Whelping is the expression that is used when your female dog is giving birth to a litter of puppies. Whelping is usually a natural process that your bitch will be able to manage on her own, although it is a good idea to know as much about the process as possible so that you can give her a little help in case she runs into trouble.
The gestation period for dogs is 58 to 68 days. By the 58th day of her pregnancy, you should start taking her temperature regularly as her body temperature will drop to 99.5 degrees within 24 hours of the whelping. Use a rectal thermometer that is made for this purpose and put a bit of petroleum jelly on the tip to make this process easier for her.
By this time, she should have a whelping box available and will probably be nesting. She will instinctively know when she is going to whelp and will want to prepare. Nesting is a common trait among all mammal, including humans. She will appear restless and will dig at the newspapers, often shredding them. The whelping box should be large enough to give her room but small enough to make sure that she feels secure in a space of her own.
While the temperature of your bitch can be a good indication that she is going to whelp soon, this is not always the case. The temperature can drop rapidly and she may go into contractions sooner than you think. You need to keep an eye on her after the 58th day and understand all of the signs that she is ready to give birth. In addition to checking her temperature, you will also want to observe any contractions she might be having. You can observe this by watching her contracting her muscles from the shoulder to the tail. She will begin panting and licking herself in between contractions as she gets closer to the time.
Whelping is a natural process and generally your bitch will do fine without your help. However, if this is your first time observing whelping, it often helps to have someone with you who has been through this before. Your vet should also be aware of when your bitch begins to whelp so that you can call if you need any advice.
If the birthing process takes more than an hour after your bitch goes into labor, you might want to help her out by taking her for a very brief walk as this may stimulate labor. You can also perform a process known as feathering in which you use latex gloves that have been lubricated with KY jelly and insert a finger into the vulva to the top of the vagina. This can stimulate contractions as well and may help her along.
Once she begins to push forcefully to expel the puppies, the water will break. The first puppy will generally emerge within 20 minutes of this process with the rest of the litter soon following. Puppies, like humans should be born head first, although breach births are not uncommon in some whelping. Care of the newborn puppies, if all are healthy, will fall upon the mother for the next 6 weeks as she cleans them, feeds them and keeps them warm.
