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Breeding information:
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Puberty
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6 to 19 months of age, depending on
breed and sex
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Breeding season
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Every 6 to 9 months, often in spring
and fall
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Gestation
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Range 57 to
69 days (63 days is average)
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Puppies
can be palpated as early as 18 to 24 days
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Can
become difficult from 28 to 55 days)
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Detected
on x-ray after 43 days
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Litter size
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1 to 8 puppies
depending on breed
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Signs of Heat
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Swollen vulva,
blood-tinged vaginal discharge
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Reproductive Cycle
There are several
stages in a female dogs reproductive cycle.
A female dog that is not in estrus (in heat) or pregnant is considered
in anestrus. A heat period may last
from 21 to 28 days; however, the female dog is only receptive to the male
between days 4 through 14 of the cycle, and the length of receptive period may
vary widely. As the dog enters the
preheat phase, or proestrus, its vulva will begin to swell and a blood-tinged
vaginal discharge will be present for seven to ten days. The female dog is not usually receptive to the male at this time. The bloody discharge usually, but not
always, disappears and is replaced by a clear, mucous discharge, which remains
for four to seven days. The female dog
is receptive to male dogs at this time and will show her interest by deviating
the tail to the side and presenting the vulva to the male. A female is considered in estrus (in heat)
when she accepts the male. During this
time, the female may accept more than one male. This makes it possible for her to give birth to puppies that may
not be sired by the same male.
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Each puppy is a combination of both the dam (mother) and
sire’s (father) bloodlines. Only the
puppies born from the current mating will receive that sire’s bloodlines. The sire’s bloodline does not directly
affect the dam or her offspring in future litters that are sired by different
males.
Age For Breeding:
If you only want to breed your dog one time, then the
optimal time is between 18 months and 3 years.
If you intend to have the dog whelp several litters, then we recommend
you wait until she is 2 years old. It
is also recommended that she have no more than 1 litter per year.
Brucellosis Testing:
Brucellosis is caused
by a bacteria called Brucella canis and is spread by mating. The main features seen in male dogs are epididymitis
and scrotal enlargement or dermatitis.
Pregnant bitches usually abort dead pups following 40 to 60 days of
gestation, but show no other clinical signs.
Conception failures can also occur.
Diagnosis: Serologic testing (requires drawing blood
and sending to a lab) is the most frequently used method for detecting canine
brucellosis.
Pseudopregnancies:
Pseudopregnancies are
common in bitches and thought to be caused by the production of a pituitary
hormone. Clinical signs include
abdominal distention, nesting behavior, and mammary enlargement with subsequent
lactation (milk production) for periods of up to two weeks. Signs will normally be present at about 60
days post ovulation and regress one to two weeks later. Ovariohysterectomy (spaying) is the only
known method of preventing pseudopregnancies; however, ovariohysterectomy
during pseudopregnancy can prolong clinical signs.
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Preparation for
Whelping:
Late in gestation the
bitch’s dietary intake should be increased so that adequate amounts of a
well-balanced, high-energy diet are available to provide growth for developing
offspring and to enable the bitch to produce enough milk for the
offspring. Lactation may begin as early
as seven days prepartum in the pregnant bitch, but most females produce milk 48
hours before they whelp. The bitch’s
appetite may decrease and nest-building behavior will begin 24 to 36 hours
before parturition. A reduction in the
bitch’s body temperature of about 1oF will signify that whelping
should be 12 to 24 hours away. A
whelping box should be provided in a quiet, dimly lighted area that is free of
drafts. The bitch should be left alone
in the whelping box with free access to food and clean water and should be
monitored as unobtrusively as possible.
If a puppy is not
born within three hours of the start of abdominal contractions (true labor),
the bitch may need medical attention.
Once the bitch successfully expels a puppy, she should remove the
translucent sac from the puppy within two minutes of birth. If she does not, the person in attendance
should be prepared to do so to prevent suffocation. After removing the membrane the bitch will lick the puppy
briskly, drying it and stimulating respiration. If the bitch does not bite through the umbilical cord to separate
the puppy from the placenta, the cord can be tied off with clean suture or
cotton umbilical tape 1 inch from the navel.
The remaining cord is removed with scissors. If the dam does not deliver another puppy within 30 minutes of
giving birth and is obviously still in labor, you should consult your
veterinarian regarding possible complications, i.e. fetal obstruction or
partial uterine inertia. The time
between births can be as short as 20 minutes or as long as a few hours. It is important to count the placentas;
there should be one for each puppy after whelping is completed. The bitch should not be allowed to eat more
than one or two placentas because they will cause gastrointestinal upset. A greenish discharge will normally drain
from the vulva for up to 12 hours immediately postpartum; this discharge will
then be replaced by a dark red to brownish discharge, which may last from two
to four weeks.
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Some of the
complications of whelping include dystocia (the inability to expel a puppy
while in labor), retained placentas, mastitis, uterine infections, and
eclampsia (attributed to calcium deficiency).
Cannibalism, or the savaging of puppies, is sometimes seen in young
dams. Sedating the dam until she
becomes accustomed to the puppies usually alleviates this problem.
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Nursing and Weaning:
Newborn puppies will
nurse every one to two hours for the first week. The sucking reflex is initiated within minutes of birth so that
the puppies can consume colostrum (mother’s first milk), which contains antibodies
to protect them from infectious diseases.
When puppies are restless and crying, they are probably not getting
enough milk to drink. Peak lactation
will occur between three and six weeks postpartum.
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Puppies should be
weaned from the dam no earlier than six weeks of age. Many bitches begin weaning their puppies as early as four weeks
after whelping. A soft, readily
digestible gruel should be introduced to the puppies as early as three to four
weeks after birth so they will become accustomed to consuming solid food before
weaning occurs.
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Shelby
3099 S. Oceana Drive
Shelby, MI 49455
(231) 861-4353
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Whitehall
8210 Whitehall Road
Whitehall, MI 49461
(231) 894-5460
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©
Copyright 2007 - All rights reserved
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