Changes in dog’s body temperature before delivery
Bitch’s body temperature about three days before delivery starts to fall. The average rectal temperature is 38-39°C, which decreases by 0.5-1.5°C before delivery. If the temperature rises, the dog is about to give birth. The breasts begin to enlarge and fill two weeks before delivery.
A small amount of milk can be expressed from the nipple two days before delivery. A few days before labor, the vagina is gradually swollen, tender, and congested, the labial skin folds unfold, and the vaginal mucosa flushes. 24 to 36 hours before giving birth, the mother’s appetite will be significantly reduced, and even stop eating, the bitch will have symptoms of restlessness, often scratching on the ground with her paws, especially the performance of first-born dog mothers is more prominent.
3 to 10 hours before delivery, the mother dog began to have analgesia, frequent turning over, frequent yawning, groaning or screaming, shortness of breath, increased urination frequency, and the apparent collapse of the buttocks. The vulva is swollen, and mucus is seen coming out, which indicates that the bitch will give birth within a few hours. Usually, delivery time is in the early morning or early evening.
Dog birth normally:
When the first puppy enters the birth canal, the abdominal muscles of the bitch will contract significantly to help the uterus push out. An apparent amniotic sac will appear at the vulva and then fall to the ground. The mother dog’s instinct is to tear the amniotic sac and bite the umbilical cord, lick the torso of the newborn, and prompt the baby to take its first breath.
Dog-Assisted Delivery:
Some new-born dogs, especially first-borns, can show their rump when the puppy first; if the delivery time is Too long, you can manually pull the puppy while the bitch’s abdomen contracts, then tear the amniotic sac, dry the amniotic fluid in the torso and nose, and encourage the puppy to breathe.
