how accurate do you think taking a dogs temperature is to predict whelping

I've found useful but you do have to establish a base line well before due date as all bitches vary as to their normal temperature.  It also requires doing every 12 hours or the "dip" may be missed.

Ditto.

I have used it faithfully and it has been spot on for me everytime. Start a week before. I do Morning, Teatime and midnight when I am going to be.  Must add any of my bitches do not at all mind me doing this.

I would think it was a good marker of whelping.I would definately use this everytime. One of my girls had the temperature drop,but instead of going into labour,she seemed to revert back to her normal self, and started to play with a tennis ball.
She panted a little,but ended up having a caesarian, as she turned out to be suffering from total inertia.She was 2 days before her due date,but if I hadnt been taking her temp I may well of missed the signs.I took her to the vet at 4am and he said to bring her back at 9am if she hadnt started.Well of course she didnt,and the vet said he really struggled to revive the four pups.Thank-goodness they all survived, but taking the temp gave me more in-sight as to what was really going on.If I hadnt done it and waited for her to go to her due date,or a day or two over,then the outcome may not have been the same.

Yes, it's a good guide to whelping progress.  Even more important, it's a guide to things possibly going wrong.

Have no pups appeared yet Carole? Sounds to me like she isn't pregnant reading your past thread? I found this time with my bitch taking the temp did indicate a bit -she had a temp of around 38 in the week before whelping, then it went lower little by little and around 12 hours before she gave birth it dropped to 37.1. Some go as low as 36.

Still have no pups temperature has been between 37.8 and 38.3 for the last week friday was lowest have a vets appointment for late morning as I think I need to know for sure will feel a fool if it is a phantom after all

Let us know how you got on! Good luck!

My girl got to day 64, with temperature drop and it stayed down for a good while a few days before, but labour still didn't start!  She ended up having a c-section, they said her cervix was still tightly closed and didn't think she had/would have gone into labour naturally any way.  She had 7 babies, sadly one still born.

I asked my vet what he thought about taking temps and he told me not to do it as it wasn't reliable

I asked my vet what he thought about taking temps and he told me not to do it as it wasn't reliable confused

Gosh Sharon what a daft thing for a vet to say. ) in my opinion of course) To me the fact that the temp went down for me would be an indication she was ready IE the puppies were ready and that there was a possible problem . This to me is more the reasson to do it. Just my thoughts though.  To me perhaps that was the vet trying to relieve himself of any guilt.

The temp drop isn't caused by labour starting although it should soon after it is apparently the body getting the puppies ready for the outside world.   For me if I had a temp drop down at approx 98 prolonged then if I didn't have pups in 48 hours I would know there could be something wrong. touch wood   have had 100% taken temp readings regularly through the day for 7 days and everytime the puppies have come within 24 hours.  Temp change is the first sign for me.

I wondered if he was trying to cover his back too Blue, BUT he said this before he delivered the pups and before we knew any had died.

I would only take it as a guide.  There are so many other reasons for a temperature to go up or down, some of which would cancel out the changes related to delivery.

Well my girl did reabsorb even vet wasn't sure at first so had ultrasound and x ray but there was nothing . at least we now know for sure . am dissapointed and releaved all at same time . around time of her first scan she did have a discharge that vet thought was possibly vaginitus but wasn't sure now i think it was her reabsorbing seems around the right time she was treated with synulux to clear up any possible infection

Carole, I know exactly how you feel - I posted last night asking about temperature drop etc.  I had planned to take my bitch to the vet today for a scan to check for any puppies as she wasn't large enough around her lower tummy for a full litter.  Last night I took her temp and it was 36.4/97.6, then later it was 37.4/99.3 then this morning it was 37.2/98.9, so to say I was confused was an understatement.  She had done a small amount of digging and was in the whelping box which she hadn't looked at before. 

The vet scanned her today and couldn't find a thing!  I think I have finally stopped crying and can now look forward to tomorrow.

Carole and crustyroll, I'm sorry for you both. :(

Goldmali, thanks for your thoughts, greatly appreciated.
Andrea

thanks goldmali and crustyrol deep down i now realize i had my doubts all along she was pregnant thats why i was questioning everything she just did't look pregnant at all but after scanning i kept thinking i must be wrong that will teach me to trust my judgement more maybe we will be lucky next time good luck crustyroll for when you try again

Having had my last two attempts at getting a litter end in no pups with both bitches doing a very good job of acting pregnant, I do wonder if when they are actually mated that they are more likely to have a phantom? 

Or is it the owner reading signs that aren't really there?

Have never really had phantom behaviour from any of mine before (both did it), and other than a little thickening of the mammaries in the one that has had pups before, never had any physical signs of a phantom either.

I have one dog book that says that 'false pregnancy' and 'phantom pregnancy' are in fact two different conditions. According to the author, false pregnancy affects unmated bitches and phantom pregnancy affects bitches which have been mated, conceived, and yet the embryos have failed to implant or have been reabsorbed. Whether or not this is true I don't know!

Thanks Carole, it's hard sometimes to think about the 'next time' but its realising that if you are committed to your dogs and breeding them, then we must be prepared for heartache at some time in our plans.  I hope everything goes well for you and your doggies.

That's a good point Jeangenie about the difference between false and phantom.  Why would two healthy bitches that have had seasons before with no phantom signs at all, both act like they are pregnant after having been mated?? My eldest bitch did the same thing, mated, appeared pregnant, even the blood test was a weak positive and no puppies, but with discharge, sickness and digging on due date??  I think for whatever reason both have fallen pregnant and the pregnancy has not continued, I wish I knew what the reason was  

Has anyone else thought that the smell of their bitch changes when pregnant?  I know they will of course smell different to other dogs but actually to be strong enough that humans can notice the change?  My other bitch didn't have her usual 'doggy' smell when carrying pups and it's only coming back now a couple of months after giving birth.  My bitch that has just missed didn't smell the same either until just recently and now her coat has her usual scent about it (they are not pongy btw.. it's the same as females are supposedly able to pick out their husbands body smell, I think I could pick out my doggys!).   :rolleyes: