Dog’s pregnancy lasts 58-70 days, as for normal period is accepted 63 days. In first month in females attitude, doesn’t occur any changes. If before the fertilization, she wasn’t vaccinated, it has to be done in the beginning of the pregnancy. The same goes and for deworming. The pregnancy itself can’t be found until 5th week, when the vet can touch the fetuses in the uterus.
In the second half of pregnancy, gradually gets more sedate and if she doesn’t stop running, you will have to walk her only on leash. You don’t have to force her or walk her protractedly when it’s warm. The amount of food must increase gradually, when emphasis meat products. It is good to give calcium preparation
As soon as the birth is coming, female gets more aggressive. If there is certain place in your home, it will be better to make a birthing box and to put it there two weeks before the expected date. The box must be big enough, so that the dog can lay there, from the floor you put cross boards, which prevents the puppies getting squeezed in angles by the mother. If the female sleeps wherever she likes, let her handle on her own. It is possible to start making bed in some tiny spot. It is not impossible but prepared with hard work nest to be fake, and in the last moment your fave to move on the couch or in your bed. Don’t disturb her. For her this is matter of life and death the place to be in save.
Around a week before the babies birth, their movement can be felt by the abdominal wall, but when female is lying quietly, it’s like playing football match in her stomach. Some female friendly treats those who wants to touch her stomach, and other get very angry. Be careful!
When the birth approaches, the female starts panting and makes strange noise. If you will have dogs for the first time, this description will be very general, but don’t worry, when the time comes for sure you will recognize the sound. Usually heavy breathing starts in the afternoon or at night and lasts 5 – 1- hours, or it can last longer. When you feel it, it won’t be bad to settle duty at home, because it’s immediate symptom for bearing. Still heavily breathing, female starts moving restless from place to place, lie a little, stays, hear her inside process, again moves and gets nervous. In one moment starts to whimper a little – the puppies moving has started. After a while she will be on the preferred from her place and the miracle will happen!
In some females, bearing of first puppy is really hard, other doesn’t even worry while doing the process. But you have to be close and be prepared to help, because the puppy gets out suddenly and fast, if you have never been on bearing, the newborn in membranes will seems to you huge. When the puppy shows a little, the female turns and tears the membrane and drinks the liquid in it. Meanwhile the whole puppy gets out, almost always with the placenta, which she eats. She bites the umbilical cord, licks the doggy and it starts to crawl towards her breast . On her first bearing the female may doesn’t know what to do. If she doesn’t slow you will have to help her. Tear the bladder with nails, if she still doesn’t know what to do, lift the dog, cut the umbilical cord on 4 cm from the belly and squeeze it towards the dogie to stick her to it. If the mother still doesn’t intervene, clean the puppy with wet towel and put it on some of mothers tit . With the second baby maybe, female will handle alone, but there are mothers who need your help till the end of the bearing.
In any cases, count the placentas – if some of them stays in the womb, it can lead to complications later.
Between the appearance of other dogie may have big period of time. Usually the first two-three are born fast, one after another, then mother gets tired. It’s good in this time to give her chocolate, which has high-calorie and increases contractions. Also you can give cool milk and honey, if the female keeps straining and no puppy has been born for one hour, you should call a vet. After two puppies were born, before the third one birth you should move them carefully in box next to the female, so she can see them, but not to smash them, when she preview to get the other one.
After the birth is over, it’s good to call vet, to see the female and put her an injection, which will stimulate the throwing of eventually kept placentas or other puppies stuck in there.
The rhodium might refuse to eat in the first one-two days. If she has appetite, give her a liquid food. The water and food must be close to her bed, insist to go for a walk twice a day, she defines how long she will walk. In the beginning she will go out just do her job and immediately will get back. Later will want to go for a walk longer and longer, until she get back to her normal life.
The puppies are born blind and deaf. The ears tart to functionate on 8th – 10th day and eyes open between 13 – 15 day. In the first two weeks puppies don’t need your help. If the mother has enough milk, they sleep in most of the time and are quiet. If they make noises and are restless, they are cold or hungry. It is possible the female not to be able to feed the all, then you will have to find other female with milk, who will take a few of them or to feed them artificially. Clinics are selling little feeders with dry milk for newborns.
After second week, if they are a lot, puppies need extra feeding. For this you need shallow dish with warm milk. If the breast milk is not enough for them, baby usually are well orientated what the plate consists and how to eat from there. Otherwise put your finger in the milk and give them to suck a little, when babies starts eating from the plate, you should move to different food. Saturated in broth and milk bread must be well pulped. Around the 25th day after birth, puppies should be fully weaned.
From the thirty day and after that you can sell them. If the mother has more milk, leave one dog for little more. The milk will stop before the baby turn 3 month.
