The period from mating to delivery is usually 58-63 days. Giving birth before 58 days is called premature birth, and giving birth after 64 days is called late birth. Usually premature fetuses are weak and difficult to feed; examples of late births are rare, and all are born around 70 days old. The number of fetuses in the belly of late-born bitches is small, and there are many stillbirths.

1. Preparation before delivery

1) Keep the delivery room hygienic and keep warm. The delivery room should be prepared two weeks before the due date so that the pregnant dog can develop the habit of sleeping in the delivery room. The delivery room should be kept dry and ventilated, and the room temperature should preferably be kept at around 20 degrees Celsius. The delivery room should be thoroughly cleaned, replaced with clean mattresses, sprayed with 0.5% Lysol for disinfection, and maintained with air circulation. The whole body of the bitch should be washed, especially the buttocks and breasts, which can be cleaned with 0.1% benzalkonium chloride. If there is long hair on the belly of a pregnant dog, the long hair around the nipples should be cut off to facilitate the puppy's sucking.

2) Make a birthing box. The birthing box can be made of wooden boards, and the height should not allow the puppies to climb out. In order to facilitate the entry and exit of the puppies, a semicircular gap should be left on one side of the birthing box, and some thin tiles with small gaps should be laid at the bottom of the birthing box. The wooden strips should be covered with soft short grass or old blankets, rags, etc. The inner wall and bottom of the birthing box must be smooth and free of sharp objects to prevent scratching the puppies. The farrowing box should be placed on bricks or wooden blocks to facilitate drying and ventilation.

3) Prepare delivery equipment. Although the birthing process can basically be completed by the female dog independently, just in case, someone should still be watching and prepare some midwifery tools, such as scissors, sterilized gauze, and cotton balls. The concentration is 70% alcohol, 5% iodine, 0.5% Lysol, 0.1% chlormethionine, etc. When using disinfectant, you need to pay attention to the dosage and usage. It is best to use the medicine under the guidance of a veterinarian to prevent dog poisoning. Generally, when a female dog reaches the end of pregnancy, the day before or on the day before giving birth, her appetite will decrease or she will not eat at all. She will dig holes on the ground in the yard, or scratch the floor with her paws in the kennel. Her mood is very unstable and she appears restless. state. If this happens, the breeder should start preparing for assisted delivery.

2. Childbirth

Before giving birth, the female dog will hide in the delivery room and will not come out even if her owner calls her. If the dog turns around in the sleeping place, bends its back, enlarges the abdomen, and starts to exert force, this indicates that the female dog is in the labor pain period before giving birth. The so-called labor pain means pain for a few minutes and then stopping for a few minutes. Soon the bitch will lick her vagina, which is called water breaking. When the water breaks, the amniotic fluid, which is surrounded by a white-yellow membrane (amniotic membrane), will flow out of the vagina like a balloon. At this time, the uterine opening will expand, and after complete expansion, the fetus will be born. This is called the expulsion period. After the fetus is born, the whole body is wrapped in fetal membranes. Under normal circumstances, the female dog will bite through the fetal membranes and bite off the umbilical cord by herself. The length of the umbilical cord will be very suitable and no artificial help is needed at all. Puppy fetus from wombAfter the membrane is exposed, the mother dog will lick the wet body of the pup with her tongue until it dries up, and then she will naturally take the pup into her arms and feed her milk.

The puppy's glasses have not yet been fully opened at this time, but it will also instinctively suck on the mother dog's nipples according to its nature. If the puppy is born in a state of suspended animation, the midwife should quickly rupture the amniotic membrane on the fetal head, and then use a dry towel or gauze to wipe away the mucus on the puppy's head, especially the mouth and nose, so that the puppy can breathe. Cut the umbilical cord at 2 cm. Then wash the puppy with warm water, wipe the whole body of the puppy, and finally put it next to the belly of the female dog. When bathing, you can gently rub the whole body to promote blood circulation and increase the puppy's body temperature. You can use your fingers to gently press the fetal abdomen to help get out of suspended animation. If the situation is serious, 0.1cc cardiotonic agent or vitamin agent should be injected. If left alone, it will become a stillborn baby. The time at which each puppy is born is not certain. Some are every 10-15 minutes, or 30 minutes. In some cases, more than 10 puppies can be born safely in just half a day or even a few hours. Of course, you don’t need to be too nervous. Generally, experienced female dogs do not need artificial assistance. Dog owners only need to pay close attention to whether there are any abnormalities.

If it is your first time giving birth, it is best to ask professionals for help. When the dog is giving birth, the owner is always by his side and can provide spiritual encouragement and comfort. On the other hand, watching the cute puppies being born one after another, or helping the female dog to cut the umbilical cord and knotting it tightly 1 cm away from the belly button, and then drying its coat with a clean, dry cloth, as a The excitement of a breeder who is so dedicated to taking care of the female dog and counting the puppies that are born one after another is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. The feeling of being busy, hard-working and happy is indescribable.

3. Precautions after childbirth

1) Some people advocate allowing female dogs to eat the placenta at will after delivery. It is said that because the placenta can regulate the female dog’s hormone secretion, eating it can increase milk secretion; but some people think that eating the placenta will cause diarrhea and should not be allowed to do so. Eat. If the female dog is healthy and has no disease, it is okay to let it eat naturally. However, if there are too many puppies (such as giving birth to more than 6 puppies), the placentas of the next few puppies can be removed. At this time, it should be noted that the female dog during labor is particularly excited and emotionally tense, so the placenta should be taken away quietly when the female dog is not paying attention.

2) After delivery, wash and dry the female dog’s vulva, tail and breasts with warm water. Replace contaminated mattresses in a timely manner (new mattresses should be disinfected and dried in advance), and pay attention to heat preservation and ventilation. In the south, puppies born during the rainy season are prone to rickets, and installing an artificial ultraviolet lamp in the kennel can play a certain preventive role. It is best not to bathe the female dog during the delivery and lactation stages, especially within a few weeks after delivery; because the stimulation of bathing may lead to the development of dysgalactia in the female dog.Health, and pay attention to try to avoid the stimulation of other stress factors.

3) Female dogs become very ferocious after giving birth to protect their puppies. Female dogs that have just given birth should be kept quiet for 8-24 hours. Strangers should not approach to avoid harassment of the female dog, which may cause the female dog to become nervous, bite or bite. Consequences of eating puppies.

4) Female dogs that have just given birth generally do not eat, but due to the great physical exertion of childbirth, they can be fed some glucose water first. The intake of water is very helpful to quench their thirst and replenish their physical strength. Some dogs eat very little within 1-3 days after giving birth, which is normal, but attention must be paid to distinguishing it from the symptoms of illness and not to be careless. Supplement some eggs and milk after 5-6 hours, and officially start feeding after 24 hours. Within 2-3 days after delivery, the female dog will lose her appetite and appear particularly thirsty. At this time, it is best to feed her some palatable and easy-to-digest food, such as nutritious porridge-like feed, such as fresh milk with egg yolk, meat porridge, etc. , eat small amounts frequently. After a week, the female dog's appetite will gradually recover. In addition to increasing meat, the number of meals per day can be increased to 3-4 times per day, and clean drinking water should be provided at all times. At the same time, pay attention to the supplement of vitamins and trace elements.

5) Pay attention to the nursing situation of the female dog. If she does not breastfeed her puppies, find out whether she is lacking milk or is sick, and take corresponding measures in a timely manner. Female dogs with low lactation can be fed milk, honey or pig trotter soup, fish soup and pig lung soup to increase lactation. At this time, the quality of dog food directly affects the quality and amount of milk. The food must be nutritious and balanced, and pay attention to the guarantee of protein, vitamins, and trace elements. If you are reluctant to give the mother dog nutritious food at this time, it will directly affect the physical quality of the puppies. Because puppies in a litter of newborn babies vary in size, the weaker ones will be pushed aside by the stronger ones and will not be able to get milk. At this time, someone needs to be around to help them allocate sucking time and treat them fairly. Dogs with weaker systems at birth are not necessarily less qualified than other dogs.

6) Some female dogs have poor maternal qualities and are unwilling to take care of their puppies, so they must be forced to breastfeed their puppies. In addition, the puppies are not moving well at this time, so you should always prevent the mother dog from squeezing the puppies. If you hear the short screams of the puppies, you should go to check immediately and take out the squeezed puppies in time.

7) Do a good job of preventing freezing and keeping warm the puppies in winter. Bedding and litter can be added, and cold-proof curtains can be hung at the door of the kennel. If the temperature of the kennel is too low, you can also use an infrared pad to indicate that the temperature is too high. Accordingly, you can adjust the appropriate temperature for the puppies.

8) In order to stimulate the excretion of the puppies, the mother dog must lick the buttocks of the puppies with her tongue. If the mother dog does not lick, apply cream near the anus of the puppies to induce the mother dog to lick. After giving birth, the female dog will be reluctant to leave the delivery room because she is eager to protect her babies. At this time, you need to take her out to defecate when the opportunity arises. After giving birth, the female dog's stool will be like diarrhea and the feces will be black, so the owner does not need to be nervous. )

9) Within a few days after giving birth, the female dog’s uterus will recover on its own.Complex, to eliminate lochia, the vagina will still bleed. Lochia in female dogs is dark red. It can turn into blood-like secretions within 12 hours after delivery, and the amount increases. After 2-3 weeks, it turns into mucus-like secretions, which lasts about 4 weeks. , uterine involution is completed and lochia discharge stops. If it can be given anti-inflammatory drugs or vitamin C and vitamin K tablets, it will help its recovery. The first estrus does not appear until 5-6 weeks after delivery.

10) After giving birth, the female dog should be allowed to fully rest to avoid constant visits from strangers. A quiet environment can help female dogs recover from fatigue as soon as possible and is also conducive to the recovery of physical trauma.

11) The female dog does not want to leave the kennel within 2-3 days after giving birth. Even if the owner leads her to eliminate, she will rush back indoors after defecating. This is due to her natural desire to protect her puppies. At this time, in addition to mainly letting it rest, you should also take it for a small amount of walking exercise, which can promote milk secretion. As time goes by, the time and amount of exercise for each exercise should also be slowly increased, and walking gradually returns to running. Pay attention to implementing the exercise plan regularly to protect the physical health of the female dog.