I have absolutely no experience with dog breeding and my precious girl , Mishka , is due a single puppy on Friday the 13th
of September
She is a very healthy 3 year old [bitch] who had an          ( unplanned ) mating with a [cross breed] a fortnight or so after I thought her season had finished.
I took her for a scan on the 20th August and the vet said there is only one puppy but heartbeat looked strong. He said if she goes
in to labour to ring them (24 hour line)....... since then I’ve been reading up about it all and am very worried. The past couple of nights she has been panting a lot and restless and the weather is not very hot anymore.
The vet said only one scan was necessary but should
I ask for another ? What are reverse progesterone testing and oxytocin injections ? Any advice very much appreciated

Another scan would do no harm, just to confirm that there isn't another pup in there that wasn't detected at the first scan. Oxytocin injections must only be given when labour has been underway for some time and the cervix is fully dilated (confirmed either by internal examination or by the birth of a puppy) or it can cause uterine rupture by making the uterus contract when there's no exit for a pup. So you need to keep in daily close contact with your vet; singleton pups can be a problem because often it doesn't release enough hormone to trigger labour. Good luck!

> singleton pups can be a problem because often it doesn't release enough hormone to trigger labour. Good luck!

Indeed.   Singleton puppies tend to just 'sit', growing by the day and potentially (not necessarily!) making the need for a C.Section greater.

FWIW and because I don't go with all this need to scan, I'd wait until past the due date, and then go for x-ray to see what's going on, obviously if nothing has started.  That would be far less stressful for even the most laid-back bitch, at a time when she should be leading a calm happy life through her pregnancy.

>I'd wait until past the due date, and then go for x-ray to see what's going on,

I'm curious as to why you believe an x-ray, often necessitating sedation, would be preferable to a scan, where the bitch can stand calm and relaxed, and you can see movement as well as position?

I'd wait until past the due date,

I wouldn't with a singleton. I've never heard of one surviving when the bitch has been past her due date. I know of so many bitches in my breed where they only carried one pup, waited too long and the pup died. The reason for waiting was almost always that the vet adviced it.

The 'good' thing in all this, is that you only had one mating - so you can narrow down the whelping window a bit, by that.  However if she only has one pup, she may have been caught right at the end of her fertile time - the other eggs had died and only one was still viable.  That is another hint to you, when thinking about the whelping window...

Reverse progesterone refers to taking a blood test to check progesterone levels.  This will tell you if a c-section can be done (ie - that it's not too early) and that the pup is viable and can survive.  However, the problem is that the majority of UK vet practices don't have the facilities to test progesterone on site - it has to be sent off to Idexx.  (As with timing breedings.)  Then you won't get the result until afternoon-of-next-day usually - and that can be the difference between life and death if a pup needs to come out.  Which is all to say - oftentimes in the UK, reverse progesterone isn't that useful unless you have direct access to a lab or same-day results.  Do you have that?

The problem with a singleton is that often a single pup's placenta doesn't produce enough hormones to trigger labour.  So the bitch doesn't go into labour and the pup dies inside - this can happen with no outward signs of labour or problems for the bitch. 

If you c-section too soon, the pup's lungs won't be fully developed and the pup may not survive if even a couple of days too early.  If you section too late, the pup will have already died. 

I think you need to recall the exact date of the breeding that occurred, the date of the start of her cycle, the date any discharge stopped - the more dates of the more events, the better.  None of these are foolproof but you should be able to work out a possible whelping window...

Edited to add:  It really would have been best to take her for the mismate Alizin injection after you knew she'd had this unwanted matings, to avoid all of this.  Too late now, but in case it ever happens again...

I've never had a bitch sedated for an xray in this situation.  My girls are very accomodating and my vet wouldn't dream of suggesting it.

Thank you very much - I took her for another scan yesterday and the puppy is alive and facing the right way

Thank you , the second scan has reassured me though.
I now know the puppy is alive and facing the right way

Thank you - my vet said take her back if nothing happened after day 63

Thank you - I’ll check with my Vet on the time needed to get the results for reverse progesterone testing.
I know she mated on the 13th July and it was nearly three weeks since any visible signs of her being in season

Thank you but I’m really happy about it now

> It really would have been best to take her for the mismate Alizin injection after you knew she'd had this unwanted matings, to avoid all of this.

100% my feelings on this.

I've had the same experience as jacksgirl.

The veterinary hospital do know me, very well.  And they've never suggested it.

> <br />I'm curious as to why you believe an x-ray, often necessitating sedation, would be preferable to a scan,

For the simple reason that x-ray is generally speaking, more accurate.   And if the breeder waits until after the due date, x-ray won't do any harm.   Especially if done after the vet palpates and feels nothing.  Those of mine who were x-rayed at this time, didn't need sedation.   I was even with one (wearing a lead apron).

> For the simple reason that x-ray is generally speaking, more accurate.

My vet suggested an xray with my singelton. I had told him the scanner only found one and I was concerned incase pup size would be an issue (something a few had mentioned to me when I know it was likely just the one) so he said I could bring her down two days before her due date for an xray.

Hi how soon after a bitches due date should you wait for a c section.  I am in a similar situation my dogs due date is on a Saturday would waiting to the Monday morning be to late

There are two ways to speak of, that you can know when a litter is due:  1) progesterone testing to determine when ovulation was - she will whelp 63 days plus or minus 48 hours from ovulation - Or 2) cytology to determine when diestrus was - she will whelp 57 days plus or minus 24 hours, from the onset of diestrus.

If you did not do progesterone testing or cytology, and you are going by the date of the first breeding, it can be between 55-70 days later.  That is a huge window.  (It is usually 59-63 days later - but that is just based on averages and what is typical, not what is possible biologically.)

Besides this information, there is nothing anyone on this forum can advise you of, if you are not seeing puppies by XYZ date.  We are not magicians or fortune tellers.  The only biological facts available are the ones I've just posted above. 

If you are concerned that your bitch is overdue, consult your vet.  Do not post on online internet forums.  Your vet, by the way, will also not know from the information you give, if your bitch is overdue - if you did not do timing.  Because there is no way anyone can tell.  They can, though, do an ultrasound, check puppy heart rates and, if necessary, progesterone levels to see how close labour is.  We can't do that, online.  (Just to point that out.) 

If you do not want to be in this position of uncertainty, not knowing if puppies should have arrived, then do timing on your future breedings so you will know to within 48 hours when puppies should arrive. 

Not everyone wants to do timing, and that's totally fine - this is not a post telling you to do progesterone or cytology, but only to say that, if you don't, there is nothing to be gained by popping up and posting worried posts online about it.  No one can reassure you.  You will either have to sit with the uncertainty, or consult your vet.