Pregnant dog won't use whelping box, tears paper. What bedding works?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can start tracking her temperature rectally with a digital thermometer. Take it once a day at the same time. They usually with go in to stage 1 labor after the temperature drops below 99. You should start watching her more closely around day 58. Newspaper is the best bedding for whelping boxes. She will be fine and it's impossible to control everything. I've attached a hand out on stages of labor and when to be concerned. I hope this helps and I wish you and Soska the best! Whelping and When to be Concerned Stages of Labor: -Stage 1 tends to start 10-24 hours after temperature drop (usually below 99 F). -Stage 1: nesting. Can persist for 3-24 hours before abdominal contractions begin -Stage 2: Visible abdominal contractions. FIRST PUPPY SHOULD ARRIVE WITH IN 1-2 HOURS. -Stage 3: passage of placenta. Usually occurs within 15 mins of passing puppy. If it does not happen, don’t worry. When to worry/Call: -Strong contractions > 45-60 mins without birth of a puppy -Weak and infrequent contractions >4-6 hours without birth of puppy ->4-5 hours between puppies (after birth of first puppy without birth of the next puppy). On average a puppy is born every 45-60 mins. HOWEVER, the mother can often rest for several hours between puppies. This rest period is NOT associated with contractions and usually doesn’t exceed 4-6 hours. -If one puppy is born and she is having VISIBLE contractions for >2 hours without 2nd puppy. Recommend calling around 1 hour mark to talk to someone. -Failure to enter active labor (contractions) 24-36 hours after rectal temp falls below 99 F -Mother is in obvious pain: biting at vulva, crying) -No puppy within 2 hours of seeing green vaginal discharge -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing clear fluid from vulva (rupture of allantochorion) -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing a clear/water filled balloon at vulvar lips (puppy is in birth canal)

No, I would not use wood shavings or mulch for whelping. You can use wood shavings once the puppies are 4 weeks old but honestly I would avoid it. Shavings can get stuck in their throats. Pine and cedar oils on the shavings/mulch are alleged to cause neurological damage to puppies. Newspaper or puppy pads are what is recommended. Easy to clean and no chance of the puppies getting sick or injured. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Your bitch may not act like the typical mother because she is way too young to have a litter, and her mothering instincts may not have kicked in yet. Have a box, lined with warm, soft twels ready. As each pup is born, the mom should cut the cord by "scissoring" it with her teeth. If she does not, tie dental floss about four inches from the pup, and at five inches from the pup. Scrape the section in between the ties with a butter knife (you can go back and forth) until the piece of cord is shredded (shredding instead of cutting "seals" the cord better)As soon aa the cord is cut (or before, if you have to do it yourself), clear the pup's airway with a baby bulb syringe--mouth first, then nose. Finally, rub the pup vigorously with a thick towel to get it mostly dry. Put it in the towel-lined box, Have a low-watt light clipped to one side of the box so the puppy can move into and out of the warm spot on the floor of the box. Watch to be sure a placenta is delivered for each puppy. Finally, between births you can give the pup or puppies to the mom to nurse, but remove them if another pup starts to come so she doesn't hurt them accidently. call the vet for breech (feet first) birth, retained placentas, excessive bleeding, or other concerns.

Hello and thanks for your question about Belle. I would start off by recommending an examination by Belle's vet to be sure she is healthy/her pregnancy is going well, and she also may need to have some deworming done. In terms of setting things up at home, we normally recommend setting up a comfortable private area for whelping the puppies. A cage may not be best since it may be hard for you to be able to see/access the puppies if needed when she is giving birth. I have seen many people use a small child's swimming pool lined with cozy blankets as this is waterproof (floor won't get dirty) is easily cleaned, and has a high enough edge the pups can't get away but low enough mom can get in and out. Putting it in a quiet area of your house is best. You can also construct an open box yourself. You can read more about pregnant dog care at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A

We have no way of knowing how far along Gorda is but generally the belly does not show significantly until 6weeks plus and milk generally present 3-5days before labor and delivery with full gestation being 9weeks (63days). Whelping area should be at least 5' x 10' to allow her room to get up and turn around and reduce the risk she may lie on pups, should be easily accessible and visible to you without having to disturb her to monitor her progress and can be kept at 75-80F. Fleas can be a significant risk to pups and she should be treated to prevent passing them on - bravecto is licensed for use in pregnant/lactating mothers and would be best given before she enters the whelping box to prevent contamination.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! The first thing is to be sure that Soska is up to date on all her vaccinations, is heartworm negative, in on heartworm prevention and has been dewormed. You can discuss monitoring her progesterone levels and vaginal cytology to optimize the correct breeding dates with your Vet. I will attach a handout on stages of pregnancy and when to worry during labor. Be sure to have a bulb syringe, hemostat, thread to tie umbilical chords and scissors. Here is a good website for whelping boxes:https://gordonsetterexpert.org/2015/10/29/design-yourself-the-perfect-whelping-box-set-up/ Whelping and When to be Concerned Stages of Labor: -Stage 1 tends to start 10-24 hours after temperature drop (usually below 99 F). -Stage 1: nesting. Can persist for 3-24 hours before abdominal contractions begin -Stage 2: Visible abdominal contractions. FIRST PUPPY SHOULD ARRIVE WITH IN 1-2 HOURS. -Stage 3: passage of placenta. Usually occurs within 15 mins of passing puppy. If it does not happen, don’t worry. When to worry/Call: -Strong contractions > 45-60 mins without birth of a puppy -Weak and infrequent contractions >4-6 hours without birth of puppy ->4-5 hours between puppies (after birth of first puppy without birth of the next puppy). On average a puppy is born every 45-60 mins. HOWEVER, the mother can often rest for several hours between puppies. This rest period is NOT associated with contractions and usually doesn’t exceed 4-6 hours. -If one puppy is born and she is having VISIBLE contractions for >2 hours without 2nd puppy. Recommend calling around 1 hour mark to talk to someone. -Failure to enter active labor (contractions) 24-36 hours after rectal temp falls below 99 F -Mother is in obvious pain: biting at vulva, crying) -No puppy within 2 hours of seeing green vaginal discharge -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing clear fluid from vulva (rupture of allantochorion) -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing a clear/water filled balloon at vulvar lips (puppy is in birth canal) I hope this helps and I wish you the best!

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sounds like Liberty may be getting close to giving birth- I would encourage her now if possible. Dogs, when they are close to whelping, do seek out nesting areas on their own without assistance most times. She may have found underneath your deck a safe spot to give birth, but if it is cold out at all, I would try and keep her inside the house if possible. When taking her outside to potty, you may want to leash walk her out so she doesn't hide underneath the deck or other places that may be a less than ideal area for her. I hope this helps and good luck with the new pups!