Labor & Whelping (Day 63+/-)

Over the next few days you will hear little or nothing from me. When labor begins all eyes will be on my girl. I will go live from time to time on fb, so make sure to keep checking in there. You may want to change your fb settings so that it notifies you when I’m on live.

What Is Happening Leading up to puppies being born

2 days prior to the estimated due date and depending on how many puppies seen on the X-ray, I will start taking my girls temperature twice a day. The day before puppies are due I will increase to 4 times a day. The day the puppies are due and depending on my girls behavior, temperatures will be taken every 2 hours. It is essential I catch the “temp drop” and being consistent with good record keeping helps me make decisions to keep my girl and puppies safe.

What does it mean when the “temp drops”

When my girls temperature has dropped -- below 99⁰ F two readings in a row or below 98⁰F for one reading. I know that pups should be delivered within 36 hours, more likely within 12 to 24 hours. Labor is beginning and the pups are on their way!

Stage 1 Labor
First stage labor is the start of the birthing process. It can go on for 6 to 36 hours, rarely as long as 48 hours. During this stage, her progesterone level is plummeting to 2.0 ng/ml (6.36 nmol/l) or lower, her cortisol rises briefly, her cervix is opening and uterine contractions begin but are mostly invisible to us. It’s been my experience that they want to go outside to potty often or to find what she “thinks” is a safe place to have her pups. At my place its usually under a bush. I keep her on leash so she doesn’t make her way into a place I don’t want her to be. Instead I give her a nice place to nest in her whelping box. The process of digging and rearranging is soothing to bitches and may actually help with the whelping process. In some cases she will have bouts of restlessness, during which she may pace, dig, shiver, pant, or even vomit. Then she may nap or even sleep heavily for hours. This is all normal, and yes it goes on for a long time!

During Stage 1 labor I do my best to get some sleep. My whelping room is equipped with a bed and several cameras. I will sleep in the whelping room with my girl and pups for 3-4 weeks starting at Stage 1 of labor. I want to be well rested (as best as I can) and will rest as often as I can before the puppies start coming.

Whelping Team

I am fortunate to have several experienced people who assist me in whelping. The team will arrive during Stage 1 and will stay until all the puppies are born. Everyone on my team plays an essential part to helping bring these puppies into the world. Most importantly, we keep each other awake as it usually starts late at night and doesn’t finish until early the next morning.

Stage 2 & 3 Labor

The second stage of labor is known as "hard labor." This is when the bitch’s contractions are visible to us, even if they appear mild, and each puppy is whelped. Third stage begins and is when each placenta is expelled.

This is always the most challenging, nerve racking and scarry time of whelping. Getting that first puppy out and starting the whelping process. Hearing the cry of the first puppy and watching the new mom check out her baby while he/she nurses is truly a gift from God. But the worry isn’t over…there’s more to come. With each puppy the clock resets and we start over as if the next is the “first” puppy. No two deliveries are the same but our whelping rules and procedures are there to help us keep the mom safe and deliver healthy puppies.

As we continue with preparing for the next pup we have all eyes on the mom waiting for the next visible contraction, no matter how mild. This starts the clock on the birth of each pup. If we don’t see a puppy within 2 hours we are loading and making our way to the vet.

Calcium during Whelping

Calcium is the best supplement to offer the girls during and after whelping, but not in the days and weeks leading up to, whelping. During whelping, oral calcium increases the strength of uterine contractions without putting the puppy at risk. Unlike oxytocin, oral calcium works with the calcium released by the parathyroid to increase the strength of contractions without premature placental detachment. Calcium also helps settle the mom, especially if she is a first time mom.

When a puppy is born

The first thing we do is to make sure we clear the lungs of all fluid by holding the puppy upside down and firmly rubbing so the fluid will drain. We want to make the puppy mad so he/she cries and fights, bringing deep breaths and airflow to the lungs. The next step is to suction out any extra fluid. Once these 2 steps have been completed, each puppy is weighed, checked and stimulated to potty and then identified. Our goal it to get the puppy onto mom & nursing as quickly as possible. Nursing pups help the labor and whelping process continue. My whelping team assists in ensuring that each puppy is doing well, nursing and no physical signs of concern.

The Purple Collar

The first girl born always gets the purple collar. This is a tribute to my best friend, breeder & mentor, Allyson Fennell (Riverdance). My line of goldens started from Allyson’s line. After a long battle with cancer, Allyson passed away on October 9, 2019. Her favorite color was purple and we pay tribute with every litter with a purple collar.

Below is a video of Toni whelping one of her litters in 2019.