how long would most of you wait to go to the vet. just so I can plan. her temperature was down last night into today. she started breathing hard with a little panting at 6:30 Pm.no discharge yet. she did a couple of soft movements earlier. would you take her to the vet by 7:00am if she hasn't had them yet. Remember she is only having 2 puppies and she is on day 67 from the last breeding and we feel she ovulated late. Is 12 hours of panting enough? she won't leave the whelping box. should i leave her alone or make her walk around a little?

This is first stage labour and can go on for 24 hours or so.  Really it is once you ahve expelling contractions and the water bag breaks that you need to time and not wait overlong (around 2 hours from water bag and no more than an hour if they have been straining to push pup out).

I would put a lead on her and gt her to go outside periodically as this will help move things along.

What breed is she as some breeds are often slow whelpe4rs without there actually being a problem.

My cocker spaniel certainly panted and dug and dug and dug for 24 hrs (AND for days afterwards!) and they are known for being easy whelpers.  I did keep in touch with the vet after about 18 hrs so it may be a good idea to ring and talk to him/her when the surgery opens, just so they aware and can plan their evening.

I was convinced nothing was happening with my Bitches labour when all of a sudden I realised she was sitting in a damp patch and almost instantly a puppy appeared!  As long as she isn't straining, or her water bag has broken, just be patient.  I know how hard that is!  Do take her outside when you can (supervised of course) as my bitch wouldn't get out of her whelping box for days afterwards.

Good luck.

Thank you. She is a boxer. she has been panting pretty hard now for about 5 1/2 hours. still no discharge. i'll try to get her to get up again.

Don't worry Darleneaw, I didn't really see much in the way of discharge either.  She kept herself very clean throughout.  It really can be a case of not there one minute, here the next!

Put the kettle on again!

Do you think she could whelp in the morning and labor all night. I thought they whelp at night? 7:00am will be about 13 hours of panting.

Whelping will take place when the pups are ready - day or night. As previously said, she could pant on and off for 24 hours or even a bit more.

well, i was hoping she would have them last night but nothing. at about 1:00 pm she has started panting a little heavier and shaking a little. about how long do they seem to do that before contractions. it's been 2 1/2 years since my last litter. i'm absolutely exhausted! i wouldn't be so worried if she wasn't so far along and only had the 2 pups. it will be about 24 hours of panting at about 8:30 pm. I'm hoping the heavier panting will produce something soon.
do any of your dogs take this long? her mom was like this but i didn't have the other worries

One of my bitches was panting and scraping her bed for over 24 hours before she went into Stage 2 labour. You need to start worrying when they've been actively pushing for over an hour.

the other thing she is doing is she is going through times where she stops the panting almost like the whole thing slows down! have any of you seen this happen? I'm trying to hold it together right now. 8:00 will be almost 24 hours since she started some panting. her mom panted for almost 3 days but would still walk around. she just doesn't want to leave her box. no eating today. my vet said if the puppies weren't ok she would have signs like discharge or she would be sick. not sure if that's true?

after i posted the last message, i went in and there was a wet spot about the size of a dinner plate and she had some dripping. it is clear. she has started panting again. the vet said she might continue this for twelve hours like that. i always thought a puppy should be here within a couple of hours if that happened. i didn't see a sac, just went in and it was wet.

Sounds like things are progressing, if your girl seems happy in herself just let nature take it's course, if you do have any worries of anysort, then get her to the vet, even if it's only to put your mind at rest!

Good luck!

we ended up having to do an emergency c section. there were two puppies but one probably won't make it the way it looks. the other is a beautiful girl. i've never had a c section. mom is just starting to accept them as hers. she really doesn't want to stay in the whelping box with them. any suggestions would be appreciated. i'm hoping something will kick her mothering hormones in quickly.
thanks again for all the suggestions and support

i would  keep her moving every so often as this can help them to move them around 2 puppys will take alot longer than 10 as there are less to push the others down
when they start to push hard we would wait on average 2 hours if nothing has come or then we would take them to the vets but i wouldnt rush into taking her it all takes time
bye for now fiona

I think you'll find she's already had a c section