A Dog Whelping Kit is essential when Whelping Puppies

A dog whelping kit is an essential item to have on hand when whelping puppies. Whelping kits should contain everything you need when whelping pups, including antibiotics, oxytocin, and injectable calcium.

Dog Whelping Kit Contents

A dog whelping kit should contain injectable Calcium Gluconate, Oxytocin and Antibiotics.

If this is your first time whelping dogs, you should take your brood bitch to your Vet for a checkup about a week before she is due, and while there ask him for a dog whelping kit.

Precautions using Oxytocin

Care needs to be taken in the use of the Oxytocin in the dog whelping kit. Overuse of Oxytocin can cause a condition known as uterine exhaustion in your bitch.

Oxytocin causes contractions a few minutes after injecting it under the skin. You should only use it if your brood-bitch has gone more than 2½ hours with only weak contractions without producing a pup. And even then only if a Vet can't be contacted for help.

If you overuse oxytocin, you will cause the brood-bitch to have too many contraction too soon, leading to uterine exhaustion. You will then have to take your bitch toyour Vet for a ceasarian section operation to remove the rest of the puppies from her belly... so be very careful how you use the Oxytocin in your dog whelping kit.

The other stuff in the whelping kit

Your dog whelping kit also contains injections of 10% Calcium Gluconate and an antibiotic. The calcium gluconate is in the large syringe. It aids in contractions and milk production, and helps prevent eclampsia, or milk fever. For a large dog like a greyhound, you inject 2 mls into the thigh muscle or under the skin after the first or second pup is born, then 2 mls after each pup or two... a total of 4 to 5 injections. Smaller breeds obviously need less, but your vet will give you the correct amount for your breed of dog.

The last injection in your dog whelping kit is an antibiotic, usually Penicillin. You inject the antibiotic after you are absolutely sure she has finished whelping puppies... usually the next day.