Normal whelping and the management of dystocia in the bitch

Talking to an owner during a whelping, the hardest task is drawing the line between "wait" and "come in now". Intervening early produces unnecessary surgery; waiting too long costs puppies and sometimes the bitch.

This article gathers the criteria that draw that line. It starts with what normal looks like, because dystocia is defined as departure from it.

What to establish before the whelping

The mating date does not give the whelping date. Gestation in the bitch ranges from fifty-eight to sixty-eight days from mating, because spermatozoa can survive for days in the female tract. What is reliable is roughly sixty-three days from ovulation, which is known only if progesterone was monitored.

The distinction matters in practice: an owner saying "we are on day sixty-five" may not be overdue at all if they are counting from mating.

A drop in rectal temperature signals that whelping is close; a marked fall appears about twelve to twenty-four hours beforehand. Having the owner measure twice daily in the final days helps predict the onset.

A pre-whelping radiograph gives the puppy count, and that information is invaluable. There is no other reliable way to know, once whelping appears finished, whether a puppy remains inside.

The three stages

Stage one — Uterine contractions have begun but no abdominal straining is visible. The bitch is restless, nests, pants, goes off her food, may vomit. It lasts six to twelve hours, and can be longer in a maiden bitch.

Stage two — Abdominal straining begins and puppies are delivered. Intervals between puppies range from a few minutes to two hours.

Stage three — Expulsion of the placentas. It interleaves with stage two; usually each puppy is followed by its own placenta.

When to intervene

These are the criteria worth committing to memory. Any one of them means the patient should be seen:

• Whelping has not begun twenty-four hours after the temperature drop