Petnap Whelping Supplies

You will need important Whelping supplies to be ready if anything happens while your dam is giving birth. A good whelping supply list must be complete although there is a very slim chance for you to use it; you should actually wish not to use it. Yet, your  whelping supplies  have to be easily and quickly available at all times during your bitch’s end of pregnancy. While the dam is giving birth, you should stay well away to supervise the whole process. However, if anything requires your intervention, use gloves to be as sterile as possible. Do not manipulate and handle the puppies or the dam with bare hands, you could pass on your dirty microbes to them. If you read our post on how to give special care to new born puppies after birth, you will know to keep track of each puppy’s weight as the progression of weight must be noticeable and follow some pattern. Speak to your vet to get the breed’s “normal” weight for the first couple of weeks. You will need t...

Whether you are breeding your first litter or you are a professional breeder – as you approach the date your bitch is due to whelp you will be excited, anxious and vigilant! If you are planning to breed from your dog it is recommended to wait until they are a minimum of two years of age. A dam will have her first season around 6-9 months of age and this will repeat in a cycle every 6 months. After mating the bitch will carry the puppies for a gestation period of 63 days – you will notice during this time she becomes larger, her teats grow and towards the end she may start to “nest”. This is the process of making a bed she feels is safe to give birth to her puppies, it is an evolutionary response to the hormones caused by the pregnancy and is seen in wild dogs and wolves where they need to find a location away from predators and the elements. You can help your bitch chose a suitable area to whelp by providing a  whelping box  – this can be anything from a cardboard bo...