"My Lhasa-Apso was two years old when we got her. She went into heat shortly thereafter and was bred. These are pictures of her and the father of the litter. They include her belly shots in labor and with all eight puppies."
Dam and sire
Dam due any day to deliver her puppies
X-ray of the pups in utero shows all eight puppies. Taken five days before the pups were born.
Dam in the whelping box. It is important that a whelping box is closed in on all sides leaving just a doorway to prevent any drafts and so the dam will feel her pups are safer. A whelping box is MUCH better than a crate. A crate is NOT a good substitute for a whelping box for two reasons, you cannot put in a guard rail, and you cannot quickly look in, or down on the pups to count and view them for a quick visual assessment, i.e. you cannot see if the dam has pushed a weaker pup into the corner. Ideally you do not want your whelp box to have a bottom as you want to place the box on top of the blankets to weigh them down. The weight will prevent the blanket from bunching up. Puppies can get stuck and suffocate in a bunched up blanket. You do not want the box to have a wood floor as you cannot properly clean up the mess that will occur during the birth. The puppies will also pee on it and the urine will soak into the wood. The whelp box needs to be kept clean as it is where the pups will be for the first three weeks of life. There should be some type of low guard rail along the inside of the box so the mom cannot lean all the way against the wall preventing her from squashing a pup when she lies down. People who have whelped a few litters say that a removable front to the box works even better during delivery, particularly if the dam needs assistance.
Dam with her newborn puppies
Litter of eight Lhasa Apso puppies
"This is Millie, the two-year-old Miniature Dachshund. In this photo she is 53 days pregnant. She has been lazy since she got pregnant, but she loves playing ball and chewing up her chew toys. She will lick you until you can't breathe if you let her. "
Whelping and Raising Puppies Picture Pages
If you have pictures of your dam giving birth that you would like to share,send them in!
