually around 4 hours) and during this stage your bitch will shiver, pant, become restless and nervous and may dig up her bedding. There may be weak contractions of her uterus during this stage and I have seen many bitches that vomit during this stage. Stage Two The main characteristics of this stage is the strong contractions of the bitch’s uterus and the birth of the puppies, The stage actually starts with strong contractions and ends with the delivery of a puppy. Stage 2 usually occurs during the night – this is a survival mechanism as, in the wild, there are fewer predators around during the night time. Your bitch will visibly strain during stage 2 and between contractions she will lick around the area of her vulva. When a pup’s head or pelvis locks into the bitch’s pelvis, she is stimulated to really ‘push’ and a strong abdominal contraction is the result. Stage 2 is very variable in length between individuals, but if your bitch seems to be in great distress for hours and no puppies are appearing – it is a good idea to seek veterinary advice. (Note – in my experience, it is common for bitches to whelp at night, so the phonecall to the vet will often be at 2am or 3am if your bitch is having difficulties). Between whelping puppies there will be a rest period before your bitch starts straining again. During this rest period your bitch may lick clean the pup she has just delivered and then let it suckle – if she does this, she is being a good mother and the best thing is to just leave the puppy with her. The rest period should not last for more than 3-4 hours and the period of straining, before the delivery of another puppy, should not be for longer than around 30 minutes. A large litter (7-10 puppies) could take anywhere up to 28 hours to be born.
Stage Three
This is the stage during which the placentas are passed from the bitch. She may or may not choose to eat them. Sometimes the placenta will be expelled at the same time as the puppy it was surrounding, sometimes it will be after that pup and sometimes it will be after subsequent pups. Some vets suggest that you shouldn’t let the bitch eat all the placentas if she has had a large litter, others suggest that eating the placenta encourages certain hormones to be released which help with her milk production and help her uterus go back to normal. My personal opinion is ‘when in doubt, let nature take its course’ – if she wants to eat them, let her. If she doesn’t, don’t worry! Here is a video of a Jack Russel Terrier whelping a puppy, which is immediately followed by the placenta. Notice that she eats the placenta.
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