Whelping My Labrador

[jamieson]

My labrador is due to whelp. Her temp is 37.5 average over last 2 days. She has had an ultrasound and due dates are a bit ify as she came into heat earler than I thought. Is she close to whelping? She is large, no milk in teats and puppy movement. Her shape has changed in last 24 hours. No discharge other than a very slight clear mucus ( nothing to be concerned about). The vet says tonight but she is not panting or showing any other signs like I would expect. It is her first litter. Any good advise out ther. I am experienced at whelping but she is not having normal signs that I am used to. She is eating and calm and active.

[WreckitWhippet]

Don't panic and that all sounds normal.

She will most likely pant, get a bit frantic with her nesting, become unsettled and frequently want to go to the toilet, when she has started labout.

Take her out to the toilet on lead tonight or make sure she's toileting in a well lit area, as bitches frequently look for a nice dirt patch under a car or bush in the back yard.

Her temp will probably drop a degree.

[jamieson]

Don't panic and that all sounds normal.

She will most likely pant, get a bit frantic with her nesting, become unsettled and frequently want to go to the toilet, when she has started labout.

Take her out to the toilet on lead tonight or make sure she's toileting in a well lit area, as bitches frequently look for a nice dirt patch under a car or bush in the back yard.

Her temp will probably drop a degree.

Thanks for that. I was just a bit concerned as my dates are out and I want to make sure she is ok as it is her first litter.

[WreckitWhippet]

Maiden bitches generally like to make a fuss and think their world is coming to an end when labour starts ;) I'm sure you won;t miss it.

Put some newspaper in your whelping box and bunk on the lounge for the night. Most bitches will scatch up and make plenty of noise with newpaper, that will let you close your eyes and have a bit of a rest tonight.

[jamieson]

Maiden bitches generally like to make a fuss and think their world is coming to an end when labour starts ;) I'm sure you won;t miss it.

Put some newspaper in your whelping box and bunk on the lounge for the night. Most bitches will scatch up and make plenty of noise with newpaper, that will let you close your eyes and have a bit of a rest tonight.

Hi again

Her temp was averaging 38.3 up until 2 days ago . So it has dropped a degree. Do you think it will drop more before whelpng?

[WreckitWhippet]

Depends on the bitch but many get under the 37 degree mark.

[ellz]

What you're looking for is a dramatic temperature drop. A temp that has "averaged" over a period of days can be said to be a baseline temperature. Quite often, people say that taking temps doesn't work. In these cases, most have actually missed the drop. It can drop but not stay down. I would be taking her temperature every few hours if you are unsure and chart it properly....don't take a few temps in a day and then "average" them....that is really quite pointless. You will see a sudden dip, generally below the 37 degree mark, not a gradual creep.

[tdierikx]

Gently feel up the area of the "tummy" that is near the exit passage. Does it feel more distended than usual... like there may be a puppy or two getting ready to make it's last leg of the journey?

I haven't seen many first time whelping bitches NOT make some sort of confused fuss over the labour part of the deal. My Rottie bitch panted up a storm for about 12 hours before giving birth, and just looked at me as if to say "what the hell have you gotten me into here" - my Labrador bitch just decided that she'd rather try to find the wettest and muddiest patch of dirt and dig herself a ditch (at 3 in the morning no less), meanwhile looking rather uncomfortable but hardly panting at all.

In all honesty - trust us - you WILL know when the real deal is happening... then you have to wait for the puppies to start arriving... and all the fun that entails... *grin*... your girl will show you a side of her that you've never seen when she has her babies in front of her... you will be a very proud Grandma(?) before you know it, OK?

Hope you have a good small towel supply for rubbing down babies - tea towels will do in a pinch...

T.

[Lab lady]

Unless you are taking her temp every few hours you may well miss it. I wouldn't consider 37.5 as a drop.

I did a bit of an experiment with my last litter. This was my bitches 2nd litter and with her first i took her temp morning and night from day 60 and never noticed any significant drop, she whelped day 64.

Her second litter i took her temp 4 times a day from day 60. Up until day 64 her temp went up and down by a few points of a degree but no great peaks or drops until one reading was 37.8 and the next 2 hours later 36.1 and another 2 hour later back to 37.4. The dropped temp was mid morning and her labour began later that night with the pups born the next morning.

I wouldn't recommend you adopt such a frequent temp taking, i was lucky i have a bitch that couldn't have cared less what i was doing. I was just trying to see if and when her temp would drop as i had never caught it before.

Don't rely on the temp to tell you when things are going to start, you need to take note of all the possible signs and you will know when she begins.

When you say the dates are out, do you know the actual date she was mated? I always count from the first mating.

[jamieson]

Unless you are taking her temp every few hours you may well miss it. I wouldn't consider 37.5 as a drop.

I did a bit of an experiment with my last litter. This was my bitches 2nd litter and with her first i took her temp morning and night from day 60 and never noticed any significant drop, she whelped day 64.

Her second litter i took her temp 4 times a day from day 60. Up until day 64 her temp went up and down by a few points of a degree but no great peaks or drops until one reading was 37.8 and the next 2 hours later 36.1 and another 2 hour later back to 37.4. The dropped temp was mid morning and her labour began later that night with the pups born the next morning.

I wouldn't recommend you adopt such a frequent temp taking, i was lucky i have a bitch that couldn't have cared less what i was doing. I was just trying to see if and when her temp would drop as i had never caught it before.

Don't rely on the temp to tell you when things are going to start, you need to take note of all the possible signs and you will know when she begins.

When you say the dates are out, do you know the actual date she was mated? I always count from the first mating.

Hi

I didnt intend on mating her this time. I was going to wait until her next heat. I separated her from our male Lab and all appeared ok. However I think I was too late!!! She does not have very obvious heats as do other females. Sooo... I would say they mated late feb /very early march. However saw no sign of this. I stuffed up basically! However the father is the one she was to be mated with next heat anyway. Therefore I only discovered she was pregnant about 2 weeks ago when she began putting on weight. Thus I had her ultrasounded and discovered she is havng 7-10 puppies. As I write this she is licking her feet and tearing up towels in her whelping box. No panting but lots of licking and scratching around.

[jamieson]

Gently feel up the area of the "tummy" that is near the exit passage. Does it feel more distended than usual... like there may be a puppy or two getting ready to make it's last leg of the journey?

I haven't seen many first time whelping bitches NOT make some sort of confused fuss over the labour part of the deal. My Rottie bitch panted up a storm for about 12 hours before giving birth, and just looked at me as if to say "what the hell have you gotten me into here" - my Labrador bitch just decided that she'd rather try to find the wettest and muddiest patch of dirt and dig herself a ditch (at 3 in the morning no less), meanwhile looking rather uncomfortable but hardly panting at all.

In all honesty - trust us - you WILL know when the real deal is happening... then you have to wait for the puppies to start arriving... and all the fun that entails... *grin*... your girl will show you a side of her that you've never seen when she has her babies in front of her... you will be a very proud Grandma(?) before you know it, OK?

Hope you have a good small towel supply for rubbing down babies - tea towels will do in a pinch...

T.

Thanks for your assistance. She does feel as if she may have pups lining up, her shape has changed and she is more uncomfortable. I have everything ready, old towels, heat pad etc etc. However I have to work tomorrow and my daughter is going to watch her for me so I hope it is tonight or tomorrow night! My husband may have to stay home tomorrow as well I think...

[tdierikx]

I'm tipping that she's going to do the deed within the next 12 to 24 hours... all of my girls have gotten the mad nesting behaviour within that timeframe before whelping...

Is your pregnant girl comfortable with your daughter and hubby? I've known some dogs to hold off until their fave person is there to assist and give reassurance. If you can get the day off work, then it might be a good idea...

If she successfully mated on 28 Feb, then she is due today (if she has a normal 63 day gestation).

T.

[jamieson]

I'm tipping that she's going to do the deed within the next 12 to 24 hours... all of my girls have gotten the mad nesting behaviour within that timeframe before whelping...

Is your pregnant girl comfortable with your daughter and hubby? I've known some dogs to hold off until their fave person is there to assist and give reassurance. If you can get the day off work, then it might be a good idea...

If she successfully mated on 28 Feb, then she is due today (if she has a normal 63 day gestation).

T.

Thanks for writing back. Is morning and no pups, however I cant feel any movement now of the pups... With my other female I felt movemet until near whelping. Hope this is ok. Perhaps they are getting ready to enter the world? What do yout hink? This morning she has some slight watery discharge not a lot and is licking a lot. Im in contact wiht the vet and will call him again this morning but I dont want to be hasty as her dates may be a little out and I dont wat to intervene and cause more bother for her. However I dont want anything to go wrong either... Nerveous times ahead! I appreciate your opinions.

[jamieson]

I'm tipping that she's going to do the deed within the next 12 to 24 hours... all of my girls have gotten the mad nesting behaviour within that timeframe before whelping...

Is your pregnant girl comfortable with your daughter and hubby? I've known some dogs to hold off until their fave person is there to assist and give reassurance. If you can get the day off work, then it might be a good idea...

If she successfully mated on 28 Feb, then she is due today (if she has a normal 63 day gestation).

T.

Thanks for writing back. Is morning and no pups, however I cant feel any movement now of the pups... With my other female I felt movemet until near whelping. Hope this is ok. Perhaps they are getting ready to enter the world? What do yout hink? This morning she has some slight watery discharge not a lot and is licking a lot. Im in contact wiht the vet and will call him again this morning but I dont want to be hasty as her dates may be a little out and I dont wat to intervene and cause more bother for her. However I dont want anything to go wrong either... Nerveous times ahead! I appreciate your opinions.

I just felt some movement of pups ( phew!).

[Sue & Waldo]

Glad you felt the pups move-a very stressful time for you.

[Aziah]

I hope it all goes well, please keep us updated, so far so good

[ellz]

Don't be too concerned about not feeling movement just prior to, or even during whelping. Often the puppies go into a kind of "down" process whilst they are summing up the energy that it takes to be born. And if they are in the birth canal, there isn't a lot of room for movement either.

I had a maiden bitch recently whose temperature dropped at midday Saturday, she started nesting and getting very uncomfortable at midnight Saturday night and by 5.30am the next morning I had decided she wasn't progressing fast enough and rang the vet. She subsequently had a c-section to deliver her 9 puppies safely. 9 puppies considered a LOT for this breed of dog so the vet wasn't surprised at all.

If your girl is expecting a large litter, you need to be that little more vigilant. Sometimes the puppies in the horns of the uterus get very active and end up like a road map inside the bitch and no amount of normal straining can get them out.

Once you see VERY intense nesting behaviour....and you'll know it when you see it. It will either present as constant ripping, tearing and scratching at the bedding or alternatively very intense nesting that occurs in regular waves (ie every couple of minutes or so - the same as with human birth contractions) then you need to be on alert and stay with the bitch. If you are at all concerned, get her to the vet for an internal. They can at least tell you if the cervix is opening as it should, whether any puppies are presenting and you are then on hand for any other treatment that they recommend such as oxytocin, observation or worst-case scenario - surgical intervention.

[Gilypoo]

any pups???? Im hanging in suspense..

[jamieson]

Glad you felt the pups move-a very stressful time for you.

I went to the vets today and we had another ultrasound! She is dilated and puppies are fit and well and in position. The vet said tonight. However still no action... So its a wait and see game for tonight and hopefully by tomorrow we have had a safe delivery!

[jamieson]

any pups???? Im hanging in suspense..

Not yet... but I have been to the vets again today and they say all is ok. Had another ultrasound and an internal and she is dilated and ready however no action as yet ,maybe tonight!