Whelping: the three stages of dog labor and when to call the vet

What whelping means, and when it happens

Whelping is the word for a dog giving birth, and a whelping box is the place prepared for it. VCA Animal Hospitals notes that dogs usually start looking for a safe place in the last week of pregnancy.

Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine puts the due date at 63 days from ovulation, but a breeding date can be off by up to 7 days either way, because the breeding date does not always match the date of conception. When ovulation was timed by progesterone tests, the window narrows to plus or minus one to two days. For the full week-by-week timeline, see our pregnancy guide.

Stage one: the quiet start

In stage one the cervix opens and contractions begin, but you cannot see them. Merck says it lasts 12 to 24 hours. Cornell says the nesting, panting and discomfort usually start 6 to 12 hours before birth, though they may last up to 24 to 36 hours. She may refuse food, vomit, pant, tremble, hide or dig at bedding, and she may have clear or white discharge.

VCA says her rectal temperature usually drops below 99°F in the last 24 hours, and Merck says the drop comes about 8 to 24 hours before delivery. Cornell gives a normal temperature of 100 to 102.5°F and says the dip lasts around eight hours and is not always caught. Practical advice from us: if you take temperatures, take them at the same times each day in the final week, and do not worry if you miss the dip.

Stage two and three: puppies and placentas

Stage two is delivery. You will see her abdomen contract and she will strain. Cornell says a clear or white sac at the vulva means whelping is imminent, and that each puppy typically takes 0 to 30 minutes, with up to two hours between puppies still counted as normal. VCA says a few contractions normally produce a puppy within 10 to 15 minutes.

Stage three is the placenta. Dogs alternate between stages two and three until the litter is done, so a placenta for each puppy is expected, though they do not always come together. Cornell says two puppies followed by two placentas is common. Puppies can arrive head first or tail first, and both are normal if the legs are extended.

She will lick and chew each puppy, which stimulates breathing. VCA says a puppy that whimpers within a minute or so is fine. Many dogs eat the placentas. Cornell says that is neither beneficial nor detrimental but often results in diarrhea, and Merck says it is not necessary.

What to prepare

Merck says a dog should deliver in a familiar area where she will not be disturbed, as strangers and strange places can slow labor. VCA gives the rest of the list below.

• A whelping box in a quiet corner, large enough for her to move freely, with low sides so she can see out.
• Plenty of clean blankets or towels, plus old newspaper, because there is a lot of fluid and the green staining is hard to remove.
• A small box with a towel-wrapped warm (not hot) water bottle, to keep delivered puppies warm while she is still in labor.
• Your vet’s number and an emergency clinic’s number, written down.
• The mating and test dates, so you can tell the vet which day she is on.
• A plan to stay with a first-time mother or check on her often until the last puppy is born (VCA).

When to call the vet now

Cornell says to seek veterinary care immediately if you know she is having difficulty or are unsure things are going normally. These are the specific triggers from VCA, Cornell and Merck.

• Intense straining for more than 30 minutes with no water breaking and no puppy (VCA).
• Straining non-stop for a couple of hours with no puppy (VCA).
• More than two hours between puppies, or no more straining within two hours of a puppy while you expect more (Cornell, VCA).
• Green discharge that is not followed right away by a puppy (Cornell).
• A puppy’s tail showing, a lump behind the vulva while she strains, or a puppy stuck in the birth canal (VCA).
• Puppies born dead or near death, or a mother in great distress (Merck).
• Foul-smelling or increasing discharge, fever or depression after the birth (Merck, Cornell).
• Short-nosed breeds tend to have harder deliveries, and VCA says they may deliver one or two puppies and then rest, so call early if you are unsure.

After the last puppy

Merck says puppies should be weighed once they are dry and then twice daily for the first week, that any weight loss after the first 24 hours needs prompt attention, and that newborns should gain about 10% of their body weight each day. The mother’s temperature, vaginal discharge and milk should be monitored.

Cornell says normal lochia, the discharge after birth, runs green to red or brown, usually lasts about three weeks and may last up to eight, and should not smell. Merck lists low blood calcium, uterine infection and breast infection as possible problems after delivery, and notes the calcium problem is most common in dogs under 45 pounds. Call your vet if she seems unwell after whelping.

A 2019 study of 701 dystocia cases at UK emergency clinics found that nearly half, 48.6%, ended in a cesarean, with bulldogs showing the highest odds. Those were emergency cases, so the figure shows how serious a stuck labor can be, not how often it happens.