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Good afternoon guys
My bitch is on day 59 of pregnancy today, she's made a nest today and she went off her normal food yesterday (only eating raw beef today)
Her temperature is 37.7 degrees Celsius now
First time I have taken it so far.
How often should I be taking it and what sort of drop should I be looking for to indicate labour?
This is her second whelping and last time I didn't use a thermometer she just started panting approx 12 hours before first puppy born
Tia
Start taking it a week before whelping, 4x/day. Use a GOOD digital thermometer costing £10 or more. Use KY jelly on it (or similar non-petroleum). Insert at least half way up the instrument to get an accurate reading.
Normal temp is 100.5F to 102.5F. Most bitches in their last few weeks have temps around 100F but fluctuations from 99.5F to 100.5F are normal. Temps will often be higher in the AM and drop as day goes on. You are looking for a large temperature drop that persists at least 8hrs - this will be 24-36hrs prior to whelping. So - 2 consecutive readings with temp 99F or lower. Some will go as low as 97F. You will need to convert to C probably.
This morning her temperature is down to 36.7 Celsius
Ok, then you need another consecutive temperature which is also low. So if you are temping 4x a day, you will next do at lunch time. If that is also low, then she should go into labour within 24-36hrs of that first temp drop this morning.
So my girl started labour early this morning she's had 7 and definitely more in there (can feel one for sure)
2 hours since she had her last puppy
She's not pushing or distressed, how long should I leave her?
If you are not seeing any visible contractions at all, you're in a 'whelping pause' - and that can last up to 4 hours. (If it lasts longer, go to the vet.)
As soon as you see a visible contraction, you want to see a puppy within 2 hours of that - you want to be at the vet by 2hrs of a contraction if no pup has appeared. (The clock resets for each pup.)
When contractions are happening fast/sustained/ongoing, then you want to see a pup within 45 minutes.
To help her get going again, you can take her for a short walk around the garden - the activity can get things moving. Make sure the pups that have already appeared are nursing vigorously, as this will help stimulate further contractions....
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