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My german shepherd dog is going to have puppies, what do I need to get in supplies for the pregnacy?
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15 Responses to My german shepherd dog is going to have puppies, what do I need to get in supplies for the pregnacy?
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Most important is a whelping box with pig rails to ensure she doesn’t lie on the pups and kill them.
Plenty of clean bedding (whelping can be very messy!)
Your vet’s phone number in case things go wrong (hopefully not needed)
Clean old towels to rub down puppies if they are not breathing.
Clean scissors to cut cords.
Pen & paper to note down the times/weights/markings of births.
Think that’s all I’ve ever needed but then I’m into non- interference, I’m with the b1tch from at least 24 hours before whelping begins, I check & weigh every pup when it’s born & leave the rest to Mum. Never lost a pup yet.
Stethoscope For listening to momma’s heartbeat — or checking for babies heartbeat. When recording number of heartbeats per minute, time for 15 seconds and multiply by 4. Puppies’ heartbeats are VERY fast!
Lactated Ringers Solution w/line set Use to rehydrate mother or puppies. Also use as base for sugar-water solution for weak puppies. It is unusual to have to rehydrate the bitch — use only on vet’s advice.
Betadine, diluted in spray
bottle (or squeeze bottle) General skin cleaning. Bottles of diluted solution make cleaning up faster. Discard diluted solution after use and make up new solution with each whelping.
4" x 4" sterile gauze sponges General cleaning. May also be used to grab a stuck puppy.
surgical sponge One side is smooth and soft — the other side is slight abrasive. Used to clean skin around incisions — or vulvar area. May also be used to remove skin deposits from nipples pre-whelping.
chlorhexidine towelettes To clean scissors or hemostats before use. May also be used on hands.
Alcohol Wipes To cleaning scissors or other supplies.
Hemostats or forceps For clamping umbilical cords before cutting. Leave forceps on for few minutes to minimize bleeding from stump.
Whelping Table Equipment: I place all these supplies on a baby changing table I keep in the whelping area so they are easily accessible during and after the whelping.
kleenex cleaning.
paper towel cleaning.
small trash bags, large trash bags Small trash bags for heavily soiled disposals. Large trash bags for everything else.
handi-wipes For small clean-ups or use on hands.
laundry basket For soiled linen.
zip loc bags – small and large For storing small things.
spray bottle of disinfectant For cleaning floor of whelping area and whelping box.
spray bottle of self-rinse shampoo, slicker brush, wash cloth For cleaning up mom.
heating lamp or small ceramic heater For keeping the whelping area warm. I use a 75-100 watt regular light bulb in a metal reflector, or a ceramic heater on low placed 4 feet from the whelping box.
water bucket w/clip For momma. Leave close by so she doesn’t have to leave the puppies for long.
Misc. Fasteners I keep a bag of snaps, hand clamps (all sizes), blanket pins and binder clips on hand. I use them to fasten everything from blankets, to lamps to paperwork and personal reminders. Start collecting them now –they come in handy.
Whelping Kit: I place these supplies in a separate box on the whelping table. I want to be able to get to them easily during a whelping. These are the supplies I use on newborn puppies.
For tube feeding.
Thermometer For checking mom’s temperature. In extreme cases (chilled puppies), you may need to record their temp. I use a digital thermometer.
Thermometer covers Plastic covers to protect the thermometer from being soiled.
Children’s Safety
Scissors To cut and trim umbilical cords. These scissors should not be too sharp or they could cause the cord to bleed.
dental floss I use the unwaxed kind. I tie lengths of floss in loops and place in a zip loc bag. The loops are doubled over and tied as close to the puppy’s body as possible.
bulb syringes For removing amniotic fluid from the puppy’s nose and throat. Get several sizes.
tincture of iodine Helps in drying out umbilical cords. Use twice daily on cords until they fall off and continue to use on umbilical site for one more day. You can get the decolorized kind so it doesn’t stain fabric.
latex gloves Apply gloves before reaching in to pull out stuck puppies.
K-Y jelly For general lubrication (gloves) or apply around stuck puppy if birth canal is dry.
hand towels or surgical towels For reviving and drying off newborns.
Incontinence pads I use these pads to whelp on. Because they have plastic backs, they make cleaning up easier. You can also use them under the fleece in the whelping box after the whelping is over. Never use after the puppies are up and around and could potentially chew the pads.
Puppy Box This is the box you use to place newborns in. I use a corrugated plastic mail box (the type the mailman uses to sort mail) or a corrugated plastic cat carrier.
Heating pad Wrap in flannel receiving blankets and never raise temperature above low.
Flannel receiving blankets Warm and cheap
Hand towel I use a hand towel over the blankets when the puppies are young to keep the blankets from getting stained.
Bag of kitty litter Place a thin layer of regular clay kitty litter in a gallon ziploc bag. Place between heating pad and flannel blanket. This spreads the heat across the pad and avoids hot spots that could potentially overheat puppies.
Whelping box equipment I use a 3′X3′ plastic children’s wading pool, thoroughly cleaned with disinfectant and hot water. If you use a wooden box, clean with disinfectant after applying a fresh coat of scrubbable, latex, child-safe paint or other suitable wood sealer.
3′x3′ pad for under box I place this under the pool to cushion it and keep the pool off the floor. This also makes the pool easier to heat.
old blanket I use this in the box before the puppies are born — for mom to sleep on.
Fleece covers for pool I place the fleece completely over the pool — well over the sides so the plastic is completely covered. I secure the fleece to the box with binder clips placed at 6" intervals. You can pull the fleece tight, which will keep the puppies from getting under momma
room thermometer I place this on the floor of the whelping box.
Puppy Feeding Supplies I prefer to make homemade formula*. If you prefer a store-bought formula, you can skip this section. In any case, have some formula, or the ingredients on hand BEFORE the whelping.
several cans evaporated milk You may substitute goat’s milk, if you prefer.
whole fat yogurt If you can not get whole fat yogurt, substitute part fat.
eggs As large as possible.
bottled/sterilized baby water. Do not use the sweetened kind.
Pedialyte PLAIN
French Tube (7 or
20 cc syringes w/20 g. needle For tube feeding.
Additional supplies Misc. Stuff
Whelping forms Place these in a small binder or on a clipboard.
For the humans: Video tapes, books, food, coffee, champagne.
Whelping information Your favorite books, articles, and/or magazines should be on hand. Hopefully you won’t need them, but having them there is always a comfort.
edit
haha sparten…would hate for anyone to think whelping a litter is easy or cheap…so the list might be a little extreme…but all the items would certainly be useful
Shouldn’t you do your research before you breed her?
Just a big box with a liner, such as a throw rug or an old piece of a blanket . Make sure the box is large enough so she won’t suffocate any by not having enough room.
build a whelping pen and line it with blankets..
feed mom a good qualiyt puppy food..
spay her as soon as you can after the pups are weaned…
Whelping Info: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/dogs-faq/medical-info/whelping/
I assume you are working with Oregon GSD rescue and are fostering a pregnant dog. Good for you. See if they can help to supply you with anything that you need.
I make this assumption because no responsible breeder would breed a non CH or non Agility titled/Working titled GSD and no resopnsible breeder would breed without being completely prepared. And those who did breed would have worked with a Mentor for several years.
http://www.gsdca.org
ask your vet, this way you’ll be sure to have EVERYTHING u need. don’t wanna mess up askin’ us. this is very important
a vet for prenatal care first
I just wanted to comment on alambre’s answer, WOW!! That is one of the most thorough and complete answers I have ever seen. Once again, WOW!!
Dogs have a ‘nesting’ instinct. A big box with lots of towels, sheets, blankets, whatever. Go to Goodwill if you don’t have anything you can part with. If no box, fix her a quite corner somewhere. When she close to birthing she’ll try to ‘bunch up’ all her bedding and she will pant. Mother nature will take it’s course. Good luck!
Whelping box
hemo-stats
silk thread
surgical scissors
surgical gloves
germ-x
rectal thermometer
nursing bottle
formula
Something to mark the pups with..vet sometimes has paper/plastic i.d collars/bands
blankets
bulb syringe
towels
stethoscope
small-weight scale
clock
notebook & pen (take notes of birth time, weight etc..) Vet’s number and ER number on the front.
Book- Whelping and Rearing of Puppies by Muriel Lee
Edit: Alambre- you forgot the vanilla icecream for keeping your bloodsugar up (perhaps I won’t mention that every b*tch I’ve ever whelped a litter with was given at least one bowl of vanilla icecream as a "thanks for a job well-done").
you will need:
your vet
lactated ringers(fluids), the extension set and lots of needles
Tubes for tube feeding
Either one big heating pad, or several small heating pads.
Lots of newspapers and old sheets
puppy milk incase she won’t nurse
baby bottles(NOT puppy bottles, they are too small for GSD’s)
Sterile scissors
Kitchen scale to weigh the pups
clean whelping room
and a lot more, that would take forever to type.
Here is a link to a GSD kennel, one of the best in the country, and their info on pregnant dams and pups. It is very informative, and will tell you everything, with pictures and links.
photo of what a whelping room should look like:
http://www.leerburg.com/whelpingroom.htm
If your pups are in need of help(almost always the case)
http://www.leerburg.com/pup-med.htm
bottle feeding:
http://www.leerburg.com/bottlefeeding.htm
And treating a sick pup:
http://www.leerburg.com/savepup.htm
basically, if you have a gsd at all, you need to be familiar with this site.
Good luck
You should probably hire a vet to be there for the whelping of the puppies. Go buy a Breeding Book. The first thing the book will probably tell you is that you are irresponsible for having mated your dog without being prepared in the first place, and somewhere in the chapter about whelping will be a list of supplies you should have on hand for the vet.
With dogs like German Shepherds I would also recommend having either different colored yarn or ribbon or other light weight different colored item to identify birth order and sex–this helps to identify the puppies also so you can tell them apart and keep a close watch on who is or is not doing well–and to monitor a puppy that is having any difficulties throughout its puppyhood, at least until you can tell them apart.
Get you a book on whelping, it will tell you everything you need to know..
you will need several things, whelping box, pads, etc.
have you ever help deliver a litter yet…..if not, your in for the ride of your life…….