A Detailed Guide to Prepartum Preparation and Precautions for Tibetan Mastiffs

The gestation period of a general dog is 58~65 days (average 63 days). When the female dog is close to 60 days pregnant, signs of labor will gradually appear:

1. The female dog begins to seem restless, constantly scratching the floor and bedding with her front paws, in a nesting and den-building motion.

2. Most female dogs will not eat within 24 hours before giving birth, or will only pick at a small amount of food they like; some will vomit slightly before giving birth.

3. Generally starting on the day of birth, the female dog's body temperature will gradually decrease, getting lower the closer she is to giving birth, and may drop to about 36°C in the 24 hours before birth.

Once the above signs appear, you must be ready at any time for the work of delivering the puppies. A female dog about to give birth will constantly turn back and forth, arch her back, and her abdomen will become larger, beginning to show signs of straining and labor pains. Usually dogs mostly begin giving birth in the middle of the night or early morning.

Preparation before labor:

Birthing supplies: several clean towels, scissors, thread, cotton, disinfectant (iodophor), a washbasin, old newspapers. In winter, it is best to have warming equipment (light bulbs, electric blankets, thick towels, etc.).

Maintain close contact with a veterinarian: for those without experience in delivering puppies, or for breeds kept as female dogs that have a high rate of difficult birth (such as Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, Bulldogs…etc.), it is best to have a doctor deliver the puppies. Several prenatal examinations should be done before birth, and the possible date of birth should be known in advance, so that the dog can be sent to the hospital in time. For owners who want the female dog to give birth at home, it is best to also have some understanding of the entire birthing process and to ask the doctor about methods of assisting with delivery.

Energy supplementation: the female dog may experience a lack of strength during the birthing process. In order to replenish the needed energy at any time, nutritious and easily digestible food can be prepared and fed during the intervals between births.

Before birth, the hair around the female dog's nipples and vulva should be shaved clean and washed.

Precautions:

Disinfection of the birthing pen, birthing nest and the dog's body

Before arranging the expectant female dog to enter the birthing pen, the pen floor, ceiling, walls, inside and outside of the birthing nest and bedding straw should be repeatedly disinfected. In particular, the bedding straw inside the nest should be turned over from top to bottom, and disinfection should be thorough.

There are many disinfectant drugs on the market at present. The most effective and best-disinfecting one is sodium hydroxide, commonly known as caustic soda. The disinfection concentration of sodium hydroxide is 1%-2%, and spraying is relatively good.

It can kill various viruses, pathogenic bacteria and parasite eggs in the site and utensils, and has the characteristics of broad action and quick effect. However, because it is corrosive, care should be taken when using it not to injure people or dogs, and after disinfection, wait at least half an hour before putting the female dog into the pen.

Carrying out body surface disinfection of the female dog about to give birth is not only for the health of the female dog, but also beneficial to the health and hygiene of the newborn puppies after birth. According to research, among the intestinal parasites infected during the lactation period, puppies mainly become infected from the body surface of the female dog.

Roundworm eggs and tapeworm eggs attached to the female dog's coat or skin can infect puppies through their suckling at the nipples. Therefore, before birth, disinfecting the female dog's body is very necessary.

The method of washing the dog's body with medicinal liquid can be adopted. A towel can also be dipped in the medicinal liquid and used to wipe the dog's body multiple times, following the order from front to back, from top to bottom, first with the grain of the hair and then against it, and the towel needs to be scrubbed frequently, so that the dog's body fully contacts the medicinal liquid to kill attached viruses, pathogens and various parasite eggs.

There are many drugs used for disinfecting the dog's body, such as Lysol, benzalkonium bromide, formaldehyde, etc. For a female dog about to give birth, special attention should be paid to disinfecting her vulva, buttocks and mammary glands. Wiping with 0.5% Lysol solution is relatively good.