PRENATAL CARE OF DOGS

Naturally, your aim is to have the bitch produce healthy andvigorous pups. The prenatal care that you give her will determine whether she does or not. For the next 63 days, you should see to it that the bitch has every opportunity to bring forth a healthy litter.

Before we go into the prenatal care of the bitch, we should mention false pregnancy or pseudocyesis. This is a condition in which a bitch shows many symptoms of being pregnant, yet she is not pregnant. She may have milk in the breasts, gain weight, have a desire to make a nest and other symptoms of the pregnant bitch, but it's a false alarm. False pregnancy is common in high-strung or nervous bitches. A bitch need not be mated to have a false pregnancy. The symptoms usually appear 50 to 70 days after the bitch has gone out of heat and may persist for as long as several months. The treatment consists of giving the dog sedatives or tranquilizers and catering to her mistaken maternal desires. Give her an old shoe or toy to mother during her false pregnancy. Hormone injections sometimes help alleviate the condition; the only sure way to prevent a recurrence is to have the bitch spayed.

Now, assuming that you have had the bitch checked for pregnancy, we can return to her prenatal care. The bitch should be in the best health possible, and that means free of skin diseases, internal and external parasites. Remember that ascarids and hookworms can be passed to the pups while they are still in the uterus. If the bitch wasn't wormed before mating, you can worm her up to the beginning of the third week of pregnancy. If you don't do it by then, postpone it until after she whelps.

The pregnant bitch's diet is very important. Feed her a high-quality dog meal supplemented with fresh meat. Vitamins and minerals are necessary for the bitch and pups. If you give her a vitamin supplement, select one that is high in calcium. Extra calcium will help prevent a condition known as eclampsia after the bitch whelps. See that the bitch has access to plenty of fresh water.

The pregnant bitch can have moderate exercise. Take her out only on the leash and avoid strenuous romps, games or roughhousing. While you don't have to keep the bitch confined to the house during her pregnancy, you do have to use good judgment and see that she isn't injured. Injuries can result in miscarriages, abortions and stillborn pups.

As her pregnancy progresses, the bitch will gain weight and her appetite will increase. Toward the end of the 5th week, her breasts will become larger and firmer. Some bitches have enlarged breasts with swelling and caking over the nipples. Milk may also leak out. You can relieve the swelling and caking by squeezing out some milk in the morning and evening, and applying baby oil to the nipples.

The bitch may be constipated. This is common during the last week of pregnancy. Use baby suppositories to relieve her. Don't use laxatives or mineral oil!

Near the end of pregnancy, about the 7th or 8th week, you can feed the bitch three times a day. But don't overfeed her. Watch her weight. You can judge her weight by observing the flesh on her ribs, back and shoulders. This is where she will "bulge."

At the end of the eighth week, you can make some preliminary preparations for the whelping. Clean the bitch's breasts with mild soap and warm water, then soften them with baby oil. If you have a long-haired dog, trim the hair around the rectum and vulva. Also, clip hair around the breasts and teats.

The average period of gestation in the dog is 63 days. But it may vary a few days either way. During the last week of pregnancy, the bitch will undergo a change in behavior. She'll lie around more, her appetite may be poor and she'll show signs of uneasiness. These are all indications that the pups are not going to be carried much longer.

It's a good idea to fix up a whelping box for the bitch during the last week of pregnancy. The whelping box should be square and large enough for the bitch to turn around. It should have sides at least 8 inches high, be draft-free and easily cleaned. If your bitch is going to whelp in her doghouse—and this isn't advisable in the winter—make sure that she has plenty of clean litter. Put an 8-inch board across the doorway of the house to keep the pups from falling out. You can put tarpaper down on the doghouse floor and then cover it with a thick layer of shredded newspapers or cedar shavings.

You can also start setting up your equipment. Clean towels, blunt-end scissors, extra newspapers, absorbent cotton, Vaseline, hot water bottle, thermometer, baby bottle and nipple, eyedropper, these are things you may need during whelping.

After you're all prepared and the bitch is using the whelping box to sleep in, you and she can settle down to waiting for the big event.

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