Hi
my girlie started labour last night and we've been up most of the night with panting heavily and some digging - i know this can go on for a day or 2, not my first litter but it is hers.

this morning at 6am she went for a wee and poo and when she came back into the bedroom was quite hyper and more distressed with panting and digging, she managed somehow to get herself under the bed very quickly and then got a bit vocal, a little yelp. manged to get her out but she had had a reasonable fluid loss of straw liquid and mucous. we put her in her back whelping box which is happy to be in and then went onto to dig, rag the bed, and be sick.

this settled at around 8.30 nd since then she has ust been panting on and off, laying upside down and having some shakes. she continues to lose mucous and small amount of straw fluid. The last  hour she has been very chilled and deep sleeping with fast breathing.

I have spoken to my vet who isn't concerned about the fluid loss and siad is probably caused by puppies moving into place. I can still feel pups moving around but wondered about inertia, do they have contractions that stop with inertia or just never contract??. she has no visible contractions and seems more calm now than she was in the night. In fact without the mucous/fluid loss i would say she'd gone off the boil!

not wanting eat but has had plenty of water.

on writing this she has just sat up and started to pant again.

Patience and a nerve of steel required.

Inertia would show it's self as no contractions or very weak ones and your bitch is clearly experiencing real ones with the shivering, digging and yelps.

Keep your nerve and keep in touch with the vet. If all goes quiet for a prolonged period rethink the situation.

thank you - nerves of steel indeed! I was just worried about the fluid. Vet said he would visit after lunch if i want him to.

Took her out into the garden for a wee and wonder to get things moving again - wee'd 3 times but small amounts flollwed by moe mucous and thickish straw liquid. she's now settled in her box again breathing quickly but not panting.

I know this may sound strange but i can smell puppies, the room has tken on a puppy smell!

This is the calm before the storm, my girl had inertia last year and didn't show any signs of labour, contractions, shivering, being sick just carried on as normal, her water sac appeared and she continued playing and doing her normal day to day things as though nothing was happening....which basically it wasn't, she had a c-section and was spayed at the same time, thankfully 6 live healthy pups.

That's not strange at all, the smell of the fluids is the smell of puppies.......not long now!

Ditto....I can always smell them coming....good news!!!

I often find that they will have this calm time just prior to what I call reall grunty pushing, the panting calms down and the digging settles then off they go into full blown labour!!
Good luck
Aileen

thanks everyone.

she's just been so calm for nearly 2 hrs now with the odd bit of panting and shuffling around. So the fluid loss for what seems along time is ok?? as i said vet not worried.

Any news yet Lorripop?
Aileen

my girl was much the same.. and as everyone else has said this is probably the calm before the storm!Brace yourself for a long night :) Good luck, let us know how you get on xx

hope everything is ok and that you havent been on as you are busy delivering babies :)

Hope everything is ok.

wel what an afternoon - good and sad.
She remained really chilled with just the odd bout of panting but no contractions. periodically i kept inspecting the lower end and when i did at about 4pm there was something hanging out - looked like a fat earth worm or a human babies cord. Initially thought it was placenta ( knew it was odd as never seen anything like it before at previous litters with my other dogs)so got on the phone to the vet straight away thentook her down to see him, got there at 5pm.

He checked her over and did a vaginal examination and siad it was a puppies intestine that was protruding! no puppy in the pelvis so thats why there was no urge to push and this intestine had just slithered out. The thing he couldn't tell me was whether that puppy was first or there was another pup trying to get through first. In the end i amde the decision for a section to be done as there were to many if's and maybe's if she were allowd to continue, one being that even if it were the potential dead pup it could be malpresented so still causing a hold up and then risking other pups.

My vet is very explainatory and also a believer in letting things happen naturally where possible but did agree a section would be probably best. I was allowed in the theatre once my girlie was anaethetised and my husband also came in to take and dry pups! it was all very informal but informative.

Sadly the pup with gastrochisis (to tired to check spelling) was dead but had only died today probably because of the intestin hanging out, and she was smaller. she was first in line to be born so natural birth may ahve been possible but you never know these things and cant take the risk. 5 other pups were delivered, 4 girls and a boy all good size though not weighed yet.

we got home with mum and babies at 8.30 and she's doing ok - likes cleaning them but ont stay still for them to latch all at the same time so now trying to get them to feed which some aren't keen! she's a bit clumsey with her way towards them but think its just becauseits obviously a shock to go to sleep pregnant and wake up with 5 babies at your side.

thanks for asking how we were doing.

So glad that you got her to a vet in time.  What a shame about that one pup.

Her clumsiness could well be the effects of the anaesthetic, and she's bound to be feeling sore.  I'm sure that you will get there in the end, and very pleased that you actually have live pups at the end of it all.

Good luck with the rearing of your precious little ones.

bless her, congratulations on the arrival of your 5 babies! Im so sorry to hear about your the poorly pup. xx

all doing well. she is a ver attentive mum and only wants her smell on them - as soon as we move them onto teats etc she immediately washes our sent off! she had a quick toilet break and has had breakfast in bed - ate the lot including her normal orijen that she went off.

doesn't seem to be in pain from the op as yet but did have a long lasting injection painkiller, i've got rymadyl to give from tonight.

Congratulations ,you sound very busy !

Glad to hear all is going well. Enjoy your new pupz :) xx

Congratulations,and sorry you lost a pup.My girl is due tomorrow ish,alls quiet so far,I'm enjoying some me-time before the work begins.

having had a minute to look up in more detail puppy defects i think it was a 'omphalocele' rather than gastroschisis in the pup that died. The intestines were through the umbilicus.

anyone else had this? guess its a just a problem with development that we have no control over.

Just one thing, probably already dealt with but antibiotics would be essential after an intestine leakage for the mother especially as the bag had burst.