ATB: Puppy Whelping Supply List

ATB:  The Puppy Whelping Supply List

NOTE:  Nothing written here should be construed as medical advice niether should what we do supercede ANYTHING your own vet advices for you in your particular situation.  This is simply the full list of supplies which we like to have ready prior to the arrival of a litter of puppies.  Not everything will be needed but it is much better to be well prepared and to have these items on hand.  Actually the local "Dollar Tree", "Tractor Supply Company", and "Walmart" are great resources for many of these things. I do believe that Revival Animal Health has the most extensive pregnancy, whelping, and newborn supplies.

• Veterinary Thermometer (We have tried various types of thermometers including digital etc.  I have found a thermometer specifically designed for animals to be the best.)
• Vaseline and/or KY Jelley Lubricant (makes taking temperatures easier on mom among other uses)
• Paper towels, cloths, large towels (Some or all of these are needed.  We go to Walmart and purchase an inexpensive 10 pack of white terry washcloths, wash/disinfect/dry them and keep handy.) 
• Latex free surgical gloves
• Hand sanitizer
• Blunt Scissors to cut cord if needed, the kind that are safe for young children.  You can clamp forceps on the cord in you like but I feel that puts too much weight/pull on puppy when left on.  Some breeders tie it off.  We've never had a problem with using the blunt scissors and later dabbing betadine onto the pups cord/stump. (Best case scenerio is having a mom who will take care of the cord herself. First time moms may need help with the first couple of pups anyway.)
• Heavy quilt thread to tie cord if you do want to tie the cord off. (I cut off a dozen or so measuring 4" long and put in a baggy just in case)
• Cotton balls/Pads (Can store these in a canning jar with a cover.)
• Nasal Aspirator to suction mouth (Typically found in newborn baby section, near shower gifts etc.) *There's a new aspirator tube too which we've used while assisting with a couple of c-sections at our vets.
• Alcohols for sterilizing things on this list (such as scissors, thermometers etc.)
• Iodine or Betadine for the umbilical cord (we saturate a cotton pad/ball with it and apply to cord area left after mom bites or you cut it away.)
• Infra Red Heat Lamp W/Hood (look for these at hardware stores, Lowes, Home Depot, etc.)
• 2 Hot Water Bottles wrapped up in a towel to put in bottom of puppy basket w/liner. Keeps pup already born warm and dry while mom is whelping, keep in sight of mom. Not all moms are happy about this.
• Puppy Basket and Liner
• Digital Scales (US Postal digital scales can be found on Ebay, work great and don't cost a lot.)
• Something to time temperature readings (3 minutes)
• Colored Yarn, rickrack or Pup ID tags IF desired. This especially helpful if pups all look the same. There's other ways to identify your pups. I feel taking digitals with time stamp is helpful too.
• Pen, notebook nearby
• An actual physical clock
• Esbilac/Milk Replacer (Walmart carries this). You may not need it but if you do you have it. If you don't use it, you can always mix it in with puppy mush when you begin weaning.
• Teeny baby animal bottles (Walmart)
• Feeding tubes w/syringes (If you have to resort to this, you need to know how to use them.  But again, it's best to have one on hand.  Revival Pet Supplies) *There is a great method now using a cosmetic sponge drenched in formula which is a little easier for hand rearing pups.  Know when this is needed.
• Rolls of Unprinted Newspaper if possible.
• Surgical kit: forceps, sutures, needles, scalpel (We never thought we needed these items but once lost a puppy because we didn't. Revival Pet Supplies)
• Pedialyte (Regular, found in baby section of grocery store, pharmacy, Walmart.  A whelping girl loses a lot of fluid. This restores her electrolytes quickly and safely. As she drinks water from her pail/dish replenish with the Pedialyte until it is gone, usually over the course of 24 hours.)
• Benebac
• Tums (Consult your vet but we have typically given 1 Tum daily during gestation at the advice of our vet.  However studies are showing that may not be good for every situation.)
• Whelping box (Breeders vary in their preference of style, etc.  We have always used the wooden whelping boxes made by John and prefer this above all others. The weeks leading up to whelping let your girl spend time near or even in the box in so she gets use to the idea.)
• Camera (A digital camera is invaluable as each pup is born. Photos are your accurate record of time and order of the birth of each pup through it's entire development.)
• Books, music, vet phone number, phone etc. (Have the phone number of the 24 hour emergency vet nearby too.  As to music - we find that low lighting and soft instrumental music is beneficial to the whelping mom..)
• Peptobismol (Call your vet for dosage but it can be used for diarhea in the mom. Call your vet.)
• Puppy Pads (They are handy to have on hand, especially during whelping.)
• Karo Syrup (We use it by putting a small amount on our finger and/or moms teat to encourage a pup who may be having trouble sucking/nursing)
• Cooler with people snacks/coffee maker
• Comfy chair, blanket, pillow, cot
• Monitors and walkie talkies (we have a private, separate whelping area for mom so this is indespensible to us. Someone is with mom and pups 24/7 a week before whelping and a week following.)
• Ingredients for Nursing Mother's Pudding (We offer this to mom during and after whelping. A made from scratch vanilla cream pudding, it's basically a high protein, high carb, high calcium supplement treat.)

Again, not all of these items are needed and they are merely suggestions. Personally, I would not want to find ourselves in a situation where they were and we didn't have them on hand. Most of the time mom delivers with very little human intervention but we are never less, close by. These are items we have and how we use them.  We offer no medical advice here, only share the knowledge of our actual experiences. Remember that every dog is different, each pregnancy is unique and what works for one may not work for another.  We cannot caution you enough to be well prepared. It seems there are trends from year to year regarding whelping procedures, new science emerges, and even well proven methods are challenged.  You have to do what works for you and when in doubt of course consult your vet.

63 is the gestation period from conception to whelping.  Because you have no way of actually knowing when conception did occur, do not guess when pups are due.  Begin to anticipate them and take temperatures of your mother to be about a week before. This way you will have a baseline.  Know what all of this means, don't just guess.  Once temp begins to drop from it's average - don't leave your dog alone. 

Hope this helps. Please remember above all your vet is your greatest ally and resource. If you have doubts about anything at all contact your vet. You should let them know when you are expecting pups and ask if they will be on call for your questions.  Hopefully you will have already established a very good relationship with your vet and also with other experienced breeders.  Above all - be a responsible dog breeder.  You are responsible for bringing two animals together for the purpose of producing puppies. It's a lot of hard work, sleepless nights, it involves both heartache and joy, it's stressful at times.  Puppies are not a commodity. Producing them has nothing to do with financial gain.  A responsible breeder must love what they do to be doing what they love, and have a purpose, a reason, and goals in mind. A responsible breeder will always have families lined up and waiting long before the breeding ever even occurs.  And that's just the tip of the iceburg!