Whelping an OEB litter is more demanding than whelping a labrador or a herding breed. OEB heads are large relative to the bitch's pelvic opening, which means dystocia (difficult birth) is more common, c-sections are more frequent, and the line between a normal delay and an emergency is narrower. A breeder with the right preparation handles this calmly. A breeder without it loses puppies, and sometimes loses the dam.
Roughly 40 to 60 percent of OEB litters end up in c-section, depending on the line. The percentage drops with experienced breeders who know when to act, and with bitches whose pelvic structure has been evaluated. It does not drop to zero. Plan for c-section and budget for it ($2,500 to $5,000 emergency, $1,500 to $3,000 scheduled), and accept the probability is real.
Honest framing. Most first-time OEB breeders should plan for an attended whelping and have an experienced mentor or reproductive vet on call. The difference between a stuck puppy who is born alive and one who suffocates is often the breeder recognizing that a 30-minute strain has gone too long. Read the warning signs sections below until you can recite them.
Prepare 2 weeks before
The whelping room and kit:
- Whelping box. 4 ft x 4 ft minimum. Pig rails (2-3 inches off the floor and inside the box) prevent the dam from crushing puppies. Sides high enough she cannot jump out.
- Heat source. Heat lamp or radiant heater. Newborn puppies need 85-90F for the first week. The dam may overheat in that range; the box should have a cool zone she can move to.
- Bedding. Layered absorbent pads under washable fleece. Plan to change bedding 4-6 times during whelping.
- Whelping kit. Bulb syringe, surgical scissors, hemostats, sterile dental floss (umbilical ties), iodine, sterile lubricant, towels (lots), gram-scale, thermometer, notepad and pen.
- Emergency formula. Esbilac or similar puppy milk replacer in case the dam cannot nurse all puppies.
- Vet line. Reproductive vet's after-hours number on speed dial. Confirm before whelping that they are available during your expected window.
- Mentor on call. An experienced OEB breeder you can text photos to in real time.
The three stages of labor
Stage 1: 6 to 24 hours of pre-labor
The bitch's rectal temperature drops below 99F (typical: 97-98F) approximately 24 hours before active labor. Take rectal temperature every 4 hours starting day 58 of pregnancy.
Behavioral signs in stage 1:
- Restless, panting, refusing food
- Nesting behavior (digging at bedding, rearranging the box)
- Possible vomiting or trembling
- Vulvar discharge changes from clear to slightly bloody
This stage can last 6 to 24 hours. As long as the bitch is comfortable and not in active strain, no intervention is needed. Note the timeline. Stay close.
Stage 2: active labor and birth
Active straining begins. The first puppy should be born within 1 to 2 hours of strong contractions. Subsequent puppies arrive at 30-minute to 2-hour intervals. Some bitches deliver 6 puppies in 4 hours; some take 12 hours total.
For each puppy:
- Puppy emerges, usually head-first or feet-first (both are normal in OEBs)
- Dam tears open the amniotic sac and licks the puppy clean
- If the dam does not respond, the breeder opens the sac, clears the airway with the bulb syringe, and rubs the puppy with a towel
- Cut the cord ~1 inch from the puppy with sterile scissors. Tie with dental floss if bleeding.
- Weigh and record. Mark the puppy (color collar, nail polish dot) for tracking.
- Place at the dam to nurse within 30 minutes for colostrum
Stage 3: placenta delivery
Each puppy has a placenta. Count placentas: there should be one per puppy. Retained placentas can cause fatal infection. The dam may eat 1-2 placentas (normal); discard the rest.
When to call the vet
Call the reproductive vet immediately, not in 30 minutes, if any of the following:
- 30 minutes of strong straining with no puppy delivered
- 2+ hours between puppies once labor is established
- Visible green discharge before any puppy has been born (dark green is normal AFTER the first puppy; before any puppy, it suggests placental separation)
- Bright red bleeding (more than spotting) at any point
- Bitch is exhausted, weak, or non-responsive
- A puppy is visible at the vulva but the bitch cannot deliver it within 10-15 minutes
- Temperature spikes above 103F
- Bitch is shivering uncontrollably with low blood calcium signs (eclampsia risk)
- You suspect a puppy is stuck in the birth canal (visible feet that have not advanced)
Calling the vet is never wrong. The vet would much rather you call at 2 AM and turn out to be over-cautious than wait until 4 AM and lose a puppy. Reproductive vets understand this; their bills price for it.
When c-section is the right call
Schedule a c-section ahead of time if:
- X-ray shows 1-2 large puppies in a small dam (relative pelvic mismatch)
- Previous litter required emergency c-section
- Bitch has known pelvic abnormalities
- The litter is unusually large (10+) or unusually small (1 puppy, which often means a single very large puppy)
Convert to emergency c-section during whelping if:
- Strong straining for 60+ minutes with no progress
- A puppy is stuck and manual extraction is not possible
- The bitch is in distress or exhausted
- Uterine inertia (no contractions despite full-term labor) and oxytocin has not restarted contractions
Scheduled c-sections cost $1,500-$3,000 in 2026. Emergency c-sections at 2 AM run $3,000-$5,500. The difference is the probability of losing puppies. A scheduled c-section saves all the puppies. An emergency c-section after 90 minutes of obstructed labor often loses 1-3.
The first 72 hours after delivery
- Weight monitoring. Weigh each puppy every 12 hours. Healthy newborns gain 5-10% per day after the first 24 hours. Weight loss past day 1 is a flag.
- Nursing. Each puppy should nurse vigorously every 1-2 hours. If a puppy is not nursing or pushing siblings off the teat, supplemental feeding or tube feeding may be needed.
- Temperature. Newborns cannot regulate body temperature. Box temp at 85-90F for week 1, dropping to 80-85F week 2, 75-80F week 3+. A cold puppy stops nursing and dies fast.
- Dam health. Watch for fever (over 102.5F), excessive bleeding, mastitis (red, hot, painful mammary glands), eclampsia (trembling, weakness, seizures from low calcium).
- Vet checkup at 48-72 hours. A vet visit confirms the dam is recovering and checks each puppy for cleft palate, umbilical hernia, and other early issues.
If you lose a puppy
Losing puppies during whelping happens. A 100% live-birth rate across all litters is not realistic for any breed, and the OEB is harder than most. Document carefully: weight, time of death, apparent cause. The information helps you and your vet evaluate whether anything could have been done differently and informs future breeding decisions.
A whelping with 1 lost puppy in a litter of 8 is normal. Repeated losses across litters or losses from the same line suggest a heritable issue worth investigating.