Dog in Labor? Any Advice

cwade · 10-26-2010

My dog is pregnant and until a week ago I wasn't sure, and really had not even thought about it. It's very difficult to tell when she's in heat and always has been. Her breasts filled with milk about a week ago and she started lactating within a couple days of each other. So that being said I don't have a clue as to how far along. The last couple of days she has panted, labored breathing, stays right under me, and then she'll sleep for hours and seem fine. Her temp has been at 100.5-100.7, then it dropped to 99.5, then back up to 100.5. It's dropped about .2 degrees the last 2 readings. It's now about 100.1. Should I be concerned at all? She seems fine, except miserable. Thanks so much for any input!!

cigwyllt · 10-26-2010

You say you are not sure? You must have some idea when she conceived surely? Do you have an entire dog in your household or did she escape when she was in season? No matter how hard it is to tell she was in season you should have been taking better care of her to prevent this from happening.

It is hard to believe that you have not bothered to consider the implications of her being pregnant. Clearly you have not prepared a whelping box or made any changes to her diet. You don't say how old she is or what breed she is.

The best thing you can do now is get a vet's appointment as soon as possible. You need to have her scanned so that you are prepared for the number of pups she may have. For instance if the vet detects 5 and she stops after three she will need a section to deliver the other pups - if there is no intervention you may lose her and the pups. If she is a small breed and the father of the pups was a larger dog then she is in very real danger.

Forget about worrying about the signs of labour and get her seen by a vet!

cwade · 10-26-2010

I'm sorry. Let me clarify!!!! I have had her for 7yrs. She is husky/wolf. She never shows DETAILED signs of heat, except wants to run. She stay outside because she's an outside dog, likes it, loves it. I had brain surgery in late July, so is it possible I missed it.....YES! I have a whelping box, I am sitting by her side. A vet immediately? Because she's pregnant? I have 4 children and I'm pretty sure I know things happen. Implications? She's having puppies. I'm not going to rush her to the vet to find out how many. I know what to watch for. She had a litter 5yrs ago. But, same thing we bred her and was not sure if she was actually pregnant until about 2wks before birth. She carries in her ribs. No other signs. Not even a noticeable increase in appetite. This may seem abnormal to you, but it's normal for her. 7 healthy beautiful puppies. I don't remember her acting like this before. She just went in to labor. So if you're suggesting I take her to the vet, because if it's the best thing, thank you. If you are just being nasty about the fact that you can't believe I didn't know and I'm that irresponsible, get over yourself!!!! If you can't say anything helpful or nice, don't say anything at all please!

cigwyllt · 10-26-2010

I'm sorry I had no intention of offending you. There was nothing in your post to suggest that you had any experience of breeding in the past or that you were at all prepared. I'm someone who always errs on the side of recommending a vet appointment when there is no concrete evidence in a post to suggest otherwise.

cwade · 10-26-2010

Thank you and I will keep a close eye on her. If I feel any need to get her to the vet, I will. I'm anxious and frustrated as well that I didn't know, but have to keep in mind even when we bred her the first time, we didn't know. She's a very complicated animal, but loved tremendously.

Yogi · 10-26-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwade

My dog is pregnant and until a week ago I wasn't sure, and really had not even thought about it. It's very difficult to tell when she's in heat and always has been. Her breasts filled with milk about a week ago and she started lactating within a couple days of each other. So that being said I don't have a clue as to how far along. The last couple of days she has panted, labored breathing, stays right under me, and then she'll sleep for hours and seem fine. Her temp has been at 100.5-100.7, then it dropped to 99.5, then back up to 100.5. It's dropped about .2 degrees the last 2 readings. It's now about 100.1. Should I be concerned at all? She seems fine, except miserable. Thanks so much for any input!!

At this point, you need to get her to the vet for a check up. She is close to delivery and you mention nothing of the pre exam by a vet to be sure she can even deliver without issues.

reeskujo · 10-27-2010

I just want to know why you would allow a 7yr. old dog to become pregnant...The max should be 5 years of age! Also you said you've bred her before so if you're a responsible breeder you would know that you should always take a pregnant female to the vet to have her health checked and to have a scan of the puppies..

Have you done genetic testing on her or had her hips x-rayed? I totally understand you having surgery but was there no one watching her or taking care of her while you were ill? Why was she not spayed a long time ago? I can't believe the way you reacted to the suggestion of getting her to a vet especially since she's 7 years old! That should've been the first thing that was done as soon as you suspected she was pregnant especially because of her age...I hope you're at least feeding her puppy food!

angiesample · 10-27-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by reeskujo

I just want to know why you would allow a 7yr. old dog to become pregnant...The max should be 5 years of age! Also you said you've bred her before so if you're a responsible breeder you would know that you should always take a pregnant female to the vet to have her health checked and to have a scan of the puppies..

Have you done genetic testing on her or had her hips x-rayed? I totally understand you having surgery but was there no one watching her or taking care of her while you were ill? Why was she not spayed a long time ago? I can't believe the way you reacted to the suggestion of getting her to a vet especially since she's 7 years old! That should've been the first thing that was done as soon as you suspected she was pregnant especially because of her age...I hope you're at least feeding her puppy food!

FIrst off i wanted to say i am sorry about ur brain surgery and i hope u are healing and starting to feel better.

But, i have to say i very much agree with reeskujo. If u were unable to watch her responsible then u should have gotten her spayed a long time ago. Personally unless u are a responsible breeder who has had all of the genetic testing and been supervised by reputable breeder i think it is very selfish for u to even let ur dog get pregnant, especially at 7 years old!!!

I hope u got her to the vet and that all the puppies are healthy. I also hope that u get her spayed as soon as she is able to get spayed. Good Luck!

Lunareclipse · 10-27-2010

I hope your head is ok. And I hope your dog has puppies safely and is ok too. Are you taking it to get spayed right after the puppies are born? What will you do with the puppies? I hope none of them end up in shelters.

Marc · 10-27-2010

I would get a check up if I were in your situation. That body temp seems a tad low for a dog and if she has labored breathing but isn't consistently in labor, I'd be uneasy about it. Just my 2 cents

It's good that you have a whelping box and are watching her closely. It seems to me that you know what to do and are prepared. I'd just want to get a checkup to make sure from the way you were describing things and that fluctuating temp.