Hi All
My bitch is now 67 days pregnant and still no sign of the Pups. She is leaping about like a mad dog and eating like a horse. She is finding it difficult to lie down as she is now so big. She had a clear mucoid discharge on Saturday and the vet said whelping would be imminent. The vet says there is nothing to worry about but I am concerned that the puppies are going to be so big she may need a Caesar. She is a big dog anyway and I know her breed (which I cant mention!) has between 8 and 15 pups. Am I worrying for no reason?

If she is well in herself there can't be too much wrong. If all was not well she would be miserable. Can you feel the pups active high up? If so, my vet told me they wouldn't be born for at least 12 hours.....

Of course, if in doubt contact your vet.
:)

Have you been taking her temp. and if so have you seen a significant drop yet?
Bitches get a clear discharge through the last weeks of pregnancy anyway but before labour there is a fair bit more passed usually when they go for a wee.
The only thing I would be concerned about as she has gone over her dates and is you say very big is that she may have inertia and not be able to give birth naturally. In this case though the bitch does actually show signs of labour but fails to make any effort to strain or strains weakly.
If you have not been taking her temp. you will not see the first indication, however if you take her temp. today and it is in the low 37's or 36's then there is a chance it could be starting.
Your vet can do a blood test (similar to premate test) that will check her hormones and predict roughly how far labour is away.
Some bitches do go over their dates but you still need to be aware of inertia.

Hi her Temp is normal 101. She leaps about and is eating like her last meal is out! She certainly isn't down in any way - probably more lively. You can see the pups moving about like something from Alien! The vet has said that it depends on how ripe her eggs were as to her actual due date and to expect the pups any time now to 10days over the 63. What exactly is inertia and what are the symptoms?

I would definately take her and have a progesterone test done asap,,,I lost my litter not so long ago, because my vet insisted I had nothing to worry about, and could go to 73 days,,,,these pups died because they were in there too long. Don't mean to freak you out,,,but I had wished I heard this when I needed it. We had to have a c-section as she did not come into second stage labour. Least if you have the prog test then you know where you stand. Best Of luck!!!!! Hope all goes well.
Melissa

Inertia in brief is when a bitch is unable to have strong enough -if any - contractions to deliver the pups.
This can happen when the uterus is very stretched.

Bonny is booked into the Vets first thing this morning. However she has really started to lick her back end and has started to dig in the kitchen - so perhaps she is close. Fingers Crossed - thanks for the advice so far!

Sound like she might be on her way :-) Take her temp.

Temp has dropped! and she has stoppped eating - looks like we are on our way. OH NO!

good luck and let us all know what happens,my fingers are crossed for you.

Oh No - I know that feeling - soooo excited because they will be here soon - and sooooooo scared that something may go wrong, Best of British to you.

Hope all is well, let us know if you have any news when you have a minute!

Do hope that no news is good news - and that the only reason you haven't posted again is because you are up to your ears in puppies!
Margot

Any news yet????

Thanks for the concern all. What a trauma that was. The first pup got stuck in the birth canal and the vet talked me through popping my finger up Bonnies vulva and checking for the blockage. I could feel something and we went to the vets. I was told that there was a pup stuck and that she could perfrom a Ceasar or try and deliver the pup with forceps. I was told it was likely that the first pup was dead. I opted for forceps, and had to listen to the most horrid screams coming from my dog. It reduced me to sobs. The pup was born alive, but it was far too big - normal weight for my breed is 16oz this was 24oz. The pup lost its jaw in the delivery and had to be destroyed. Bonny was given an injection to help with the rest. She delivered 7 healthy puppies 5 girls and two boys all between 16 and 18oz. As a maiden mum she was great. I took all the pups out of the bag whilst Bonnie cleaned up, gave them a rub and handed them to mum. Two more got stuck but thanks to the book of the bitch I was able to get them out with each contraction. I was awake for 36 hours and but have had a great sleep. Mum is excellent, cleaning and rotating her pups on the teat, and pulling them in if they get too far away. We popped them in a box to give her a rest but she climbed in with them almost squashing them! They are now in the whelping box with lots of space!

All my dogs have the perfect "thing" they need for the breed standard so hopefully I have my wish of a show dog! Vets checked the pups and Mum and all is well. I'm sure I made the right choice with the forceps but I cant help feeling guilty over the one I lost.

Thanks for the help and advice! I will need plenty more as the weeks progress - and then its on to the show ring!

Hi Steadsie,
I'm glad all was well in the end - whelping isn't always the simple process people imagine. Don't feel guilty about the lost pup - there was no way it was going to be born naturally, and with it in the way all the others and most likely the bitch would have been dead too. :( So rejoice that you have a live healthy bitch who loves her remaining healthy babies.
Hope all is textbook normal from now on.
:)

Many congratulations on your lovely litter, try not to be sad about the one you lost, I'm sure you made the best decision you could at the time, and may well have saved your girl and the other pups at the same time, just enjoy them while you can, time goes so fast

Good luck!!

Hayley :)

Congrats on your litter. I hope everything goes well from now on.

You'll certainly have your work cut out!!

My litter are 8 weeks now, and I love them to bits...but it's been hard work!!

Sorry to hear that you lost one, it must have been awful for you. At least the others are ok though.

Good luck, and enjoy them!

Lisa