What to Expect During Your Pet's Labor and Delivery
During your pet's labor and delivery, you should expect three distinct stages: early labor with nesting behavior and restlessness, active labor with visible contractions and delivery of puppies/kittens, and afterbirth delivery of placentas. Monitoring these stages carefully is essential for detecting complications that could affect both mother and offspring's survival.
Normal Labor Process
Stage 1: Early Labor (Pre-Delivery)
- Duration: 6-12 hours for dogs, 12-24 hours for cats
- Signs to watch for:
- Restlessness and pacing
- Nesting behavior (arranging bedding)
- Decreased appetite
- Possible vomiting
- Temperature drop in dogs (about 1°F below normal approximately 24 hours before labor)
- Panting and shivering
- Seeking isolation or increased attention
Stage 2: Active Labor and Delivery
- Duration: 3-12 hours total, with 30-60 minutes typically between each puppy/kitten
- Signs and expectations:
- Visible abdominal contractions
- Straining
- Delivery of each puppy/kitten (typically enclosed in amniotic sac)
- Mother will usually break the sac and clean the newborn
- First puppy/kitten should appear within 1-2 hours after strong contractions begin
- Puppies/kittens may be delivered head-first or rear-first (both are normal)
Stage 3: Afterbirth Delivery
- A placenta should follow each puppy/kitten
- Mother may eat the placentas (normal behavior)
- Count placentas to ensure all are delivered
When to Seek Emergency Veterinary Care
Contact your veterinarian immediately if you observe:
- Strong, active contractions for more than 30-60 minutes without producing a puppy/kitten
- More than 2 hours between deliveries with continued straining
- Extreme distress, excessive vocalization, or collapse
- Green or black discharge before the first puppy/kitten is born
- Foul-smelling discharge
- Excessive bleeding (more than a few drops)
- Labor that stops completely before all puppies/kittens are delivered
- Mother appears extremely tired or weak
- Retained placenta (fewer placentas than puppies/kittens)
Preparation Before Labor
Create a whelping/queening area:
- Quiet, warm location (75-80°F)
- Clean bedding that can be easily changed
- Low-sided box or whelping box that allows mother to enter/exit but keeps puppies/kittens contained
Gather supplies:
- Clean towels
- Heat source for newborns (heating pad on low setting under half the box)
- Iodine solution for umbilical cords
- Dental floss (for tying umbilical cord if necessary)
- Clean scissors (for cutting cord if necessary)
- Your veterinarian's phone number and emergency clinic information
Post-Delivery Care
- Ensure all puppies/kittens are nursing within 1-2 hours
- Monitor mother for:
- Normal appetite returning within 24 hours
- Normal temperature (no fever)
- Normal lochia (vaginal discharge) - should be reddish-brown, gradually decreasing over 3 weeks
- Monitor puppies/kittens for:
- Regular nursing
- Warm bodies
- Contentment when fed (not crying continuously)
- Weight gain (should be monitored daily)
Common Complications
- Dystocia (difficult birth): Occurs when a puppy/kitten cannot pass through the birth canal
- Uterine inertia: When the uterus fails to contract properly
- Eclampsia (milk fever): Calcium deficiency causing tremors and seizures in the mother
- Metritis: Uterine infection causing fever and foul discharge
Remember that while most pet deliveries proceed normally, complications can arise quickly and become life-threatening. Having a veterinarian's contact information readily available and knowing when to seek help is crucial for ensuring the health of both mother and offspring 1, 2.