Hope Springs Kennels: Index

Birth of a Puppy

I decided to document one of Sylvie's puppies being born to share it with you. So with camera and flashlight in hand, I took several pictures to explain the whelping process. BE FOREWARNED that giving birth is NOT a clean experience and there is blood involved. If you have a weak stomach or are easily "grossed out", you may not want to view these images. But if you can handle a little blood, please scroll down to view the miracle of a puppy birth!

Sylvie begins by doing a lot of licking by her vulva. When a dog feels pain, they will often lick themselves to try to relieve it. She also wants to try to keep the area clean.

Sylvie has a contraction and a little birth fluid comes out.

More fluid with another contraction which indicates that the birth of a puppy is very close now.

Finally a puppy begins to emerge, enclosed in a sac.

Sylvie immediately sets to licking and nipping at the sac. She has very limited time to break the sac so her puppy can breathe.

You can clearly see a puppy's face through the sac!

She has opened the sac, but the puppy isn't breathing yet.

As the sac opens more, Sylvie begins licking the puppy to stimulate it to take his first breath.

He is breathing now and lets out his first little cry!

Sylvie continues licking to clean and dry him off.

Now Sylvie begins passing the afterbirth. Her puppy is still attached to his cord and the placenta.

Once the afterbirth has been passed, Sylvie eats it. It might sound gross, but it keeps the are clean and also gives her valuable protein that she will need to feed her hungry pups.

After she consumes the afterbirth, she chews through the umbilical cord. She is very careful not to bite too close to her puppy.

Her puppy is now free and begins living solely on his own!

Though he can't see or hear, his sense of smell and instincts direct him to seek out a nipple to begin eating his first meal.

Sylvie - a very tired, yet proud Momma!