Preparing a Whelping Box
Choose a box that is a comfortable size for your dog. A whelping box is one in which the dog gives birth. It should also keep the puppies warm and protect them from being squashed if their mother lies on them. The box should have 4 sides and a base. Choose a length and width that allows the mother to lie down with her head and legs extended. Add half her height again to the width of the box, which will be used to create a space for the puppies. Make sure the sides are tall enough that puppies will stay in but the mother can jump out without difficulty. You can buy a whelping box at most pet stores. You can also use a cardboard box, or you can make a box out of hardboard or plywood. Acquire 2 large, stiff boxes, such as television or appliance boxes. Cut one end out of each box and push them together to make one longer box.
Create a space for the puppies. The puppies will need a safe haven in the box where the mother can’t lie on them (which could suffocate them). Mark the additional width in the box, and install a sturdy wooden rail raised about 4-6 inches from the bottom of the box. A broom handle works well as a rail in the box. This is especially important when the puppies are over 2 weeks old and are more mobile.
Line the floor of the whelping box. Line the floor with plenty of newspaper and some thick towels. Alternatively, use a vetbed, which is a polyester fleece that wicks dampness away from the bitch and puppies.
Place a heat mat in the puppy area. After you’ve constructed the puppy area, place a heat mat underneath the paper in this area. After the puppies are born, you’ll turn this heat mat on to a low setting. This helps the puppies to keep warm while they are away from the mother. An alternative to a heat mat is a heat lamp, angled towards one corner of the box to provide a warm spot. However, a heat lamp provides dry heat, which can dry out the puppy’s skin. If you have to use a lamp, be sure to check the puppies regularly for flaky or red skin. Remove the lamp if this happens. Use a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel to provide temporary warmth.
Provide a covering for the box’s opening. During the whelping, the dog may want to feel like she is in a den. This helps her feel secure, which also allows labor to continue more readily. Place a large towel or blanket over part of the box to give her some covering.
Place the box in a quiet room inside. The bitch shouldn’t be disturbed while she is giving birth, so choose a quiet room to place the whelping box.
Provide food and water near the box. Make it easy for your dog to eat and drink by making sure food and water is available nearby. You can still keep food and water in your usual spot, but making sure your dog knows there is food and water near the whelping box will help make her feel more at ease here.
Preparing for the Birth
Let your dog explore the whelping box. At least 2 weeks before the pups are due, let the dog explore her whelping box. Make sure it’s placed somewhere quiet. She will want to nest in a quiet place in the time leading up to the birth.
Put your dog’s favorite treats in the box. To help your dog get used to the box, plant treats in it regularly. Then she will associate this box as a quiet place with good things.
Let your pregnant dog choose the place to labor. Don’t worry if the dog doesn’t choose to labor in the whelping box. She will choose a place where she feels safe. This might be behind a sofa or under a bed. As long as she is not in danger of hurting herself or the pups, leave her be. If you try to move her, she may become distressed. This can slow down or even stop labor.
Keep a flashlight handy. If the dog chooses to labor under a bed or behind a sofa, it can be helpful to have a flashlight. This way, you can visually check on her.
Keep your vet’s phone number handy. Program your vet’s number into your phone or post it on your fridge. If an emergency arises, you want to have ready access to the number. Consult with your vet about how to get a hold of them if your dog gives birth at night.
Have one adult monitor the birth. A trusted person should stay with the dog to make sure things go smoothly during the birth. This person should be very familiar to the dog. Limit people entering and leaving the space where the dog is giving birth. This can distress and distract the dog, potentially postponing her labor.
Do not bring visitors to watch the birth. Your dog needs to concentrate on giving birth. Do not invite the neighbors, children or other friends to watch the action. This will distract and distress the dog and could potentially postpone her labor.
Providing Care in the First Few Days After Birth
Do not cut the placenta to the puppy. Cutting the placenta before the elastic walls of the blood vessels have contracted down can make hemorrhage from the puppy more likely. Leave the placenta intact. It will soon dry up, contract down and break off.
Leave the puppy’s belly button alone. It is not necessary to apply disinfectant to the puppy’s belly button and placental stump. If the whelping box is kept adequately clean, the belly button should remain healthy.
Replace towels and newspapers in the whelping box. It is important to keep the whelping box clean after the puppies are born, but you also need to take care with not disturbing the nursing bitch very much. When the mother goes to relieve herself, remove soiled towels and replace them with clean ones. Throw away soiled newspaper and replace it at the earliest opportunity.
Let the mother and puppies bond for the first 4-5 days. The first few days of the puppies’ lives are crucial for developing a bond with their mother. Try to leave the dogs alone as much as possible in the first few days. Limit your handling of the puppies in the first few days. Only handle the puppies when you need to clean out the box, which should happen from day 3 onward.
Check to make sure the puppies are warm enough. Use your hand to feel the puppy’s body. A chilled puppy will feel cool or cool to the touch. It might also be non-responsive and very quiet. An overheated puppy will have red ears and tongue. It may also be unusually squirmy, which is the puppy’s best effort at getting away from any heat source. A newborn's body temperature should be between 94–99 °F (34.4–37.2 °C). This temperature will rise to 100 °F (37.8 °C) at 2 weeks of age. You don’t need to take the dog’s temperature with a thermometer, however. Check with your veterinarian if you have concerns or questions. If you are using a heat lamp, be sure to check the puppies regularly for flaky or red skin. Remove the lamp if this happens.
Adjust the room temperature. Newborn puppies are not able to regulate their own body temperature, and they are prone to getting chilled. With mom not there you need to provide a heat source. Adjust the room temperature so that you are comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt. Provide additional heat in the puppy’s box by placing a heating pad under the bedding. Set the heat to “low” to avoid the risk of overheating. As a newborn, the puppy cannot move away if it gets too hot.
Weigh the puppies daily. Use a postal scale to weigh each puppy every day for the first 3 weeks. Keep a record of each puppy’s weight so as to ensure that the puppies are well and getting enough nutrition. Disinfect the pan on the scale before you weight each puppy. Use a household disinfectant to clean the pan and then dry it off. Watch for steady weight gain each day. Don’t panic, however, if a puppy fails to gain one day or even loses an ounce or two. As long as the puppy is lively and feeding, wait and weigh him again the next day. Call your vet if the puppy still hasn’t gained weight.
Make sure visitors don’t bring in harmful germs. Visitors coming to see the new puppies are the most likely to introduce infection. Their shoes or hands may carry bacteria or viruses. Ask visitors to remove outdoor shoes before entering the room where the nursing bitch is. Request that visitors thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water before touching or handling the puppies. There should be limited touching or handling of the puppies.
Don’t bring non-family pets around. Other animals can carry illnesses and bacteria that can be risky for newborn puppies. Even the new mother can be vulnerable to illnesses, which can also further expose the puppies. Keep away animals that are not your own family pets for the first couple of weeks after the puppies are born.
Helping the Puppies Learn to Nurse
Help the puppy latch on to the mother’s nipple. A newborn puppy is blind and deaf, and is not able to walk until it is about 10 days old. It wriggles around to find its mother’s nipple and nurse. Some puppies may need a little help in learning how to latch on. To help the puppy, first wash and dry your hands. Pick up the puppy and place her against a nipple. The puppy may make exploratory movements with her mouth, but if she is not finding the nipple, gently guide her head so that her lips rest on the nipple. You might need to squeeze a drop of milk from the teat. The puppy will smell it and should latch on. If the puppy still doesn’t latch, gently insert a finger into the corner of her mouth to open the jaw slightly. Then place her open mouth over the teat and release your finger. The puppy should start suckling.
Monitor the puppies’ feedings. Make a mental note of which puppies feed on which nipples. The rear teats produce more milk than those further forward. A puppy who nurses on a front teat may be getting less milk than a puppy who nurses on a rear teat. If a puppy is not gaining weight at the same rate as the others, try to get the puppy to nurse on a rear teat instead.
Do not mix nursing and bottle feeding. When a mother nurses her puppy, her body will produce milk. When nursing is reduced, milk production also reduces. If there is less milk production, there is a risk that the mother’s body will stop producing enough milk to provide ample nutrition to her babies. Only try bottle feeding if it is absolutely essential. This might occur if the puppy does not have enough physical strength to compete with its littermates to nurse. Another reason might be if the mother has birthed a large litter and has more puppies than teats.
Keep food and water in easy reach for the mother. The mother will be reluctant to leave her newborns, so make sure she has easy access to food and water. Some bitches will not even move from the box for the first 2-3 days. In this case, offer food and water inside the box. The puppies will be able to observe the mother eating her food.
Allow the puppies to investigate their mother’s food. The puppies will rely solely on mother’s milk for their nutrition for 3-4 weeks. Towards the end of this time, they may start investigating their mother's food, which is part of the weaning process. At this age, they are no longer considered newborns.
Caring for a Newborn Orphan Puppy
Be ready to provide 24-hour care. If you have to hand rear a puppy, be prepared to provide hard work and commitment, especially in the first 2 weeks of the puppy’s life. They will require 24-hour care in the beginning. You will probably need to take time off work to care for the puppies, as they will require near-constant care for the first 2 weeks. Take this into consideration before breeding your bitch. If you can't commit to caring for orphan pups then don't breed the mother.
Purchase a milk substitute. If your puppies are orphans, you’ll need to provide them with a suitable replacement milk. The ideal is replacement bitch's milk. This comes in a powdered form (Lactol) that is reconstituted with boiled water (very similar to the way baby's formula is made). The supplement is available from your veterinary clinic or major pet stores. Do not use cow's milk, goat's milk, or human infant formula. These are not suitable formulas for puppies. You can temporarily use a mix of evaporated milk and boiled water while you search for proper bitch replacement milk. Use 4 parts canned evaporated milk to 1 part boiled water for a feed.
Feed newborn puppies every 2 hours. Puppies need to suckle every 2 hours, which means that you need to feed them 12 times in 24 hours. Follow the directions on the packaging to make up the milk substitute (typically 30 grams of powder is mixed with 105 ml of boiled water).
Watch for signs that the puppy is hungry. A hungry puppy is a noisy puppy. He will squeal and whine, which would ordinarily summon his mother for nursing. If the puppy is wriggly and whiny, and it hasn’t eaten in 2-3 hours, it may well be hungry and should be fed. The shape of his belly may also give you a clue. Because puppies have little body fat, when his stomach is empty, his belly will be flat or caved in slightly. When his stomach is full, his stomach will resemble a barrel.
Use a bottle and teat designed for use with puppies. Teats designed for puppies are softer than ones designed for humans. These can be purchased from vet clinics and major pet stores. In an emergency, you can use an eyedropper to feed milk to the puppy. However, this option should be avoided since there is a risk of giving the puppy too much air with the milk. This can cause his tummy to swell painfully.
Let the puppy eat until he stops feeding. Follow the guidelines on the milk substitute packaging to determine approximately how much to feed the puppy. A good rule of thumb, however, is to allow the puppy to feed until he is no longer hungry. He will stop eating when he is full. The puppy will likely fall asleep and then demand the next meal when he is hungry again, or in about 2-3 hours.
Wipe the puppy’s face after each feeding. When the puppy is done feeding, wipe its face with cotton wool soaked in warm water. This mimics the bitch cleaning the puppy and reduces the risk of skin infections.
Sterilize all feeding equipment. Wash all equipment that you use for feeding the puppies and sterilize all of it. Use a liquid disinfectant designed for baby equipment, or a steam sterilizer. Alternately, you can boil the equipment in water.
Wipe the puppy’s bottom before and after each feeding. Newborn puppies do not urinate or defecate spontaneously but need to be stimulated to do so. The bitch usually performs this function by licking the puppy's perianal region (under the tail where the dog's anus is). This usually occurs before and after the puppy feeds. Wipe the puppy's rear end with a pad of cotton wool soaked in warm water, before and after each feed. This should stimulate the puppy to release feces and urine. Wipe away any feces or urine that comes out.
Start spacing feedings apart at 3 weeks. As the newborn puppy grows older, the stomach will get bigger and can hold more food. By the third week, feed the puppy every 4 hours or so.
Check to make sure the puppies are warm enough. Use your hand to feel the puppy’s body. A chilled puppy will feel cool or col to the touch. It might also be non-responsive and very quiet. An overheated puppy will have red ears and tongue. It may also be unusually squirmy, which is the puppy’s best effort at getting away from any heat source. A newborn's body temperature should be between 94–99 °F (34.4–37.2 °C). This temperature will rise to 100 °F (37.8 °C) at 2 weeks of age. You don’t need to take the dog’s temperature with a thermometer, however. Check with your veterinarian if you have concerns or questions. If you are using a heat lamp, be sure to check the puppies regularly for flaky or red skin. Remove the lamp if this happens.
Adjust the room temperature. Newborn puppies are not able to regulate their own body temperature, and they are prone to getting chilled. With Mom not there you need to provide a heat source. Adjust the room temperature so that you are comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt. Provide additional heat in the puppy’s box by placing a heating pad under the bedding. Set the heat to “low” to avoid the risk of overheating. As a newborn, the puppy cannot move away if it gets too hot.
Providing Healthcare for Young Puppies
Give the puppy a worming product after 2 weeks. Dogs can carry worms and other parasites that can cause health problems, so it is recommended that you treat them with worming medicine as soon as the puppy is old enough. There are no worming products that are recommended for newborn puppies. However, fenbendazole (Panacur) is suitable from 2 weeks of age. Panacur comes as a liquid wormer that can be gently syringed into the puppy's mouth after a meal of milk. For each 1 kilogram of body weight, the dose is 2 milliliters (0.068 fl oz) daily by mouth. Give the wormer once a day for 3 days.
Wait until the puppy is 6 weeks old before applying flea treatment. Flea treatments should never be applied to a newborn puppy. Most flea treatment products recommend a minimum weight and age for use, and there is currently no product that is suitable for newborns. Puppies should be at least 6 weeks old before you can apply selamectin (Stronghold in the UK and Revolution in the US). Puppies should be at least 8 weeks old and over 2 kilograms before you can apply fipronil (Frontline).
Start immunizing the puppies at 6 weeks. Puppies acquire a certain level of immunity from their mother, but they need additional immunization to keep them healthy. Check with your veterinarian for an appropriate immunization schedule.
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