Breeding from a bitch is not a task to be undertaken lightly. It involves hardwork and planning. It is rarely to be undertaken outside the keeping of pedigree dogs -other than by accident - and certainly only if advance arrangements are in hand for the homing of a substantial number of demanding puppies.

This subject is long and involved, and this article will give but a brief resume of the major facts. If you are at any time in doubt as to the well-being of your bitch or puppies, seek the opinion of your local veterinarian forthwith. My own advice is always limited by my inability to examine your pet(s) personally.

The gestation period of a pregnant bitch is around 63 days ( 4 days). If you wish to be certain regarding a pregnancy, an ultrasound scan at around 28-35 days will usually confirm the situation, and perhaps give some idea of the size of the litter. The bitch usually becomes noticeably distended, and increasingly so, during the last 3 weeks of pregnancy, and during this period she will require increasing amounts of an appropriate high protein diet. Feeding: making up your own diets involves either a degree in nutrition, or a huge amount of homework, or guessing and taking a chance. I'm not keen on that approach.

There are now many high quality diets available for this purpose. They have been scientifically formulated at great expense, and they do what it says on the bag! Use one, forget the guesswork, and get it right. My personal favourite is HILL's SCIENCE PLAN CANINE GROWTH DRY. I use this diet for both my patients and for the breeding of my own flat coated retrievers. I like it especially because it's the only food I need for both the bitch AND the puppies. Mum lives on it throughout her pregnancy and the rearing period, and for a few weeks after the pups have gone, in order to regain her normal weight. The pups start on it, soaked and sloppy, as the first food from around 15-20 days of age. I'll usually use a puppy milk replacer - such as "Welpi" for 2-3 days only, just to get the pups lapping well, then straight on with the sloppy food. A couple of weeks later and they start to take the food dry, and their water intake increases.

Whelping(giving birth): the bitch will become restless as labour commences. I hope you will have a whelping box ready for her. Something around 1 metre square is fine, with edges about 0.3metre high would be fine for an average bitch. Obviously the exact size depends on your dog. I prefer the box to have no base. I place it on top of a thick layer of newspapers, and move the box, mum & pups regularly onto a new patch with fresh newspapers. This approach is a quick & easy one for hygiene. Keep the bitch in the box for whelping, then she'll stay there with her new pups. Once she starts "pushing" a pup should appear fairly quickly. The "waters" burst and a pup should follow. If there is no pup by 2 hours after any evidence of "pushing", then the bitch should be taken to see the vet. Don't leave it any longer than that or further complications may occur. There are a number of situations which can necessitate a caesarian section, and you must follow your own vet's guidance at this time.

In the normal course of events however, the puppies will be produced at intervals over a period of several hours. Litter sizes vary enormously from 1 to 20!! Larger breeds tend to have bigger litters, and vice versa. Once the bitch has had the last puppy, she will seem more relaxed, and will probably wish to go outside to "wee".

This may occur half way through the litter as well, so beware! Assuming everything seems to go well, leave mum with puppies at all times, ensure that all pups get a go at sucking, and take mum and pups to the vet for a check up within the next 24 hours. Sucking soon after birth is very important, as this ensures that the pup receives colostrum, which is the first milk of the bitch, containing large amounts of disease preventing antibodies. For the first couple of weeks, mum will suckle the pups. Then supplementary feeding starts around 15-20 days of age. (see above) Worming: is very important. The bitch should be wormed during pregnancy and then start worming the pups from 3 weeks of age. I normally worm at 3,5,7 weeks old & then every 4 weeks until they're 6 months old. Personally I use "Panacur" (fenbendazole) in liquid or granular form. Every time you worm the pups, do the bitch too.

Weaning: this is started by introducing feeding to the puppies. As puppies grow, so bitches become more fed up with them! But they will continue to suckle until the last puppy has left. Puppies can leave to go to their new homes from 6 weeks of age, but 8 weeks old is probably best. In most cases, there will be a period of a few weeks over which the pups will gradually go, but try to make this period as short as possible by advance advertising of the puppies for sale. Get the new homes lined up & organised. If you're registering the puppies, then get the paper work done as soon as they're born! The processing often takes a few weeks, and any delay on your part can make things difficult later on for the new owners.

Consider providing a period of puppy insurance with the pups - many organisations including insurance companies, The Kennel Club etc will provide this at no cost to you.

Vaccinations: the bitch should have been up to date with her vaccination booster prior to getting pregnant. Puppy vaccinations can start at 6-9 weeks of age, and are usually completed at 12 weeks.

Tim Mainland MA, VetMB, MRCVS

www.vetontheweb.com

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