This is my girls 2nd litter. She’s progressed really well. Started taking her temperature and was 36.7 this morning, I’m going to re take it again shortly. She started panting when I took her temperature. She had been off her food since yesterday. But now has stopped panting and doesn’t look like things are moving. Her last litter was straight forward. She panted for around 12 hours and then gave birth to 8 healthy pups. I’m just a little worried where she has stopeedbpanting. She’s very sleepy and grunty where she is so big and uncomfortable

Again, and this relates to my breed and bloodline only, I let mine go to what I considered was 2 days over, unless there's a abnormal discharge, and if nothing had happened, involved my vet.   I don't set much score re temperature taking, which is only an indication (maybe) as to what's going on.   If you have done this before, I'm sure you'll know that it's only when the temperature drops, and stays down, that labour should begin within 24 - 48 hours which, with the 'days since', you'd pretty much know in any case.   Continually taking the temperature would have upset my girls more than informing me about what's going on.

It's too easy to get worried pre-whelping!  So unless she's in trouble, having strong contractions but getting nowhere (each delivery) in about 1 hour, I'm afraid you'll just have to keep a watchful eye on her, don't go out leaving her alone and wait.  The apple should fall once it's ripe!!

Panting can be due to lots of reasons in late pregnancy and doesn't always mean that labour has started.  It can just mean the bitch is hot (carrying all those puppies creates a lot of heat); that they are uncomfortable (panting can be a sign of pain or discomfort) - which would be normal towards the end of pregnancy, especially if it started when you put a thermometer up her bum(!) - or that they are exerting themselves a bit (it is difficult getting around with all that inside them!).

So she may well not have been in labour in the first place....

> So she may well not have been in labour in the first place....

I'd lay odds she wasn't ..... yet!!  

Hi all, just an update. She was in labour. Started pushing last night and gave birth to 7 beautiful puppies throughout the night/ morning.