Signs of Stage 2 labour

These are my notes made on Stage 2 labour

- Firstly, it's important to note the time when this starts, so as to know when to call for help
- Stage 2 labour begins when visible abdominal straining begins
- A moderate quantity of clear, straw or light pink coloured fluid leaks from birth canal
- The bitch must not be allowed to strain for more than 3-4 hours without having a vet investigate - call after 2 hours and warn vet
- Second and subsequent puppies should come with no more than 1 hour of straining - if not, call vet
- If the puppy is visible and applying gentle traction does not produce the puppy within 10 minutes, call the vet
- Puppies will often appear in pairs (one from each uterine horn)
- The sac membrane around the puppies do not always rupture at birth. If born with the sac intact, observe the bitch very closely. She should tear open the sac and lick the puppy vigorously, rolling the pup over and over, cleaning the puppy and chewing the cord
- If the bitch fails to break the sac then help her. Tear it open with your fingers and clear the pups nose and mouth
- If necessary, also use your fingers to ease the blood within the cord back down to the puppy and shred the cord. Rub the puppy vigorously in a towel before handing it back to the bitch. The key here, as is with the whole process, is to interfere as little as possible, only when absolutely needed and then once the safety of the puppy has been ensured, let the bitch take over
- 40% of puppies are born hind legs first, this is not a problem and is not a breech delivery (that is when the tail comes out first and the hind legs are tucked back inside). Most breech puppies will be delivered fine by the bitch but you need to observe closely and call the vet if the pup is not coming out after 10 minutes. Never apply traction to the puppies tail in a breech delivery