What are the Best Supplies to Have for Puppy Births?

If your dog is pregnant, making sure everything is ready for the birth of the puppies is important. Keeping the puppies and their mom safe and healthy involves doing more than many people may realize. If your dog is going to have puppies at home, she needs a box or other container in which to birth them, and there are also several other things you should have at hand.

  1. Whelping Box

    • When the mother dog is preparing to give birth, she will need a special area in which she can rest comfortably and go into labor. This box should be big enough to accommodate the mom and her future puppies, with walls high enough to keep the puppies in and a special gate to let the mom in and out. To keep the puppies warm and keep the mom comfortable, line the box with blankets, fleece and other soft materials, as well as some absorbent lining pads. You can purchase pre-assembled whelping boxes or build your own.

    Bulb Syringe

    • Bulb syringes, found in infant care aisles of department stores, are useful for removing mucus from the puppies' lungs. Getting the mucus out is important to keep puppies from drowning or getting sick.

    Digital Thermometer

    • Making sure the mom's temperature stays constant is important. If she becomes too warm or too cold, it can be detrimental to the puppies. You may also need the digital thermometer to record puppy temperatures and make sure the puppies are healthy.

    Clean Towels

    • Towels serve multiple purposes during puppy delivery. Use towels to clean off puppies if the mother is having a hard time. You can also use the towels to try and stimulate any puppies that may be lethargic and slow to respond. Towels also come in handy when you are trying to help puppies eliminate waste.

    Safety Scissors and Dental Floss

    • Most time the mother can take care of the umbilical cord of the puppies, but just in case, you will need to have the right kind of scissors on hand. If the scissors are too sharp, they can cause too much bleeding in the cord. Use children's safety scissors or specially designed surgical scissors known as hemostats to make the cut. Once cut, tying off the part of the umbilical cord that is closest to the puppy is important so that it eventually falls off. Use dental floss or thread for this.

    Gloves

    • Gloves are important to keep the setting sterile. Newborn puppies, like newborn humans, are vulnerable to infections, so you need to take care to make sure they don't pick up any infections.

    Puppy Feeding Tube or Preemie Bottles and Powdered Milk Replacer

    • Sometimes, a puppy has trouble feeding from the mother for various reasons. If this is the case, a puppy feeding tube or a preemie bottle is necessary to get nutrients to the puppy. You can find milk replacement for newborn puppies at pet stores or online.

    Lubricant

    • Sometimes, the mom dog's birthing canal may be dry. This can lead to puppies getting stuck. To help fix this, some lubricant is recommended. This should make the birth a bit smoother. K-Y Jelly works fine for this purpose.