After all the waiting and suddenly its time
The normal gestation period for a greyhound is 61 days and whether the conception is by natural mating or artificial insemination (AI), once the pregnancy is confirmed there is plenty of work to do before the big day arrives.
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As the whelping date approaches the bitch will have her temperature taken every morning. Usually three days before due date there will be a temperature drop which is the first stage of labour. The temperature will drop from a normal 37.7 - 39.1 C (100-102.5 F) to 37.2 C (99 F), or even lower, shortly before going into labour. Approximately 24 hours after this temperature drop, mum will start having her pups.
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As a breed greyhounds are very reliant on humans for support and companionship and this is especially evident when it comes to whelping. Pups often come at the most in appropriate time of the day and their humans will be required to sit with and help them and assist through the entire procedure.
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Sometimes greyhound pups can be large and litters up to ten puppies are not unusual. So if there is any risk of difficulties like the pups can not engage, may be breach or the potential for losing them during birth, for safety sake the option is often a caesarian.
From the moment the greyhound pups are whelped it is important for their health, welfare and socialisation that they connect with the mother. How long a greyhound pup stays with it mother depends greatly on the maternal instinct and the connection of the bitch to the litter.
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In general greyhound bitches are brilliant mums and amazing with their pups and have a strong maternal instinct. As soon as a pups eyes are open (10 days) they are introduced to a bowl of milk with finely minced meat sprinkled through it and as a rule they are generally weaned at six weeks. But once the mother decides she has had enough, starts snapping at pups or plays too rough, it is time to separate the bitch from the litter. However, with greyhounds it is not uncommon to see the litter stay with mum for up to three or four months and they are running with the pups in the yards.
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Occasionally at the other extreme some mothers reject the pups from day one, or initially have difficulty bonding with them and there has to be human intervention to ensure the health and safety of the pups. In these cases it is not unusual to need to bring the mother to the pups (muzzled) and have carers sit with her and the pups, while they feed and then remove her. This process continues until the mother is more accepting of the pups or until they can be weaned.
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With whelping complete, the litter goes into yards and is divided into groups and the next stage in the life of a greyhound is about to begin.
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