My bitch is on her 56th day of pregnancy, i noticed earlier today thick clear mucousy stuff coming from her, could this be early signs of whelping? We took her for a scan the other day only to find out that they could only give an approx count of pups, i was disappointed at this as the whole reason for the scan was to get a head count to ensure when she had delivered all pups, is this normal?
By the way i'm new to this post, great idea, sorry i never came across it sooner, any tips welcome

Hi liverbirdlass, welcome to the Forum!! :)

As you've discovered, scans are only as good as the operator. Whilst they can (usually) confirm a pregnancy, very very few can accurately count the number of pups - some confidently predict 3 and a litter of 7 arrives!

yes, its a shame though, it would have given us piece of mind to have a definate number. She has become really sulky and doesn't seem very happy, she tends to sleep more throughout the day and has terrible nightmares, do you know if this is all normal?

I remember when I was pregnant the last few weeks were utterly exhausting! I couldn't get comfortable, I was too hot, I was far heavier than I was used to being, so it was like carrying a sack of dog food around everywhere - I guess it's the same for bitches! Mine have always looked very sorry for themselves in the last week before their litters are born. Let her sleep as much as she needs to, and several short walks will be necessary to keep her fit for 'labour day'.
Good luck!
:)

Hey there, i'm on my second litter now. The first litter I did a scan the scan only showed 4 heart beats and they said there could be about one ot two not showing. Sure be it she had 7 girls. This time I did an x-ray and it showed once again 4. I read an article that the best way to do an x-ray was to lay her on her back and then on her side and you could usely start counting. My doctor took it with her laying on her tummy. So I also am in limbo.

My Bitch hasn't started discharging , but is starting to drop little by little. She also is sad and cried as I was leaving to go to work this morning. I left her with my aunt in my house, but she only wanted me. So I felt guilty and took her with me to work again.

Let me know how she does. Also what kind of dog is she? and when should she be do?

Hi, a lot of vets scans tend to be very approximate indeed. From your name I assume you are from the Merseyside area? I live in Bedfordshire and we have a girl here who does sheep scans for a living. Her machine looks like something ancient but in less than two minutes she counts all the pups for you. She is usually absolutely spot on. Although one time she told us 9 and the bitch had 10 and another time my friend was told 10 and the bitch had 9. I agree it gives you a bit more peace of mind to have a good idea of how many. Next time(if there is one) try and find someone who does sheep/pig other animal scans for their experience.
Hope all goes well with the whelping in a few days time. What breed is she?