Hi can anyone help me, my bitch was due to give birth last sunday from the day of the first mating. She also has very swollen legs and has a job to move, this is her second litter and i had no problems last time. Shes fine in herself though.

I wo0uld gwet her to the Vet.  Swollen legs can be a dangerous sign of the condion pre eclampsia (the kind you get in humans).  A freind of mine lost their whelping bitch to this as the blood pressure was so high it caused her heart to give out.

Any news yet

My RR bitch had swollen legs just before she gave birth to her litter - she was fine but I was worried.  I would definitely contact your vet and have her checked out.  I had never experienced it before.

I am shocked that you have left it so long before taking her to the vet

Is she actually pregnant for a start?

I haven't taken her to the vets because she is fine in herself. I will give them a call though as i don't want to lose her.

I have phoned vet and he says that if she is eating well and is ok in herself then it's not pre-eclampsia. He said that alot of bitches get swollen legs because of the weight they are carrying. He said that if i massage her legs then the fluid will transfer itself back around the body and not stay in one place.

This is what my friends were told, but in fact their bitches blood pressure soared and they lost her.  I would at least want her examined and ther blood pressure etc checked.  I mean this isn't just a little overdue.

My Bro almost lost his weim bitch when she failed to go into labour :(  the vet's advice was the same as your's, wait and see as she seemed ok :rolleyes: 
Long story short, Bro insisted on a scan and the vet did an emergency ceasar, the pup died and the bitch had to be speyed to save her, her womb wasn't right and he'd been in there too long :(

Personally, if my bitch was overdue and I knew for sure the dates were right I'd be asking for a scan, blood pressure checks and possible ceasar ;)

I would def get to the vet post haste. You can still eat, feel ok, walk round even with difficulty with pre eclampsia, I certainly did when I was late stage pregnancy but my Doc wasn't happy with my swollen legs, so I was taken into hospital to be monitored. BP and sugar, could have been probs and became full of water....birth came naturally in good time...BUT as dogs cant talk, can't say they feel woozy or out of sorts, I would get to the vet for all the health checks. You really can't be too careful especially at this late stage with her being so overdue, and her being swollen. I'm suprised the vet didnt ask you to take her in...:rolleyes:

I am going to take her to vets on monday as they are closed for weekend, but my vet said not too worry too much. The puppies are still moving as i stroke her belly and they hit out at her skin. Im not too worried as she may not have even fallen pregnant till the second date witch is next thursday.  Thankyou for all the advice though, i am keeping a close eye on her.

Perhaps if you had said that people wouldn't have been quite as worried about your dog!?:rolleyes:

Hi

Am I reading this correct the second mating was 11 days after the first?

You posted first on the 28 saying they were due last Sunday which was the 23rd. Now on the 29th you say next thursday which is the 4th.

Are you sure you have you dates correct

Wendy

Are you saying that the due date from the 1st mating was 23rd April and from the 2nd mating it's not till 4th May? That's 11 days between first and second matings!

Monday is a bank holiday so vets won't be open apart from for emergencies.

I'm sorry I don't get this either  Who would mate a bitch with an 11 day gap??

>Who would mate a bitch with an 11 day gap<

Not being a breeder,what is the normal time between first and second matings?

if you are SURE of the first mating, and she is very big and looking due, I would take her for a check-up as an emergency, sorry, but thats how I'd feel. The effects of pre-eclampsia can be so very rapid, and I would dispute that providing she is eating shes ok. How much more than usual is she drinking? The pups moving is a good sign for them, but not necessarly for mum. And you can't tell if they are all moving, or whats going on inside. I would certainly want her blood presure checked, and any other relevant checks. I would rather feel an anxious 'mum' to my bitch and get the vet out for a wasted daytime journey, whatever that may cost, than leave it and hope all will be well then find her either very ill or the worst, which I would rather not actually put into type. Its a long time till Tuesday. if you have your dates mixed up, and you actually mean she should have started last Thursday she is still running late, not much admittedly, but it's the swelling that would concern me.

I hope by the time you read this she is sitting in her bed with a few lovely babies round her, all is well, and you feel shattered but happy! And thinking Im a worrywart for the panic ;)

Good Luck, don't forget to update

Normally the matings are no more than 48 hours apart, Ktee.

A bitch will normally be prepared to stand for about a five day period a week at most.

Some bitches will stand from around ovulation time, until the eggs die, others will only stand when the eggs are ripe for maybe a day or two at most.

The eggs are  released over about 24 hours or so, and take two days to mature before they can be fertilised, then they remain that way for about another two days and then die. 

Well I've just had a schippy bitch mate with a good tie then again the usual 48 hrs later as planned, then again 8 days after that when I thought she'd finished!  I've never known anything like it I know schips are a bit tarty but that was ridiculous and I told them both so as I was carrying them back indoors whilst tied grrr, she'd even gone down in size I just don't know how he errmm got in there, so I suppose it is possible to have matings 11 days apart but would think it very unusual.

...Generally one tries for 48 hours btween 1st and 2nd mating, however bitches will usually stand productively for 5 - 6 days so 1st mating could happily be, say (for example) day 12 and second mating for most bitches happily usually could be day 17 or so, although 2 days apart is more normal. 11 days between matings has to be akin to Narnia existing. I.E. Surely a Fairy Story?

Di

Sometimes my heart sinks..........then keeps on sinking..........:rolleyes:

Aw Di are you saying I CAN'T get to Narnia from my wardrobe? I'm upset now....... :(

Yeah Di, it's only not in your wardrobe because you're looking for it! :-D

Do you know, That damned waldrobe.... I keep riffling in it, expecting each litter to find a potential dual champion in there, nestled between the once a year formal function kinky boots (limited) and the sensible winter sweaters (numerous) but somehow it never seems to happen for one reason or another ;-( I must try harder ;-)

Di

I keep expecting to find something to fit me:rolleyes:

LOL, me too, I used to keep everything for when I would fit back into it and my wardrobe was so full I couldn't fit anything new into it. Eventually filled a binliner the other week and got rid!

Any news on this bitch yet? Has she had her pups?

Aw, dragging us back to reality Weima! I was just going to add that I don't need a potential champion in my wardrobe, I have one on my sofa, but I need to find some way to arrange bad traffic or snow-ins so the Big Three in my breed don't reach some of the shows! :-D