Calcium – To prevent eclampsia, calcium deficiency and soothe anxious moms. 

Calsorb

DocRoy’s Healthy Bones

OralCal Plus (Breeders Edge pet product)

Tums - unflavored

Calcium Citrate

Premium Vanilla Ice Cream – for replacement of fluids, energy and a little calcium too

Suction bulb – like for a baby –  if you have a puppy that may have aspirated fluid during delivery, be congested or not breathing well to suction out nose and throat

Rubber gloves – like surgical – to handle pups or assist in delivery and you don’t enjoy having fluids and blood on your hands.  There is going to be both!

Cotton hand or bath towels – Cotton towels are very handy for rubbing a puppy that needs a little help getting started or if mom is getting tired and needs a little help pushing a puppy out.  The cotton gives you grip and would allow you to help mom by GENTLY pulling the puppy while she pushes.  And then of course you can use them to clean up puppies if you like.

Hemostats – optional but I have some that I keep handy just in case mom chews off the cord too close and its bleeding.  Clamping the cord for a bit to stop blood flow keeps your hands free.  If you don’t have them, you’ll be tied up for a bit pinching a cord to stop blood flow.  Again, most of the time they are not needed.

Scissors – Just in case you choose to cut cords rather than have mom chew them.  I usually let mom do that job as it is natural but there is a little risk they will chew them too short.  Depends on the mom too.  Some moms don’t want any help.

Dental floss – good for tying off an umbilical cleanly and hygienically.

Iodine or Betadine – Suggested to dab on all cords but if you have a short one that bled a good deal, certainly that one.  Helps avoid possible infection.

Needle – Any size – I always keep one available in case you have a puppy born that is not breathing. 

Coffee or 5 hour energy -  A drop of either of these can help pep up a sluggish puppy

Karo (or maple syrup, Nutra Cal, honey, sugar water) 

Heating pad – I always put a heating pad in one corner of the whelping box under the bedding.  This allows puppies to move on and off a warm spot if they need to

Baby Cam

Plastic storage tub or basket – in case you need to temporarily move puppies out of the whelping area or just keep them out of mom’s way during whelping – put heating pad inside of it

Pen and paper to record birth time, note any issues to watch, document sexes

Puppy Milk Replacement

Puppy colostrum