Puppies are a great joy, but they require a lot of prior preparations. While nature does most of the work in delivering, there is also a need for humans to assist. Your dog will need you to provide her with a warm, safe, and quiet spot where she can deliver the puppies and raise them for the next two to three months. It requires a little of your time and commitment to prepare for the birth of your dog’s puppies. The following list of required items might help you in being able to help your dog deliver puppies with ease :
- Towels
- Blanket
- Whelping box
- Dental floss
- Bulb syringe
- Scissors
- Portable heater
- Digital scales
- Notebook and pencil
Things to be kept in mind :
- It is important that you speak with your vet to make certain that your dog has a healthy pregnancy and will be able to deliver her puppies without a cesarean section. Some breeds may have problems delivering their puppies without assistance from a vet. You must have a sonogram done midway through your dog pregnancy, so when the puppies arrive, you will know how many are going to be born.
- You can build a whelping box. The dimensions will depend on the size of the dog you have. It needs to be large enough for the mother to lie down and move around comfortably. The sides should be high enough to keep the puppies in the box and low enough for the mother to be able to jump out easily. To avoid discomfort to the mother and puppies, you can also line the inside of the box with soft towels and a folded blanket that can be washed.
- You must choose a quiet spot in the house for the whelping box. When the mother delivers her puppies, she will need a calm, isolated place where doors can be closed. It needs to be in a room that can be heated to 26 degrees for the first several days after the puppies arrive. A portable heater will be needed (in case of winter season). Heating pads should not be used in the whelping box, as they can cause burns.
- Find someone who can assist you during the delivery. It is very important to get the puppies breathing when they are born. This can be done by rubbing the puppies with a towel to clear the birth sac off the puppy and to stimulate it to breathe. This is when another pair of hands can be helpful.
- After this, you can gather dental floss to tie off the umbilical cord, scissors to cut the cords, and a bulb syringe to clear out the puppies’ mouths. Be sure to keep all these things by the whelping box for the delivery.
- Purchase a digital scale. Each puppy should be weighed at birth, and the weight must be recorded precisely. Proper records should be kept to track weight gain or loss for each of the puppies.
