Hiya everyone. My girl is day 62 and at 1.30am started to nest,dig, has been sick on and off,lost her plug,refusing to eat, drinks if i syringe it to her, but no panting, no contractions, i can see the pups moving, this has been going on now for 9hrs, i know it can take up 24hrs this stage, i just wanted some reasurance from you guys that this is ok. thanks jenny

I have a litter of week olds and mum started on the wed digging panting but nothing more. We stayed up with her til 4am but then with nothing more happening took her to bed, slept sound. Thurs morning few digging and panting episodes and then  started to push every now and again from half 10, first pup born  12.10 and last born no7 at 4.40 easiest birth without any losses for 5 years. Last born came feet first and his big old head stuck so wasn't breathing when I finally got him out. But after some hard work and prayers I got him going. He's biggest and strongest xx

The first stage of labour can vary from a few hours to over 24 hrs, to be in labour they have to be contracting, my first litter the bitch messed about for 3 days digging, mucous discharge etc., not distressed,still eating and drinking but when checked out by the vet her cervix had barely started to open and it was the next morning that she started contracting but nearly midnight when the first pup arrived.

You need to get her to eat and drink or she won't have the energy needed to cope with labour/whelping when it does get started, I also have vet/nutro drops on hand as they give an energy boost in a small amount of liquid, never had a problem before labour getting them to eat and drink, give them boiled chicken and the liquid it has been cooked in which is tastier than plain water.

Hopefully she will settle down soon and go into full labour, if you are still concerned then get the vet to check her out and if she gets distressed or has a green discharge then get her to the vets ASAP

Ohh thanks for the replys i really appreciate it. Ive given nutri drops, water and some ice cream, i think its done the trick as contractions have started, no green discharge, shes now really tearing the newspaper up, better go, xxxx thanks again

Keep us posted on how she gets on

Hi all. Well what an adventure weve just had !! Get a cup of tea or coffee before you read this, its a long one !!! Hehe.
After asking for advice on here (thanks to all who responded) i saw greenish fluid so rang the vet explained everything, including her very lack of eating anything, explained i was worried about her strength and looked soo tired, i was told fetch her in.    Son took us in his car, 10 min after setting off, my girl decided to start pushing , yep 1 baby 5 min before arriving a vets , i had what i needed , just in case, so all was ok, rang my hubby who was at work, like a new mum, blubbering everywhere ! Son kept asking how his back seat was, and i must remember hes going to sell it soon , and no gunk aloud !!! Hehe. She had another 2 in vets on her own, i made the discission to leave after the 2 born as i timed bout 45 min betwren 3 so should just get home in time for number 4. Nope she had another 2 on the way back, yep in sons car, he was crying, i said ohh son its very emotional isnt it, ohh yeah it is mum i cant believe how hard that gunk is going to be to get off the back seat !!!! Yep i thought about clouting him around the head but thought best not, hes driving !!!! Hehehe. So 5 born 1 to go right ? Noooo.....1 hr later no 6 born, so hubby home now from work, he checked her looked felt empty , listened for heartbeats  nothing, ok outside fir fresh air, next thing i know hubby ran in holding a puppy !!! Puppy was ok ! Then my girl ran bk in on to a blanket and decided to give me another 1 so thats 8, ok thats great mum ok pups ok time to clean ect. Noooo 1 hr later 2 more, nearly number 9 outside but got her in quick, and 2 arrived !!!! She was scanned for 6 at 28 days, at her checkup scanned again vet said he saw 3 very chunky pups... so yep still in shock, as it is a hell of a lot for her breed, if im honest also a little embarrased by the number. So even though brain and body feel like jelly, i can still smile !! "xxxxxx

Congrats on the new arrivals.

What a roller coaster of a ride she gave you, glad everyone is fine.

Has son got over his back seat being used for whelping?

congratulations....

Wow, congratulations. Hope everything is ok now. Enjoy those little babies x

Yes son mellowed and has cleaned his car ! Hehe. Ok i went to get  my girl calcium, just been to H&B and could only get Calcium,Magniesium and Zinc. Is this ok to give her or does it have to be just Calcium ? Thanks

It has to be balanced calcium with vit D like Calo cal D, which is liquid, you can purchase from Hyperdrug etc.

I would not routinely supplement if the bitch is eating well, a good diet, unless your breed is prone to calcium deficiency post whelping or your bitch shows signs of Eclampsia or was found by the vet to be low.

Thanks brainless shes not eating very well though better than when pregnant.

Are you soaking her food if she has dry? 

Their mouths get very sore from cleaning the pups and also to increase water consumption I soak the food with as much water as it will take, feeding at least 4 times a day.

Are you offering her her food in the whelping box?  I would not expect a bitch to want to come out of her bed for the first few days, and need forcing out on lead just to pee.

If she ate the placentas and membranes she will have enough nutrition to start with, and the hormones will help with milk production.

Also if she is the breed I am thinking, then you need to be very watchful, to avoid deaths of pups from crushing, as they can be clumsy mothers.

Yes soaking dry food , but strugglingvwith 4 feeds even though offered all the time she ate 2 placentas and is drinking plenty of cool water.

Just read your post again, yes wwe are with her 24/7 and is coming out when asked .

I bet your vet will have Collo Cal D to sell you so you have it today instead of waiting for a delivery x

My vet told me to get some of these http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=161&searchterm=calcium%20and%20vit%20D&rdcnt=1   Holland and Barrett, Calcium with Vit D, he had ran out of Collo Cal D at the time

I have only used Calcium supplement during labour, then I swap to calcium rich foods, goats milk, cottage cheese,yoghurt and grated cheddar mixed in with her kibble.

Mine won't drink plain water so other than the goats milk I give them the liquid from boiled chicken or anything else I can think of she may enjoy.

If the litter is alot bigger than your breed would have then you need to keep up her fluids and nutrition or the pups will take everything and leave the dam in a very poor condition.

Ok thanks for all the advice, and will follow. Thanks again. Xxx

wow jenny so happy for you hun congrats :) xx

What an amazing birth!! Well done, and a huge congrats!