Hi everyone, first off I'm new here so not quite sure how this works and I would also like to say before I go into more detail that my [toy breed] was mated without my knowledge and I only found out when I took her to the vet. I'm sorry if this is a bit long.

So anyway, about 2 weeks ago I noticed my 1 year old [toy breed] Poppy was a bit lethargic and was being sick off and on, also noticed her nipples had changed colour and she also had some pink tinged discharge  but had assumed that she was due to have her first season (hadn't noticed a season until this point) anyway a few days later she had some more discharge but it was dark brown in colour, so I took her to the vet who did an ultrasound as they thought it was pyomtra but turned out that she was infact in pup, as you can imagine i was very very shocked and couldn't string 2 words together because 1 to my knowledge poppy hadn't had a season yet and also I hadn't had any male dogs near poppy. The only dog she ever plays with is her sister who my gran has. The vet did the ultrasound 3 times and yep there was 1 heartbeat at the least. Vets couldn't explain what the discharge had been either

She's had no more since then might I add..anyway I went home and spoke to my husband and he couldn't understand how it happened either, fast forward 3 days later and we realised it must have happened when we were on holiday in May and my husband's best friend was looking after poppy, turns out my husband's friend was also looking after his brothers dog at the same time which is a male Pomeranian and his friend just didn't think to let us know she had been around an intact male. So from that we are assuming they mated between 4th and 6th may as that's when the male dog was there... my concern is poppys age and size not to mention how big she is already due to pregnancy. I haven't noticed any milk coming through yet but i did notice some movement from the pup or pups 3 nights ago and now tonight the movements are very strong. I can't seem to find an option to post a picture of her tummy.. I was just wondering what's the rough gestation of a chihuahua pregnancy ? My vets have said when she gl3s into labour to contact them to let them know incase they need to have her in for emergency c-section so they can be on stand by if the need arises so now I'm very scared. Poppy is my baby and I can't bare the thought of anything happening to her and I'm so angry with my husband's friend for allowing it to happen.

What can I expect ? I've searched an read for hours about it but I want to know from people who have first hand experience of Labour's of dogs particularly small breed dogs. I've got a whelping kit that I ordered that has things like scissors clamps little sucker thing to clear pups air ways blankets puppy milk syringes scales etc Sorry for it being so long and if it doesn't make sense I will try to clarify it the best I can, as you can imagine I'm just scared and on edge with it.

Why did your vet not advise termination of pregnancy? Surely if you were so angry with her getting pregnant and are worried (you have every right to be worried!) about her then why would you allow her to carry on? To hear that she’s only 1 to me it’s shocking that the vet was ok with this! Having a pregnant dog is a massive responsibility anyway and she’ll require constant care throughout birth, whelping and taking care of pups but the fact that she’s such a small breed makes everything, especially the birth, even more difficult. You’ll need to watch her and not let her get through her pregnancy too late as she will need a c section I would imagine otherwise - I have only ever bred large gundogs so don’t have as much knowledge on how long you should wait for Toy breeds but have heard they can produce pups from day 56.

As there’s not much you can do now order Book of the Bitch and read all the chapters on birth, whelping, pups care etc. Keep reading this up until the point where she goes into labour, then keep it by you to refer back to if something happens that you’re concerned about. Now would be a wise time to try and find a mentor too - I have a few years experience in breeding (so not much experience compared to a lot of people on here!) and I’m always bricking it leading up to the due date and that’s with experience and a mentor with 30yrs+ experience, so I can imagine you’re very worried. Try to keep as calm as you can as your girl will be able to sense your stress and will respond to that. Good luck

There was never an option of termination given by my vet, they just told me to keep in contact with them and as soon as she goes into labour to contact them. And I've allowed it to continue because I didn't think I had any other option..  I've had dogs all my life but never a pregnant 1 so I didn't know that could be done with a dog the same as a human can terminate their baby.

Luckily I'm at home all day most days with my children anyway except from when doing the school run with my oldest so have been able to keep a close eye on her and watch her every move, I always have emergency funds in the savings account also so a dash to the vets and needing funds to pay for any problems isn't an issue.

And yes I was shocked the vet didn't say much about it because as soon as she called me back into the exam room and told me she was pregnant I instantly said it couldn't be possible and even if she was she was far too young to be having pups but the vet just said that she was 100% in pup and her age was a concern but with regular vet checks and contact with them they would be able to make sure she was ok and get her operated on as soon as any problems showed themselves if that happened. Obviously with it being a vet I took what they said and thought that was it.

I've tried working out the dates and I'm sure she will be around 51/52 days rights now so I plan to call and ask for the vet to see her on Thursday or Friday just to give her a health and wellbeing check again and make sure all looks fine with mum and baby/babies and then go from there.
If I by chance get the same vet I will be asking why termination wasn't mentioned or that option given to me when we first found out about the pregnancy.
Thank you for your reply.

First of all, I feel really sorry for you having ended up in this situation. Hopefully JeanSW will come along as she has a LOT of experience of your breed.

I recently gave a home to a rescue bitch who nobody knew was pregnant. I'm a fairly experienced breeder, but being taken by surprise was hard for me as well -it's not easy when you don't know exact dates etc, and suddenly find yourself expecting a litter of crossbred pups.

Small toybreeds (I have one as well, although slightly bigger than yours) tend to whelp early. Count on day 56 as a definite possibility and most certainly before day 60. Don't let the vet make you believe it is okay to wait longer -for such small dogs it isn't. When you found out that your girl was pregnant it would have meant a fairly late termination, which would have meant either having to give birth to aborted pups or being spayed and having the pups removed at the same time, so it would not have been a lot easier for the bitch. In my situation I found out about a week before my girl whelped and I had all sorts of comments from people such as keep one pup and dunk the rest in a bucket, but I felt sure it would not be a large litter (ended up with 4 but this is a medium sized bitch, much bigger than yours) and thankfully I had both experience and contacts and homing the pups is not a problem. In your case, you lack the experience, but again you're not likely to end up with a large litter. Do you know if the dog she was mated to was a similar size to her, bigger, or smaller? Both breeds should be very small but can quite often be larger than average, and if the male dog was much bigger than your bitch, then you need to be extra vigilant as that could make for large pups that are difficult to give birth to.

Hi there thanks for your reply.
All I know is he's a Pomeranian and he's around 18 months old, we've not had much contact with my husband's friend since due to how angry and hurt I feel about it all.  The vet said there is 1 definite pup and there could be another 2 but she can't say for sure because she might be wrong and didn't want to have been expecting more pups or less pups than what number she gave me. If it's the 1 pup then ill be keeping it no doubts about it. And if there's 2 then my gran is willing to take it as a play friend for her chihuahua but I have no idea what to do if there is more than 2. I don't know the first thing about revoking animals so that's a concern as well cos I don't want a pup going to any random person but obviously right now I can't think a lot about that when I don't know how much longer my poor baby has left before the dreaded labour starts.

Gestation lasts roughly 62 - 63 days.   I counted from the first mating, although conception may not have taken place immediately.   It gave me a ball-park date however.  To be honest, I'd not be taking her too and from the vet unless absolutely necessary - she's going to be way better off living calmly at home unless there's anything that worries you.   I realise small breeds can whelp early - don't 'milk' her - the milk will come in once she has puppies delivered and nursing begins.  Her teats don't need to be full of milk which newborn puppies can't draw off and that could lead to mastitis.

Have her sleeping in the whelping area you have set up, during the final week, with somebody in the room with her to watch as labour often begins during the night, and you need to know exactly when this happens so you don't leave her more than 1 hour struggling to deliver a puppy without it being delivered.   Same goes for each delivery.

As you are into an unknown however, it may be a good idea to have her checked towards the end of the pregnancy, if not to actually x-ray to see if she is going to be able to whelp without needing a C.Section which I'd suggest is more than likely to be needed given her breed.

Too bad your vet didn't tell you about the option of having a gravid spay, rather than put a youngster through all this.   Hopefully all will be well and she'll be a good mother, BUT you could be looking at hand-rearing her which means feeding every 2 hours round the clock.

> The vet said there is 1 definite pup and there could be another 2 but she can't say for sure because she might be wrong

It is not uncommon for toy breeds especially to have silent seasons (little or no blood), so  don't blame yourselves for not noticing.

The termination/morning after infjection Alizin could be given up to 6 weeks pregnancy.

The dark discharge she had was very likely her loosing another pup/s.

There is a large chance she hs just one pup which will make birth more difficult as it could be larger than if there were more.

Certainly a high risk for a C section, or one may be wise if pup to big to be born naturally.

It is very important that you get a vet who has experience of toy breed pregnancy, unfortunately most vets have limited knowledge of pregnancy and whelping in individual breeds.

Jean SW will hopefully advise.

Thank you again for your replies.
She sleeps in my room and has done since we first got her so she's never alone through the night and I'm a very light sleeper due to listening out for my children so there shouldn't be any problems with hearing her if things start happening during the night. I ordered a whelping box which should be delivered this week to try and get her used to for when the time comes. Thanks for the advice about taking her to the vets, that's makes sense as she gets really upset when I take her to the vets so I don't want to frighten her anymore than she already must be with that going on inside her body.

It's the c-section part this is scaring me the most because I'm so afraid that I won't notice the signs of something being wrong and j don't get her to the vet in time and I lose her. The vet has said to call them when Labour begins so they can be ready for her to go in just incase but it's not helping the genuine fear I have of somethinf happening to my baby.

If I had known the termination and spay was an option I would have had that done the very day we found out she was pregnant and now feel worse because I should have searched that and seen it was possible to be done.

So am I right in counting the days that she should be due to whelp from after 8th July if it was around 4th and 6th may that she was around this male dog?

She would be day 51-53 now and should whelp at around day 56-59 (63 days for most dogs is given). most of mine whelp days 58 - 35 being an average size medium breed.

Is her breeder an experienced responsible breeder.  Bitches often follow their maternal lines with whelping and maternal behaviour.  Could they help you with what to look for.

There is a blood test called reverse Progesterone, that tells you when the pups are ready to be born, as the hormone levels drop to pre ovulation levels when the pups are cooked.  I would seriously advise having this doen on day 56, so that if it shows they are ready to be born a C section can be planned if she shows no signs of whelping.

Samjam, if it's any consolation, I definitely don't think you would be doing the right thing by your dog, to spay a 1 year old dog.  Increasing research shows that dogs are best left intact much longer - mine all remain intact until 8 years.  If your dog does need a c-section and the vet asks if you want to spay at the same time, say NO.  She really does not need to rear puppies having just had major surgery and with all her hormones suddenly gone.

Under the circumstances, you've done all you can.  I don't understand how the people looking after them can have failed to notice them mating and tying, probably more than once - maybe they just thought the humping was play humping or something....

I would agree with MamaBas not to go running to your vet constantly.  What you need to know is that vets are interventionists - they DO things.  Often whether or not they need to be done.  They don't want to wait, have you take up more time - they will just do a c-section to get it done and over with.  Many vets have never even seen a litter delivered normally/vaginally - all they know how to do, is c-sections.  You also don't want to go unnecessarily taking a pregnant dog to the vets - where all sick dogs are taken - due to disease risk.  And taking her there will also increase her stress.  This is not to totally scare you off going to the vet if you need to, but if it's a situation where you're just a bit unsure - then do post on here first or consult other experienced breeders to get a sense of whether it warrants a trip.  And do not look to your vet for advice on how to do XYZ afterwards - ask on here!

I agree with Brainless to expect pups from days 56-59. 

Once labour starts, you want to see a pup come out within 2 hours of the first visible contraction she has.  This applies to every puppy, so the clock restarts at the first visible contraction after each pup is born.  Write down the time of the first visible contraction.  Be at the vets by 2hrs from then, if there has been no pup. 

If contractions are coming in a sustained, ongoing way, every few minutes, then we want to see a pup within 45 minutes of that (pref 30).  If she has several contractions quickly and then takes a break and sleeps, that comes under the 2 hrs guideline.

You do have a higher risk of a c-section with your breed, due to the small pelvis and large heads.  So if you see her struggling for too long then head to the vet. 

If you do need a c-section, please don't worry about it.  Some people ask the vet for a bit of the placenta to take home and put on the pups, as mum gets to lick the placenta off them it stimulates her maternal hormones (having not been through the birth process) and she often will then mother them.  Try to ensure the pups get colostrum (the first milk she produces) as this is important lifelong for their immune system.  Make sure mum has some pain relief after the c-section (some vets are awful and don't seem to want to give it!) - tramadol is often recommended and safe for the nursing pups.  Good luck!

> What can I expect ?

I have Long Coat Chihuahuas, with many years of breeding toys.  Like others have said, they whelp earlier than larger dogs.  Most of mine go to day 56.  Perfectly viable pups with fully developed lungs. 

I would have gone for the Alizin injection given her age, but that's too late now.

The breed is renowned for uterine inertia.  Most novices miss it, and a bitch could die.  I recognise it in their face, but I've seen it so many times.  It's imperative that a vet visit is considered urgent.  If she does go into labour normally, I never, ever let mine contract for more than an hour - yes ONE hour.  An x-ray usually shows a malpresentation.   I once had a bitch with 2 pups jammed side by side in the same horn, and a section was performed immediately.  Make sure that you have at least £1,000 ready as an out of hours section will cost you!

Thank you everyone for your advice and experience on this, I'm still in shock if that's even possible and can't get my head around it.. I have no idea how the dogs mating wasn't noticed but the friend has said it must have happened through the night as he didn't leave them alone throughout the day but I don't believe it if I'm being honest, I just know I will never trust leaving her with anyone else again after this because her health and wellbeing has and always is my number 1 concern and this situation isn't what I had planned for her. I had thought of waiting till she was around 2 or 3 and possible researching about breeding her with another full breed chihuahua but now that this has happened I doubt I'll ever attempt it or look into it any further. The stress from this has been enough to put me off and seeing her so small with such a big tummy breaks my heart and I hate that she was mated and would have been scared especially with the fact that she wasn't with us at th time either.

I'm no longer in contact with the breeder who I purchased my dog from due to a big disagreement we had, I don't even think she was a proper breeder either, my dog was from her chihuahua 2nd litter, breeder has mother and father and breeds from her bitch every 6 months and her mother has litters of 7 each time, and when I found out pups were health checked by vet before leaving for new homes I told her she wasn't thinking of those babies and only thinking of the pounds signs so she blocked my numbers. So I can't find any information out from her regarding whelping or how her mother whelped.

So really I'm looking at labour starting in the next few days or by next week ? I've read online about signs like appetite loss and nesting, what other signs can I look for that is a sure fire way of knowing it's going to happen soon?

You can take her temperature, if this isn't going to unduly stress her. 

To temp her:

Take temperature 4x/day.  Use a GOOD digital thermometer costing £10 or more.  Use KY jelly on it (or similar non-petroleum).  Try having someone constantly feeding her treats to distract her.  Gently twist it past the anal sphincter muscles.  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. 

One single temp drops doesn't mean anything, you need 2 consecutive drops for it to be meaningful.

> If she does go into labour normally, I never, ever let mine contract for more than an hour - yes ONE hour.

Me too with mine (Bassets).   You will see strong contractions, pushing hard but getting nowhere and this is when you need to get in your car and off to the vet!   Take a box with a warm pad in it and your whelping gear, and a friend to watch your bitch, or drive while you watch - all too often a car trip can move things along!!   Mine often went into secondary inertia - ouch mum ..... you arranged to put them in there, NOW GET THEM OUT.

Again I see no point in temperature taking 4 X a day.   Even if mine would put up with that, what's the point?   Yes it is an aid with a bitch pre whelping, but far better is to go by the due date.    If the temperature drops, and STAYS DOWN, then you can anticipate whelping within 24 - 48 hours.  Most of the time it will fluctuate

Would it be useful to know.the size of the male ? Unfortunately what many call poms can actually be far larger than the breed standard which is tiny.from memory around 2kg .the larger so called poms which may be around 10 kg   . I dont  know if.this would make any difference to how you need to watch your girl and how fast u may need to consider  vet help ? Breeders here will know if.that changes the picture at all

I've seen pictures of him and he seems quite big compared to the small Pomeranian that I've seen but a picture doesn't really show very well. 

I've just tried to take her temperature and she snapped at me !!!! That really isn't like her at all, she's never been aggressive or snappy so I'm not sure I want to try and do it again if it's making her feel like that..

Is it normal for them to become full of wind ?? She's letting out wind and it stinks. She's been really lazy today, she went out her usual little walk but apart from that she's lay next to me all day, only time she's moved is when I've taken her outside to toilet and when she's went to her water and food but she's not age much. I don't want to worry but I can't help It.

Having been pregnant (long time ago! ) through the middle of a very hot summer I got snappy, was lazy and didn't want to do much of anything. Temperature last few days I don't blame her

I suppose that's true, didn't think of it like that..  I was 8 months pregnant in 2014 when there was really warm weather in Scotland and remember being the same so I don't blame her then.. I'll leave her be and not try and check her temperature for now.

Yes, carrying a load through a hot spell can't be fun.   I don't like the heat with humidity without being pregnant - just OLD.

My Whippet was loose this am, and refused her breakfast which often happened with mine when we hit a long hot/humid spell in S. Ontario.  She also threw up a bit of bile.   No food for her today me thinks.

If she's stressed by having her temperature taken, then don't take it. 

She is probably feeling quite vulnerable and hormonal at the moment, not to mention hot in the heat, and heavily pregnant and uncomfortable, so I would just try to stop fretting about her and leave her be whilst keeping a watchful eye...

Hi everyone, sorry for annoying people with all these questions but is it normal for her to have clear discharge ? I did a Google search and some websites have said it's normal and others are saying they need to see a vet if there is any discharge..

It has no odour or colour to it, there's isn't loads but it's noticeable plus she keeps licking well trying to as she's that big she's struggling to get right round to her vulva, she's been her normal lazy self but hasn't ate very much at all today and she's peeing lots. I took her for a little walk with her sister and her sister kept crying and sniffing her back end and my girl was letting her sniff at her.
I really don't want to be taking her to the vet unless it's absolutely necessary.

A clear odourless discharge is normal when pregnant. Its when its green or brown i would be concerned or if it smelt bad.

Totally normal, odourless clear discharge is absolutely fine.  It can be a good indication of pregnancy from as early as day 21-ish and occur from then on - or may not.  Either is fine.

Thank you. It seems to only be every now and then that it's there so not constantly coming out. She keep a going upstairs and hiding under my daughter's bed which isn't like her. I thought it was maybe to get away from the kids but she's even been doing it after they've all gone to sleep. Took a good 20 minutes to get her to come out from under the bed so I could close my daughter's safety gate.

She will be looking for a safe private Place to make her den to have her puppies.

Best to shut al doors to unsuitable areas, as if she is set on one she could delay whelping if she isn't allowed.

You should have shown hre where her whelping area is and make it denlike, but easily reachable and cleanable.

We'd have the whelping box up and in place a week before the due date, and mum would be sleeping in there, with one of us on the sofa - box in living room (doesn't everybody )   This should avoid any going off to whelp!!   As it gets close to her due date, I'd not let her outside in the evening/night off the lead either.   Some bitches won't do this but many will find themself a den under a shed, patio etc.etc.   Somewhere least convenient, for you!

Discharge is fine, as said, unless it's coloured and foul smelling.

You should definitely have your whelping box up by now and be sitting with her in it and getting her used to it.

Due to not knowing about the pregnancy until 2 weeks ago ive not had a whelping box until now hence why shes not had it to get used to plus didnt know there was such a thing until i googled and read threads on here. As ive stated this wasnt planned for my girl so i had no idea i wpuld need to be preparing for pup/pups. Ive got a whelping kit together alsp that i ordered online and had it express delivered so it was here in advance.  The whelping box is in my bedroom as its the quiet and darker for her also its cooler than the other rooms with this heat were having. She hasnt went near it just sniffs around it and then lays on my bed. Ive put some of her treats in the box to try and entice her to even sit in it for a few minutes at a time to get her used to it.
I never allow her off her lead due to traffic in my area and my garden is fenced in with no patio or decking so there should be no problems with that if shes in the garden without her lead.

Today her belly looks alot rounder and lower to the ground and her ribs dont look as puffed out as if the roundness from her ribs have gone. Shes now also jad 2 new nipples appear at the top near her front paws.

I would sit on the floor, right by the whelping box and read a book or do stuff on your laptop or iPad.  Give her a stuffed Kong or something in there, and make sure it is comfortable with soft vet bed and bedding in there.  (Even if you will take all that out and replace with newspaper when whelping starts, it will help her like it now.)

Thank you, ive got the fleece blanket that she sleeps on in my bed in the box and her teddy that she carrys in her mouth everywhere lol. Im currently sitting folding my washing next to the box while my girl is sitting in the box watching me. So atleast its better than nothing.

Sounds good.  My girls always investigate the box and usually want nothing much do with it until they go into labour, but they know where it is, and I encourage them to visit it.

You are now day 56 from first mating, so she could whelp any time now, so only take her outside in the garden strictly supervised and with a torch oat night, as bitches can give birth outside thinking they need to spend a penny.

For years I never had this happen and then with two bitches on the trot.

> My girls always investigate the box and usually want nothing much do with it until they go into labour, but they know where it is, and I encourage them to visit it.

Ditto with mine who only slept in their whelping box from about the week before the due date, at night.

She's cried to get upstairs twice today and each time went to the box then lay down but within minutes she gets back out and comes downstairs again. She hasn't ate at all today and hardly ate yesterday which is a big worry because she always eats her food and lately had been eating her food then still wanting more.

She will be wanting you to stay with her s she doesn't understand what is happening.  Early labour in my experience can go on for up to 36 hours (nesting and restlessness).

Yes, this sounds like pre-labour.  She may be unsettled, and whine.  She may dig at her bedding or whelping box and then sleep again.  She may refuse food.  She may look vacant and just stare off into the distance.

Don't leave her alone.  It can go on for 6-36 hours, sometimes up to 48hrs.

Oh god 36 hours. So it could be a very unsettled night then.. I think I might put her box on my bed and see if shell sleep in it that way, at least that way shell still be right next to me and I'll be able to keep a much closer eye on her. I don't care about not sleeping as long as I know she's ok but I'll need some rest if it's going to be a long week or so if she hangs on till the end. She's peeing loads and even doing it in the house which is something I've never had any problems with her doing even when training her.

> She's peeing loads and even doing it in the house which is something I've never had any problems with her doing even when training her.

Normal...as her pups will be pressing on her bladder more, as everything gets squeezed in that confined space...

Should I be worried ? She's starting breathing a little faster, not really fast but I'm laying in bed and could hear her breathing so looked at her and she's laying sleeping but breathing a little faster than normal. It's 2am so I don't want to phone and annoy the out of hours vet but I've not noticed her breath like that before.

This is another sign of labour. Not eating and now the panting, watch for her starting to push.

Yes, panting or fast and light rapid breathing is a sign of the onset of labour.  It might not be long now.

Nothing happened through the night but she did had short bursts of the fast breathing. This morning she went outside for a pee but hardly did anything so could she may be have a urine  infection? She came back inside and wouldn't touch her food or water. Tried to entice her with some puppy milk but she wouldn't go near that either and so far since 9am she's been in her whelping box sleeping and won't come out.

> This morning she went outside for a pee but hardly did anything so could she may be have a urine  infection?

Unlikely, mine are in and out constantly when in early labour as they think they need to pee or poo when the uterus contracts and also the weight on the bladder.

I agree, not likely to be a urine infection - there is not much room in her stomach or bladder or bowels for anything else because she is full of puppies at this stage. 

Try to keep her cool in this weather, maybe wipe her head down with a wet cloth if she will accept that.  Keep watching her.  You are looking for signs of her bearing down, pushing, or for ripples in her side that indicate contractions.

She's slept like all day, still hasnt eaten. She woke up earlier and I managed to get her to drink a bowl of water. I've been using a sponge soaked with cold water and wiping her head, back and paws to try and keep her cool and I've also been lifting her into the grass in the garden so she doesn't have to stand on the roasting hot slabs. I'm hoping she can hang on as long as possible to try and give the pup the best chance.

You don't want her to "hold on" for as long as possible, pups are perfectly viable from 55 days and with your breed being overdue is a much bigger worry. Hopefully you will get pups tonight, sounds like she is close and many bitches prefer nighttime.

I just meant to give them the best chance possible as I don't know which of the 3 dates she was mated.
She's doing a lot of pacing about tonight then laying back down. I've put a fan on and faced it towards the whelping box to keep her cool as I'm sure the heat won't be helping her any.
Turns out1 one of my friends mum has been a Labrador breeder for 20 years so she's going to come over tomorrow to have a chat and make sure I have everything I should need and will be available whenever poppy starts labouring to come and be with me to help guide me and she will be better at knowing if thing are starting to go wrong (Probably a lot quicker than I would) so I feel a bit more at ease knowing I'll have someone with me who knows about this kind of stuff  when the time comes.

That's if she doesn't whelp tonight, which is looking possible...

Yeah that's true.
The movement is still really strong from the babies, almost looks like they are going to burst through her stomach. Tried to give her some ice cream just to try and get her to eat something and she didn't even snuff at it. She also hasn't peed in a good few hours after peeing constantly all morning and afternoon. This is so nerve wracking.

So the fast breathing has started back up again, and she was scratching and pulling at her blankets in the box and put them all into the corner of the box instead of the way I had them laying nice and flat for her so she was comfortable. Since doing that she's laying down on the hard wood of the box, she's not asleep but breathing fast
She isn't panting or have her mouth open when she's breathing like this. Still not touched any food, only drank a little water from when I last posted.
She did however let me take her temperature and it is 37.2
I know from the times she's been to the vet her temperature has always been in the low 38 to high 37. But I'm not sure that this is the drop people talk about as I read on a few different websites it's when it goes below 37.
Myself and my husband have arranged to take turns throughout the night to stay awake with her and my husband has agreed to take the children out for the day tomorrow so that my girl can have some quiet time in the event that nothing happens tonight.

Definitely do not leave her alone for a moment I think you may have a busy night