What Is the Dog Birth Process Like? A Detailed Guide to the Full Whelping Process in Female Dogs
Dogs are polytocous animals, and because breeds differ, the number of puppies per litter also varies. Generally, small breeds have 1-4 puppies per litter, at most 6. Medium and large breeds usually have 6-9, at fewest 1-2, at most 12-13, and the recorded maximum is 25.
Whelping in dogs occurs through contractions of the uterus and the abdominal wall muscles and diaphragm, which push out the fetuses and their associated tissues. The contractions of the uterus come in waves, with intervals, so uterine contractions are usually called "labor pains." The contractions of the abdominal wall muscles and diaphragm are called "straining." Straining is a voluntary contraction and occurs along with the labor pains.
The duration of whelping varies depending on the number of puppies, the mother dog's physical condition, and other factors. It is generally 3-4 hours, sometimes up to 7-8 hours, with an interval of 10-30 minutes between the birth of each puppy, and a maximum interval of 1-2 hours.
During whelping, the mother dog often lies on her side and keeps looking back at her abdomen. At this time, the uterine muscle contractions intensify, straining appears, and it is accompanied by labor pain. Labor pain in dogs is divided into three stages: preparatory labor pain, delivery labor pain, and postpartum labor pain. Preparatory labor pain is caused by the opening of the uterus, and its characteristics are that it is weak with long intervals. Delivery labor pain is caused when the fetus passes through the birth canal, and its characteristics are that it is strong with short intervals. Postpartum labor pain is the pain when the fetal membranes are expelled after the fetus is born, and its characteristics are that it is weak with very long intervals. When the intervals between labor pains shorten, the mother dog breathes rapidly and gradually more strongly, then stretches out her hind legs. At this point, a thin fluid can be seen flowing from the vulva first, followed by the birth of the first puppy. At this time, the puppy is still wrapped in the fetal membranes. The mother dog will quickly tear the membranes open with her teeth, then bite the umbilical cord, and lick the mucus off the puppy's body. If the first puppy can be delivered smoothly, the other puppies generally will not experience dystocia.
During the whelping process, sometimes the fetal membranes of a previously delivered puppy have not yet been expelled while the next puppy is already being born, and in some cases the fetal membranes are only expelled after all the puppies have been delivered. If the fetal membranes are not expelled immediately and the umbilical cord is still in the birth canal, the mother dog may bite the umbilical cord and pull out the membranes. Most mother dogs will eat the fetal membranes.
If the mother dog becomes quiet after delivering several puppies and keeps licking the puppies' coats, and after 2-3 hours no more straining is seen, this indicates that whelping has ended. There are also a few cases in which whelping occurs again after an interval of 48 hours, but at that point the vast majority of the puppies delivered are stillborn.
In the first week after giving birth, the dog will still discharge brownish-green lochia from the vagina; 2 weeks after giving birth, the uterus has basically returned to normal. If lochia continues to be discharged, she should be taken to a pet hospital for treatment promptly.