Doggie Doula
Your Personal Whelping and Puppy Guru!
If you are expecting a litter of puppies but would like some extra support with someone who is experienced, then I could be your answer to alleviating any concerns you have with your bitch and her puppies during whelping. Contact me if you would like me to assist with the whelping. I can be your dogs midwife!
Having a litter can be exciting but equally, seeing your pet dog going through pregnancy and then commencing labour can leave you feeling anxious about how things are going to turn out. Whelpings can be very stressful indeed. You need to remain calm throughout the entire whelping. You need to be able to be very hands on.
First stage labour can be incredibly short, though usually are 6-12 hours.
Second Stage is the arrival of the puppies, this is when you may experience difficulties with the birthing process (Dystocia) this can be maternal or foetal.
Foetal Dystocia
When the puppies are being born they can present in different positions which could cause a problem for the bitch to actually pass the puppy through the birthing canal. The puppies may be born not breathing, resulting in needing resuscitation. Sometimes the placentas are retained or you might experience problems with the umbilical cords. They may also have inherited defects.
Maternal Dystocia
The bitch also, can experience problems during the labour. They can have a slow and long labour resulting in an exhausted bitch. The bitch can fail to have contractions, uterine intertia. There may be a foetal obstruction. Pelvic abnormalities of the bitch, the size of the bitch to the size of the resulting puppies. She may have a small pelvis for the puppies to pass through.
If you know your bitch is only having one puppy known as “Monster Puppy Syndrome” then you will need to take veterinary advice as it is highly unusual for a bitch to have a normal whelp with a puppy that is very likely to be large!
Managing a whelping is a balancing act of making sure you give the bitch enough time to have her puppies without putting any risk to the bitch herself or her puppies. Her health needs to come first, very closely followed by her puppies, remembering the importance of keeping the bitch healthy throughout the entire process. If the bitch goes through a hard time during the labour it is more likely she will require a Caesarean, this poses a risk to both the bitch and her puppies. There is always the risk of needing to hand rear your puppies if things go wrong.
I can be on hand to assist with the labour to help it run smoothly. I can offer you support and advice for your bitch during the labour. I am very hands on, proactive at checking for heart rates, monitoring the bitch and record keeping. Ensuring the needs of the bitch are met throughout and the new arrivals monitored so additional problems do not occur needlessly
I can also assist with giving you continued support after the puppies have arrived.
If you feel you would like me to assist whelping your bitch then I would come with a comprehensive whelping kit which can deal with most whelping emergencies.
I can resuscitate puppies – my aim in a whelping is to ensure no loss of life – puppies or the bitch, I will commence with immediate revival of the puppy as soon as it is evident that the puppy is not breathing.
If you are interested in having additional support, I can provide you with an initial consultation, during this consultation I can give you advice on what to expect and what you should have in your whelping kit.
Assisted Whelping Rates
Initial Consultation £20
To cover some advice on pregnancy and preparing for the whelping. I can order you a basic whelping kit if you wish.
Assisted Whelping
£20 per hour, it will increase to £25 per hour between midnight and 8am.
After Care Consultation £20
This will include preliminary advice on rearing the puppies, a check up on the puppies and bitch. My check up does not take the place of a veterinary consultation, however usually a vet check up is not normally required.
If time does not allow you to have the initial consultation (ie your bitch is in first stage labour) then I am happy to be called upon to manage the whelping appropriately without the need to have prior history. However I will need you to sign my paperwork on arrival.
You don’t have to have the after care consultation – this is entirely up to you. The only thing I ask is to know how the puppies and bitch are doing after the whelp has concluded!
Location
I can assist a whelping within an approximate 20 mile radius from Plymouth. There will be a charge made for petrol if you are not in my immediate area (within 5 miles).
My background has been in caring for animals all of my life. I was a veterinary nurse for 8 years. I have bred Labradors for 10 years so have plenty of experience in whelping litters successfully. I have also had experience of lambing over a 100 lambs and also gave assistance for a calf being born (on my own!). I am well versed in rearing animals and rescuing wildlife. I have also assisted with a cardiac arrest with a positive outcome (on a human!!).
If you feel you would like the support of a Doggie Doula then please give me a call to discuss how I might be able to help you. I can only provide this help and support if prior contact is made before the puppies are due.
My mobile telephone number is 07877767384 (call or text!) – please call in advance of your bitches due date, so I can be aware of when I might be needed.