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Canine fetal heartbeat12/18/2023 A warm water bottle or microwaved sock filled with uncooked rice provides warmth to the pups while away from the bitch. There is no proven benefit to eating placentas, only indigestion results! Suckling by neonates during labor causes increased oxytocin release, promoting further effective uterine contractions and milk let down, but neonates should be placed in a smaller, warm box (a styrofoam ice chest works very well) during actual delivery of subsequent puppies to avoid trauma. Most bitches will attempt to sever the umbilical cords and ingest placentae. Bitches normally alternate between stages 2 and 3 until delivery of all fetuses and placentae is complete. Third stage labor is defined as the delivery of the placenta, which may be attached to the puppy, or may follow later in labor. Every attempt should be made to allow maternal participation and bonding. The umbilical cord should be tied off with clean suture or dental floss, severed 1 inch from the puppy abdomen, and painted with tincture of iodine. Next, the caretaker should stimulate respiration with towel drying. Puppies should not be swung to clear their airways, as brain damage can occur. If the bitch fails to do so, the caretaker should clean the membranes away from the puppy’s face, remove fluids from the airways with light suction using an infant bulb syringe. The normal bitch immediately licks the neonate to remove the remaining fetal membranes and associated fluids, and initiate respiration. Breech delivery is considered normal in the dog, occurring 40% of the time. The chorioallantoic membrane usually ruptures during delivery (breaking water). Puppies are delivered encased in amniotic membranes. Normal deliveries occur after 10 to 60 minutes of such efforts. The onset of the second stage of labor is marked by visible efforts to expel puppies by abdominal muscular contractions, in a squatting or lying position. During first stage labor, vaginal discharge should be clear and mucous like. Because of the anatomy of most bitches, dilation of the cervix is not detectable by a vaginal exam it requires a special scope. The first stage of labor usually lasts from 10 to 24 hours, and results in cervical dilation. Vomiting may occur, and nesting behavior is common. The behavior of the bitch usually changes she may become restless and reclusive, and lose her appetite, although some bitches eat normally and are more gregarious during early labor. Strong intrauterine pressures result from normal first stage contractions. Uterine contractions can be detected throughout the later stages of pregnancy, but are isolated and infrequent. Canine labor can be divided into 3 stages.ĭuring the first stage of labor, internal, uterine contractions begin to occur in an organized pattern, at regular and progressively more frequent intervals. The onset of recognizable labor follows in 10 to 24 hours. A drop in rectal temperature to <99 to 100 degrees F may be detected 10 to 14 hours later. Whelping occurs after the progesterone level falls to <2 ng/ml. Predicting whelping dates from breeding dates is imprecise. The length of gestation from the first breeding date varies from normally from 58-72 days, because of the discrepancy between breeding dates and the actual fertilization date. The normal length of gestation in the bitch is preprogrammed, 56-58 days from the first day of diestrus (determined by vaginal cytology or smears), or 64-66 days from the day of the “LH surge” (the pituitary hormone triggering ovulation), or 64-66 days from the initial rise in progesterone to between 2-3 ng/ml (produced by the ovary after ovulation), during estrus. Valid concerns exist about exposure to infectious agents and increased maternal stress in the veterinary clinic. Call 53 to schedule an appointment with the UC Davis veterinary hospital small animal clinic.ĭownload PDF of this "Whelping in the Bitch " articleĭespite the potential for problems necessitating veterinary intervention, most breeders and their veterinarians prefer bitches to whelp in their home environment.
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