It’s time to write something about breeding in west highland; I’d like to tell you what to expect when you decide to have puppies from your dog.
First of all, I would like to emphasize that this is not a decision to be taken lightly, childbirth is a serious thing, and one can go through countless unpleasant situations.
The desire to have the son or daughter of one’s beloved dog is an entirely legitimate desire on the part of an ‘owner’ but things are not so simple, starting with choosing the other parent to continue with the difficulties of mating and then dealing with the actual delivery and finally rearing the pups born for at least 2 months.
Another thing NOT ALL FEMALES are to be mated, assess the health condition before making this decision and do not mate if she has congenital conditions! Also do not mate older dogs, it is unethical and mainly unsafe for your dog.
If you have a male remember that normally it is the owner of the female who chooses a male and he will be the one to deal with this. So I will refer only to female owners.
How to choose a male? First of all, you should choose a dog whose health and parental health you know as much as possible (the more you know the greater the probability of having healthy puppies). Then you should choose him as typical as possible, discard dogs that are not in size (maximum 28-30 cm at withers), discard dogs with curly or thinning coats, discard fearful and/or aggressive dogs, discard dogs with incorrect teeth (westies must have scissor tooth clasps see photo), discard dogs with pathologies of course.
IF YOU HAVE A DOG OF MINE TALK TO ME BEFORE MATING OR CHOOSING A MALE!
Before facing mating have the dog checked, she should not have any ongoing infections or be sick for any reason, she should be wormed and vaccinated away from pregnancy days.
Having found the male you like you will have to bring them together on the days when the female accepts the male, and normally it is not so easy to know which they are. To find out you will have to count about 7 days after the onset of heat and take the dog to the vet for progesterone analysis, if that value is included is close to 10 you can take the female to meet the male (and not the other way around). Now it is their time and hoping they like each other they will mate, but I tell you, it is not so safe and easy! Someone experienced will have to help them and they may not succeed even with help. If they succeed they will stay attached for about 20-25 minutes don’t let them move until they come off naturally.
Pairing should be repeated the following day.
Hoping that nature has taken its course, the dog will wait for about 60 days in which you will have to feed her with a puppy kibble (richer in nutrients) administer folic acid, do not give drugs unless specifically instructed by your vet!
To find out if she is pregnant you will need to have an ultrasound done after day 24.
Prepare an area for the dog to whelp, safe clean and heated with infrared lamp, equip yourself with disposable crossbars, hand paper for cleaning, sterilized scissors, thermometer to measure the dog’s temperature in the days leading up to whelping (her temperature will drop 1-2 degrees on the day of whelping so it is an important indicator). Pre-alert a veterinarian so in case of complications he will know that you may call him for delivery.
Here the time has come and the dog becomes impatient tries to dig in, wanders around the house looking for dark nooks and crannies, stops eating, often licks her private areas. By the time she starts panting as if she has been on a run, her body temperature has dropped between 36.5 -37.5 degrees (This drop typically occurs in the 12-24 hours before the actual whelping begins), whelping is approaching.
You will need to leave her as quiet as possible, no people around, no other animals.
When the actual delivery begins you may notice clear fluid leaking from the vulva, visible abdominal contractions and pushing as if defecating, the first pup should be born within 1 to 2 hours after the active pushing begins!
Stay close to her but without bothering her, speak in a low, encouraging voice, intervene as little as possible and let nature take its course. Never try to pull the puppy out forcefully. If a puppy is stuck and visible, you can try gently pulling downward (toward the bitch’s rear) and outward, only during a contraction and only if the bitch cannot expel it on her own. When the puppy is born, the mother should do most of the work: cut the umbilical cord, open the amniotic sac, lick the puppy vigorously to clean the airway and stimulate breathing–what if she doesn’t? It will be your turn.
After the birth of each puppy you will have to see the expulsion of the placenta, the mother will tend to eat it by instinct, check that she does not “swallow too many”!
- The interval between pups can vary greatly, from a few minutes to 1-2 hours.
- If the bitch has been resting (without active pushing) for more than 2 hours and you know there are still puppies inside, you should seek help from a veterinarian.
The difficulties you may encounter are:
You must call your veterinarian in any of the following cases during labor (second stage):
- Strong and regular contractions for more than 20-30 minutes without expulsion of any pups.
- Weak and occasional contractions that continue for several hours without expulsion of the first pup.
- Failure to expel the first pup at 4 hours after the onset of obvious abdominal contractions.
- Failure to expel a pup for more than 2 hours from the previous one.
- Abnormal vaginal discharge (e.g., containing pus or blood) before expulsion of any fetus.
- Greenish discharge without any event (pup birth) for more than 2 hours (greenish or greenish-black fluid indicates placental abruption and fetal distress).
- Poor clinical condition of the bitch (culling, prostration, hyperthermia).
- Delivery does not begin on the due date (calculated based on ovulation/temperature drop).
After whelping you will need to make sure all pups are feeding, mark the pups in some way (I use nail polish and those a small area on the back near the tail, weigh them at birth and daily thereafter noting their weights. If any puppies grow less you will have to be more careful about them latching on regularly and checking during feeding! The first few days are very challenging, puppies are as delicate as soap bubbles, eye on hygiene eye on everything, you have to devote all the effort you can and if the milk is not enough you will have to nurse them yourself. Check that sucking is effective, the puppy needs to create the gap between tongue and nipple to feed properly, if it can’t do this it’s a problem!
Call the vet and have the puppies and mother checked. Keep the puppies warm at all times with the heat lamp, but be careful not to put it too close. calmness and hygiene are your best allies at this stage.
Unfortunately, it often happens that not all puppies will live, and you have to put that into account otherwise the disappointment will be greater than the joy of having your dog’s children.
