Making the commitment to fostering a pregnant dog, and therefore, her soon-to-be-born puppies, is an incredible act of love and will be a deeply rewarding experience. This guide focuses on what supplies you’ll need to foster a pregnant dog successfully!
When fostering a pregnant dog, she will need a quiet space where she can nest, give birth and tend to her newborn puppies. It is most ideal that she and her pups be separated from other dogs in the household, as in rescue, we often do not know mom’s temperament to begin with but it can be different during pregnancy and after pregnancy.
Must-Have Supplies for Fostering a Pregnant Dog
- Whelping box (or equivalent)
- Plastic kiddie pool, plastic kid sandbox, plastic storage bin (for small mamas), oversized crate
- Reusable puppy pee pads, blankets, linens and towels
- Anything used during the whelping process may be too stained to keep or mom may rip up!
- Make sure to use very lightweight and breathable materials and/or ensure that linens are tucked and folded so puppies cannot get lost in them
- Towels to be used to help dry off newly-born puppy as mom continues to whelp
- Reusable puppy pee pads are good for after puppies are born
- Bulb syringe (to suction liquid out of puppy if needed)
- Wet wipes and paper towels
- Bowls, food and toys for mom
- Ear thermometer (for mom)
- Heating pad (adjustable preferred) or space heater
- Scale (for puppies)
The most important item you’ll need is a dedicated space for your pregnant dog to give birth, which we call the whelping box. It needs to contain the newborn puppies but allow mom to leave the box comfortably. It needs to be sized appropriately for the size of your pregnant dog; it should be large enough for her to stand up, reposition and lay on her side while accommodating her newborn puppies. If the whelping box is too large, the puppies can easily get lost, which puts them at risk of getting chilled.
If you are using a makeshift whelping box and have access to pool noodles, they would be great to zip-tie or tape to the interior walls of the kiddie pool (or equivalent) to help prevent mom squashing any of her babies.
Optional Supplies for Fostering a Pregnant Dog
These are supplies that I would highly recommend having on hand if you’re able to have access to them. Unfortunately, newborns are quite fragile so when they are in distress or things go wrong, they can go wrong very quickly. It is always better to be prepared than to have to scramble last minute!
- Vanilla ice cream (to give mom more energy if labor is long or she has had a lot of puppies)
- Puppy collars (to easily identify individuals)
- Pool noodles for pig rails in a kiddie pool (if used)
- Bottle feeding supplies (in case of emergency)
- Thermometer and lubricant (for puppies)
- Video camera (for remote viewing)
Some whelping dogs will have long labors, hard labors or just have a ton of puppies that they have to deliver. As you might imagine, whelping is tough work but many moms will be hard to entice to eat during the process, but vanilla ice cream has been a go-to for breeders over the years as a tantalizing mid-labor treat to help give mom a burst of calories to finish the process.
It is critical to weigh newborn puppies shortly after being born and then daily thereafter. By putting color collars on the puppies, it makes it easy to weigh each puppy and record them in a quick and efficient manner. You can also do quicker checks to make sure all are accounted for or if there are any puppies that have you concerned, you’ll be able to identify and check on them more frequently.
Having a video camera that is sound-activated has been incredibly useful for me to determine when a pregnant dog may be close to giving birth but also if there are any puppies in distress. It also allows me to check in on the family remotely, which is great if you have a skittish or fearful mom or you are out of the house.
