A guide to your dog giving birth

During the last week of pregnancy the female often starts to look for a safe place for whelping. Some pets appear to become confused, wanting to be with their owners and at the same time wanting to prepare their nest. It is a good idea to get your pet used to the place where you want her to have her puppies well in advance of whelping. Even so, there are a number of dogs that insist on having their puppies near the owner. This may be on your bed in the middle of the night. Be warned!

Delivery times vary. Dogs with fairly slim heads such as Shelties, Collies and Dobermans may complete delivery of all the puppies within two to three hours. 

Brachycephalic breeds, or breeds with large, round heads such as Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, and Pekingese tend to have difficult deliveries and sometimes will produce one or two puppies relatively quickly and then rest for a while before labour starts again.

Especially, if you have a brachycephalic dog, you need to be prepared to contact your veterinarian for whelping. If your dog has produced one puppy and does not strain again within two hours, your veterinarian should be contacted. If the pregnant female has been straining continuously for a couple of hours and has not had a puppy, it is also important that she receives immediate veterinary attention.

Our experienced veterinarians are happy to be contacted when they need to assist your animals to give birth.