i have a lab, i think she is whelping. Temp 98.76 panting, shivering, how long does it normally take? this is hert first litter.

First thing, call your vet to warn him/her in case they are needed.

How close to her due date is she? The panting, shivering, digging etc can last for up to 24 hours before she starts the contractions. Once they start (and they are unmistakeable) the first puppy should be born within an hour, and of course the more puppies she has the longer labour will last. When it looks like she's finished, call the vet round to check her over.

Good luck. :)

sorry just got reply, she is 60 days today she did start acting strange last night, but has been panting non stop since 8.40am today, i have warned the vet because of the easter hols.

her waters have broken

Sit quietly nearby so that you can keep an eye on her without disturbing her.

how long does it take when waters have broken?

Is she actively straining yet? Each pup has its own water-bag which usually dilates the birth canal during the contractions so that the whelp can be born.

no she hasn`t started straining yet. is that a bad sign?

It would be sensible to give your vet a ring and describe what's happening. Better safe than sorry.

ok thanks i will ring them now.

Hi Yvonne, just logged on an been reading your thread. Any news?
Di

took tara to vets, gave her an internal to make sure no pup stuck, plus scan everything seems ok but there are alot in there, so i hope she copes with it alright. thankyou. i will have to sign off for a while, tara seems to be resting at the moment.

Hi Yvonne,
That's good news that it's okay so far. Prepare for a long night! Keep us informed how it all goes. Fingers crossed for you and her. :)

well still nothing much happening, took her out for a wee and she did lose some clear mucous, but still just panting. any advice would be gratefull.

Hi Yvonne,
We recently experienced our first litter and it was so scary. When Noo lost the mucus plug, things didn't progress for about 5 hours then it all started. She had 7 pup's then rested for 6 hours then had the last 4 :D It was a fantastic experience but extremley hard work even more now they have reached 4 1/2 weeks :D :D My thoughts are with you and your girl.
GOOD LUCK
Kelly

Well i don`t know who is more nervous me or tara, i was up with her most of last night cos she wasn`t herself. now i have put a mirror on the pc desk so that i can see what she is doing without looking round, she seams to stop what she is doing if i look round at her. but if i leave the room she follows me.

Hi Yvonne,
Try not to worry to much because I am sure they pick up on it :D Lack of sleep had to be the worst (I love my bed) we slept with her and pup's for 3 &1/2 weeks. What a nightmare. It is all worth it though. Noo was fantastic we didn't even see her straining so watch your girl. After the first couple of pup's they just sort of fell out :D She put me to shame :D You will be fine just keep a very close eye on her. If you want a chat you can always e-mail me.
Good Luck & Keep us all posted
Love
Kelly

hi kelly how long was noo`s labour in total.

When my first bitch whelped her litter of 10 she started at about 9pm and finished at about 6am....boy were we all tired! I've had a small litter (4 pups) take only 3 hours from first arrival to last. If you're expecting a lot, make sure you offer her drinks (perhaps sugary, milky water) to keep her going.

over 14 hours still nothing

Yvonne please call your vet NOW

Thanks for the advice but i have been in contact with my vet througout. i would not let my dog suffer. The cost of a vet is immaterial to me, my dog comes first. I came on this site to talk to others about lengths of whelping. Not for people to insult my inteligence.

I don't think that anyone has insulted your intellegence but are concerned for your bitch because of your obvious lack of experience. You keep asking the same question that nobody can possibly answer.
Do you not have anyone experienced near to you like your bitch's breeder or the owner of the stud dog, who could sit with you and help your bitch through her whelping?

I didn't make it clear - the timings I gave were from birth of first puppy to birth of last. The 1st stage of labour lasted about 24 hours, before they go into 2nd stage and actually start whelping.

How are things this morning?

Thanks for your reply, Tara started having her pups at 5.50 this morning and the last at4.47 pm 11 in total, all alive and well. and with no assistance. considering this is her first litter . thanks again

Many Congratulations :D I'm glad things went well. My girl also had 11 and they are all doing really well. The fun is just starting for you and I don't envy those sleepless nights :D
Good Luck & hope all stays well
Love
Kelly & Noo

Oh wonderful!! What's the boy/girl ratio, and what colours have you got?

Give Tara a big hug - she must be worn out! :)

Edit: Just got to the bottom of the thread, and you've been asked this already! Typical me! :rolleyes:

Congratulations i bet your chuffed
Im glad everything worked out ok in the end for you, your going to have your hands full now

Welcome to the forum Yvonne :-) How is your bitch? Val is right, can the stud dog owner not give you any support if you have no one close to you?

Hi yvonne
How are things this morning?
It is a very stressfull time for both owner and bitch, my lab panted and dug up her bed for 14 hours then produced her litter over the next 4 hours.
try not to worry you sound like your doing things right if your keeping in contact with your vet thats the main thing.
Id try and give her some space some bitches wont produce while there being watched but do still keep a close eye on the situation in case your needed!
the best thing i ever bought was a security camera which cost me £29 and it means I can watch without disturbing the bitch and only step in when im needed
good luck

Just nosy, how many boys/girls, and what colour are they?

Good luck and have fun!

Hayley

6 boys 5 girls all chocolate and feeding like trooper`s

Congratulations and well done Tara! :-)

Been watching this thread....well done and congratulations on the brilliant outcome.Gail:) :) :)

Excellent result! A nice even litter. I couldn't be more pleased - go and have a few g&t's!! :)

Just to let everyone know, good night last night all pups happy and content, Tara is an excellent new mum. i have to force her to go out to the toilet she doesn`t like to leave them. Going to the vets in the morning just as routine a routine checkup.

Good news Tara!

Glad everything is going well - now, try & get some sleep when you can - and remember, puppy worshipping takes an awful lot of time:-) :-)!! Enjoy the next couple of weeks "peace & quiet" - it's when they can "escape" from the nest that the fun really begins.

Margot

aaah many congrats, what a big litter and all choccy babes.i've been looking for a choc bitch pup for months now and theyre hard to come by so you will prob have no probs selling them.I have just found mine, and she's gorgeous.enjoy the pups and take loads of pix and video of them cos theyll soon be gone!!