Last week, we began our discussion on the preparation for birthing and highlighted the signs you must look for to determine that the mother is close to giving birth, the physical environment that should be prepared for delivery and the calming role you must play during the period of discomfort that precedes the actual birth.
Today, we shall get into more details of the circumstances surrounding the actual birth, and your involvement (or not) when the mother goes into labour.
Labour
We won’t get into the technical details pertaining to labour in terms of anatomical and physiological changes that take place in the uterus, cervix, and vagina.
The signs of early labour are:
(i) Restlessness.
(ii) Increased respiration (breathing).
(iii) A look of anxiety (even panic) in the eyes of the bitch and female cat – especially a first timer.
N.B. I am certain that some may challenge the use of the term ‘anxiety’ as it relates to dogs and cats. I can prepare a treatise on animals’ emotions – fear, happiness, anger, guilt, jealousy, etc. Of course, we pet owners see these psychological expressions everyday – and this column is primarily for companion animal owners.
(iv) Sometimes vomiting.
(v) Periodic straining/contraction of the abdominal muscles.
(vi) Eventually, the first water bag peeps out of the vagina and then ruptures. The first puppy/kitten slides out shortly (within a few minutes but can be longer) thereafter. The new mom licks the puppy and ingests the skin and liquid that had enclosed the puppy/kitten. While all this licking is going on, the navel string (umbilical cord) is severed. The next puppy/kitten in line will follow and undergo the same process, and so forth, until all the puppies/kittens have been born.
A watchful but unobtrusive oversight of the mother in labour:
(i) You may (very quietly) have brief looks at the mother while she is giving birth. Really, she doesn’t want you around, although, as I mentioned last week, some dogs feel more secure knowing that their caregiver is in close proximity.
(ii) Do not panic when the mother eats the afterbirth (placenta). There has been some debate as to whether it is good for her or not. But, very seldom can man improve upon nature. Dogs have been eating the placenta since they were domesticated and long before that. Their cousins in the wild also eat the afterbirth. Most species, in fact, do that. Perhaps, it helps with the milk let-down and labour contractions.
(iii) Do not get too emotionally involved in the whole birth process. Do not think that she is hurting. Do not think that she is causing pain to her newborn babies when she licks them vigorously; this is a form of massage – stimulating breathing and heart action.
(iv) Do not make panic calls to the Vet if the next puppy does not emerge in a few minutes. It could take hours for a litter of four puppies to be delivered. In fact, the more puppies in the womb, the longer it might take for the puppies to be born. We are dealing with biology here – ergo no hard and fast rules. In my 52 years as a Vet, I have seen puppies being born within minutes of each other, as well as three to four hours apart. Cats seem to have less complications at birthing. However, if the mother cat is clearly exhibiting difficulties during delivery (e.g., a kitten is stuck in a breach position), then do get in touch with your Vet immediately.
Next week we shall deal with interventions which you may have to undertake should there be occasions when assistance is needed during the delivery of puppies and kittens.
