In the next few days, I need to book our 2nd herpes jab.

The vet will hopefully come out to the car park, as last time, to give it - but I'll still need to put mum in the car to go to the vets and to lift her out of the car when we get there.  (I'm assuming jumping is a no no.)

Do I lift her in the same way I did before pregnancy - scooping behind rear legs and front legs?  I don't have a ramp... Thx.

I don't think jumping onto the back seat of a car will be a problem. My dogs are in kennels on benches until,they are 7 weeks and manage fine. I bring them in after that admittably so they don't need to jump up. I've always thought it better to let the bitch jump carefully into car than risk squashing her by lifting.

With heavily pregnant bitches I just lift front paws up then lift the bum (my girls are far too heavy to lift ) ditto coming out we steady the front end out and then the bum, Bitches are quite resilient and as long as you make her take it steady getting in and out of cars should not be a problem. Don't forget a fit healthy bitch should be able to continue to live a normal life with just a helping hand to slow them down so its not leaps and bounds. Its not really till the last 2 weeks that I make much effort to restrain mine, they go for normal walks until they tell me its enough. I just restrain any mental rough and tumble.
I don't wish to offend you Rabid but you do need to relax a little. Pregnancy is normal, she is not ill, the worst thing you can do is fuss over her too much. She will be picking up your vibes and feeling something is wrong. Take a step back, breath deeply, you need to make life as normal as possible for her. I worry you will stress so much when labour starts that you will upset your girlie. It could affect her whelping, it can stop them getting on with things. I know the first time is stressful for you but our dogs are so very tuned into our feelings you will be affecting her.  Enjoy these last couple of weeks before the sleep depravation kicks in have some nice relaxing strolls together and make her feel life is good and fine. Watch her but don't obsess about things. Time enough to worry if there's a problem.
Good luck and remember most pregnancies are fine resulting in lovely pups and a contented bitch, the disasters are the minority. Pregnancy is a normal event.
Aileen

With my current litter the bitch was pregnant with 13 pups. Normal weight for her is 32 kilos, when she went for her second herpes jab she weighed 40.5 kg so a massive weight gain. She still jumped into the cage in the van.

I taught mine the command 'paws up' at which they put front paws in/on whatever and then I boost up the back end. Saves my back!

Okey dokey, maybe it's not such a big deal for her to jump then.  I just asked because I was told not to let her jump on/off furniture in the last couple of weeks, so I figured that meant the car as well.  But if it's ok for her to, then that's fine.

I'm not stressed, I just want to make sure I don't unknowingly do something I'm not supposed to (such as feeding her liver for example, which it seems I've managed to do despite all my questions!!)

If it makes you feel any better about it Rabid, my first ever pregnant bitch 40 years ago, was a Lab, she was a fit girl, she worked and swam every day in the sea often doing a mile or more parallel to me as I walked the beach, she was mated (a very hit and miss affair as neither myself or the dog's owner knew what we were doing, luckily the dogs did ! ) I just let her do what she always did and she swam as usual, two days before the pups were due she did her usual swim in the morning, went home ate a huge meal then got into her box (that she had ignored till then) and pushed out 9 beautiful big babies within 5 hours, no fuss no bother.  They never looked back, she lived to 14 years old and her litter all made over 12 years. Oh the joys I wish they were all so easy.
Aileen

Excellent, we shall aspire to that!!

Mine still jumps into the car and she is due any day

Rabid, do what seems right to you at the moment.  After all, we don't know what car you have or even what dog you have!  Personally, I would just kind of "ease" her into the car, softening the "jumping in" or "jumping down" a bit.  You might have her "step" down and out of the car (you just have to restrain her a little, perhaps by holding the leash)....  To get into the car, she doesn't need to take a flying leap, just jump in more slowly than usual with you perhaps "helping" the back end and avoiding bumps.

Mine all carry on as normal throughout pregnacy, slow down a but on walks in last few days but run around, swim and jump in / out car, over ditches and styles

Oh good, I feel much better now!!  I do have my heart in my mouth when she races up and down like a loon with a growing belly. 

I hate this pregnancy part, can we just do the mating and have the puppies the next day?  Much easier!!

> can we just do the mating and have the puppies the next day?

This took me back to when I had one of mine mated when the kids were young and they wanted to know when the pups would be born thinking it would be the next day.

I guarantee you will worry ten times more when the puppies are on the ground:) I know I do :)

I hate this pregnancy part, can we just do the mating and have the puppies the next day?  Much easier!!

I'd prefer them to be born 2 years old.

>I'd prefer them to be born 2 years old>

I feel like that about human babies too I like them water tight

Oh yes me too, I know puppies are cute but I just can't wait till they are housetrained and past the piranha stage.

I now think she couldn't jump in the car she's so big. She can barely get on the sofa. I'm worried she'll try to and crash down on her belly in the attempt but I'll go for a very restrained "paws up" idea....

Def. a paws up and boost the back end with mine, pregnant or not.   For the sake of MY back, never mind my hound.   I train mine to do this from an early-ish age.   It's more the getting knocked that you have to avoid with a pregnant mum.

Her belly must be nearly on the floor then lol
My girl was carrying 12 and she would be on the sofa daily snoozing x

Goodness, I've never had that -and my last two litters were 13! Hope you don't get too many, I would much prefer small litters of 7-8 myself.

Yes, I'm hoping the same!!!!

>Goodness, I've never had that -and my last two litters were 13! Hope you don't get too many, I would much prefer small litters of 7-8 myself.

In my breed (Coton de Tuléar) 7-8 is a HUGE litter! 

My large breed also go on the sofa alone up till whelping. Are you sure there is no other problem if she is struggling so much ?  As for the car it was a case of front paws up and a little boost from me to lift the bum, more for my sake than theirs, they would hop in without a problem left to their own devices !!
Aileen

She's not really struggling, she just clambers on instead of lightly jumping higher than needed. 

She is a very small-framed bitch, of only 20kg (very small for the breed), working type - so it has a big impact on her body shape and movement.

I had my girl booked in for her 2nd CHV vacs yesterday - wasn't happy about it as they refused to come out to the car park to administer but offered me the 1st appointment of the day instead. Got my girl in to the back seat -paws up and then a helpful bum lift and got to the surgery in time. Went in to be told that there were 2 emergencies underway and could we wait in the car park until they were ready for us.

47 minutes later, with my girl getting hotter and more uncomfortable by the minute - I get a call on my mobile saying that they cannot find the vile and could we come back tomorrow...not much choice really is there? So she has to go back today at 4pm to give the driver enough time to make sure it comes in and the locum vet will then come out to the car to see her. Am livid that I will now have to take her in the height of the midday heat in a roasting car. Obviously I will go out a half hour earlier and get the air con going to cool the car down but will also be complaining when I get there. Not only did I pay almost £95 for the 1st vacs, I will be paying over £50 this visit not to mention the extra trip I'm having to make with a heavily pregnant girl in tow

Oh dear that sounds really bad.  Can you wet her down before putting her in the car, to help keep her cool?

My vet even did the progesterone testing in the car park - which actually I wouldn't recommend, it made things difficult because my dog was trying to look at all the other dogs coming and going from the surgery!  The jab was easy by comparison.  I have first appointment of the day too, I figured the vet would be unlikely to have examined sick dogs by then(!).

You could get her a cool mat for the car, probably useful in the house too, in this weather.  I got one quite cheaply from Home bargains, or somewhere like that and no water or anything needed.

To be honest I didn't think we would be gone that long. The appointment was at 9.15 and I thought I'd be home before 10. I even parked the car in the shade and had the AC on. It was more the fact that she was sat in the car that was winding her up than anything else.

I will look into the cool mat, Thanks Debbo. I have a freeze pod that I used to use for the rabbits many moons ago. I usually freeze it and put it under the sheet in the boot or back seat in this case - never thought to take it as I thought we would be in and out without a fuss.

Lesson learned :( Pod in the freezer and will be getting the AC on well before hand.

I am a little confused as to why all this has to be done in the car park ? Why not just wait outside till it's your turn and then go straight through to the consulting room ? My girls are taught from a very young age that the vets is an OK place to be. I do not ...obviously...worry myself sick that they will "catch" anything, they walk every day in the area and if any nasties are around they have more chance of picking something up while sniffing about in the country park. I certainly don't restrict their walks during pregnancy and the rest of the time they are building immunity to many things. Do your vets not keep the rooms clean ? My vet washes the tables after every consult and if they have had a dog in a room with something contagious then that room is left unused till it's had a deep clean. To be honest I would be looking for another vet if you cannot trust them to keep the place clean. If they have a dog with KC or squitty tummies then they are made to wait outside and then taken through a side door to a room used for just such eventualities. Then the room is cleaned. Of course there are risks but they are minimal, I fear it's like kids these days where everything is so bleached washed scrubbed clean and no playing in the "dirt" is allowed that they have no chance to build up immunity to anything.
I would much rather have my dogs seen in the safety of a consulting room so if the were to spook for whatever reason they are safe and not running loose round a car park with traffic about.

My main vet is inside Pets at home and you have to walk through to the back of the store to see the vet. There is also a grooming parlour next to it and they have had to deal with fleas on more than one occasion. I do not use chemical wormers or spot on generally and therefore do not want to take the risk. I am happy for my dogs to be seen as normal when not pregnant but would prefer to be the first appointment of the day when they are. As a breed, mine are very vocal - especially when in whelp and this has caused upset on one occasion so just not worth it.

I also, do not walk my dogs in public areas anymore. We are lucky to have access to a school playing field where there are rarely other dogs, is locked expect for school arrival and leaving times and foxes/badgers tend to stay on the other side of the railway track that borders the edge of the field. None of my dogs go to training once my girl has reached 7 weeks and I do not go until the pups are 8 weeks and off to their new homes. Dog club is very strict about vaccines and kennel cough but since becoming an assistant trainer, my experience has been that, many new owners will turn up with dogs who have had squitty bums, had a worm in their poo etc because 'it's all good'.

Just to add - Although this might not be the case for others - I know my dogs aren't flight risks as they are trained to stand their ground and bark for attention. Also, anyone having their dog treated outside should know to keep them on a lead and under control.

> I would much prefer small litters of 7-8 myself.

LOL

Large litters up to 14 have not been unheard of in my breed but pretty unusual but 7 - 8 would be considered a large litter.

In 23 litters my average of live pups has come out at 5.9 pups, I have had between 3 and 9, with 4 - 7 most usual.

The largest litter one of mine ahs carried was 11 but we lot 4 (overstretched uterus causing a hold up after first pup, and vet refusing Oxytocin until 3 hours).