I'm completely new to this, and I think Lucky is close to whelping. S o far her temp has been...

Monday 99.6, 99.3, 98.3
Tuesday 99.4, 99.6, 99.7
Wednesday 97.7,

She is only eating little bits and she has been sick a couple of times and keeps heaving today, she has kept to her bed a lot and the rest of the time she is wondering round looking at a loss. Her tummy seems to of dropped and bulging more to the sides.

Can some one tell me if this sounds like she will have the pups soon please?

sounds like 1st stages to me ,but this can last 24h or so ,:)

should i confine her to the room i want her to whelp in?

not confine her but allow her to go in and sleep in there if she wishes... stay with her tho.... just incase... she'd probably appreciate your company... a bit of moral support

has tanya said stay with her in there but allow her to move about if she wishes ,but im sure if your there with her she will stay.

Hi Louise ,
how are you today? Have her eyes glazed it is very obvious, this is when I  move into the whelp room as I have a tv and bed in there as I sleep with new litters for the 7 wks . Being an insomniac you are born for exactly this as breeders  spend a lot of time  trying to stay awake!!

has her temp stayed down?

Hi Starryeyes, at the last temp reading it was up slightly to 98.0f. her eyes do not seem to be glazed over, but then I'm not sure i would recognise that. the white of her eyes look very red as if blood shot is this ok?
she doesn't want to movw off the sofa, looking fed up at moment.

if her eyes are very red then she shouldnt be long! if nothing has happend tonight get her to the vets tomorrow just to make sure.

just sounds like very early stages of labour ..you could get her checked over by vet to put your mind at rest he should be able to tell you if she is dilating..its difficult not seeing her.

any change ?

no change yet, she has been sleeping mostly for couple of hours, when she does decide to get up she just wonders around aimlessly

When you say that you're new to this - have you a mentor that has let you watch her whelp a bitch?  And someone experienced on hand in case you don't recognise inertia?

Louise i have been following all your posts and i think its a great thing that you have done by taking in this bitch who is pregnant. I still can't believe that anyone would just 'dump' her either.. I do hope that her owners can be traced for many reasons.

I don't breed so can't offer any advice, but wanted to wish you luck.

Hi louise

Is she still panting heavily?

just wondering if things are moving as you have been quiet for a while.

Jean ..Louise has taken in a pregnant bitch that was possibly 8wks pregnant , she has no experience and no mentor but has read as much as she can and prepared herself pretty well . We are all just awaiting news...

Thanks Sue.

Starryeyes Lucky is still breathing heavily but just sleeps and sleeps with the odd bit of wondering around for no reason that i can see. if nothing happens tonight i'm taking her to vets tomorrow.

her temp at 3rd reading was 98.5  so has gone up slightly, hardly drinking today, had to bring water too her on sofa and tempt her to drink.

Lucky has suddenly got quite exited and started nesting in her bed and keeps trying to get into one of my dogs den (small space behind a unit he likes do sleep in) fingers crossed something is going to happen tonight :-)

She is getting contractions I think she keeps shuddering as if the muscles are in spasm  and she is moaning doe's this sound like labour?

Sure does.  This stage can go on for quite some time.  She is having contractions and may be shivering, panting and restless, often looking for a private place to have her pups or maybe wanting to dig holes outside to nest in.  If it is night, take a torch as some bitches have the sensation that they want to urinate frequently and you might miss waters breaking.  Often when they are nearing the second stage, they will settle down in one spot before the contractions change to the pushing out kind when you will see them ripple down and then she should begin pushing/straining.

Good luck!!!

She keeps sleeping in between nesting, and has bouts of the contractions (seems to tense and shake, so am presuming contractions) on here back just past her shoulder's  seems happy in her room now.

Someone mentioned inertia, what is this?  Do I need to do anything? as I've not read about that anywhere, when I google it I'm finding all sorts of stuff

Thank you all for your time and support (((hugs)))

you should have some pups now? hows it going louise ?

keeps trying to get into one of my dogs den (small space behind a unit he likes do sleep in)
Try to make her whelping box look like this.  Mine is a complete 'cube' because a covered den is natural and what they're most comfortable in.

hows it going Louise any news???

there is a piece on inertia on the Debbie Jensen website .

Good luck Louise, been folowing the tread and now I am away for a few days. Hope to find news of happy mum and healthy pups when I get home.

K

Thanks Klb.

After a very restless night and lots of nest making and shaking and whimpering, nothing happened so going to call vet and try to get seen today

My bitch did this for 36hours before waters broke. Took her to the vets and they sent me home aaying still another 12 hours - she started 8 that evening. It's normal for them to be like this but I needed reassurance that she wasn't having a troublesome labour but just preparing for labour. Get her checked to give u peace if mind

It's really very difficult without being there and seeing what's happening to give the right advice.  Not that I think that Vets are the best people for whelping but I do think that's your best option Louise. :)

Thanks, I know what you mean about vets Westcoat, I feed a BARF diet and have a continuing row over it with my vet

I hope everything goes well today its a very long process. Put your mind at rest with a visit to the vet.

My vet has a preference for alternative meds and his interest is reproduction and breeding plus he used to show his dogs years ago<G> so I am quite lucky in that respect sometimes he doesnt charge me at all !!

Will keep checking throughout the day

Roni

She has been sleeping for past 45 min, got vet this evening.

pups moving quite a bit, is this normal at this stage?

hi
they do tend to sleep at this point getting ready for the next...

pups do tend to quieten down but you can see some movement

Due at vets at 4pm, but lucky has started panting heavy not sure if to take her? no vet there till 4pm to ask

It's normal to pant heavily and then stop and stare into the distance - as the pups are moving into place.

Because you don't know if she's due or overdue, then it's best to let the Vet check to see if she's beginning to dilate.

i agree with westcoast ,better to know just incase!

how did it go Louise ...I'm on pins!!

same here roni!

Me too! Ooo I hope all is well! X

UPDATE, went to vets at 4pm internal exam found her fully dilated but could not feel any pup's, thought she might need c-section, get sent to veterinary hospital 30min away, had another internal and a scan, pups all good size and strong heart beats so they did a blood test, to stressed to remember the name, begins with a P, i think, the same one they do to check for correct time to mate the vet said, to see if her levels had dropped right down yet, almost but not quite so said was safe to come home but if nothing happens tonight to go back in morning.

Hope that made sense, LOL, I'm very stressed now :-)

ahh, you need to relax a little as it will probably be later tonight or early hours tomorrow morning. good luck

Good.  Just as well that you had her checked! 

If she's fully dilated, did they give her oxytocin?  Sometimes a ride in the car can help them along......

No, they decided not to give her any oxytocin, but if nothing happens by tomorrow they say they might give it then

phew Louise what a time of it you are having did they say if her water had broken?  yes I recon tonight usually is!! dont let her see you flapping or she will hang onto them..
calm safe area where your other dogs are out of the way and only you and her, not too hot, dim the light and hopefully for your sake and hers babies will make an appearance. Is she drinking you could try goats milk and water or puppy milk such as whelpi or lactol if you have some in.. to encourage her to take lots of fluids so her milk will start once she has had them.

if she isnt contracting and you 'definitely' saw her having contractions earlier and they have stopped I wonder why they havent offered you a oxytocin jab to start them again esp if she has  fully dilated.

oops sorry westcoast we think alike!

What's her temperature been doing today?  I'm just on my way out but will check when I come back.  Kepp the temperature of the room low until the pups start to arrive 0 then up to 70+.

Any news yet? I keep popping on to see of any new updates with Lucky.. I have my fingers crossed all goes well for both of you and the pups..

the vet had said that he thinks she was just shaking and not contracting, and nope the waters have not broken.

she has my kids school room all to herself as we have finished for xmas, its nice and warm but not too hot, and i have just a small lamp on, i'm staying with her all the time apart from when i come on here, no one else goes in and everyone is keeping calm, including me :-)

temp so far today is 98.5 and 98.1

see you later off back to be with her

Good luck all being well they will come tonight, have ur bed made up next to her lol, my bitch was up and down stopping and starting for nearly 5 days, she gave birth yesterday morning all happened very quickly she slept all day didn't do much her temp had been down for nearly 48 hours!!! then at 12am she started to nest big time at 12'25 the 1st pup was born, she didnt pant at all, good luck and finger's crossed they come tonight, just relax and give her loads of cuddles, what i found helped my bitch throughout her whelping was to rub her back and belly it really soothed her, good luck big hug's ((()))

If she's fully dilated Louise, I can't see that you have much longer to wait.  Glad you went to the vet though, I asked about inertia, because it's easy to say that I would recognise it!  But not so easy when you've never seen it!

A mentor would have been a godsend, but you have to live with what you've got!  The way I see it, the poor girl has at least got someone that cares about what is happening.  You are going to be like a zombie sometime soon!  But I'm sure that you will still be glad that you stood by her.  :-)

PLeeeease say that something is happening soon!

> Jean ..Louise has taken in a pregnant bitch that was possibly 8wks pregnant , she has no experience and no mentor but has read as much as she can and prepared herself pretty well . We are all just awaiting news...

Thaks Roni  :-)

Definitely go back in the morning if nothing's happened Louise.  Or call them if her temperature goes up above 102 in the meantime.

well she is up and down trying to get comfy, and has taken to sniffing everywhere as if she is looking for something, just taken her out and she has the run's and she keeps cleaning her rear end a lot

i think tonight maybe the night... like everyone says, keep relaxed and fingers crossed for safe delivery x