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The Last Few Days Before Whelping


SLF
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Well, my girl is at day 60 today and seems far too comfortable to be getting rid of these pups anytime soon.

She is stuck to me like glue, but otherwise quite happy and active and pretty 'normal'.

What are the main signs you see when whelping is near?

Im taking temps, and her average so far is about 37.1*c each day.

Her belly is rounded and you can clearly see the pups wriggling around, I find she nudges them every know and then, it must be annoying for her. I can hear the heartbeats of 5 pups, 4 on one side and one on the other by its self.

Will the one alone be bigger?

Should I be worried about this? I havent had an xray just an u/s?

So Im trying to be paitent and wait (not anxiously) which is proving difficult. Im taking temperatures, got supplies sorted etc....what else to do to fill in them time? puppy name lists are being put together anything to keep my occupied!

The sire is from the Stud 'Elfin' so I was trying to think of names with elves and fairies and the like... So far Im raiding the JR Tolkein books for names like Pippin, Arwen and Samwise...

Do you have any name suggestions? thanks

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Hiya

No-one else has posted, so although I am still abit of a novice, I thought you might like at least some response :D

What are the main signs you see when whelping is near?

I always notice changes in behaviour - and so far, have always had a drop of at least a degree in the 12 hours previously.

The sorts of behaviours I see are:

looking slightly "unhappy" and mournful

being unsettled - changing position or location frequently

wanting to be very near me

These behaviours then evolve into (I am reading from my birthing notes for you) (and please bear in mind I breed Poms, they are a toy breed):

23:19 small whimpers and panting

23:23 small cry - contraction (? tummy is tight to touch)

23:32 small cry

00:03 small cry, panting, restless, contraction? Colostrum with stimulation

00:13 samll cry, panting, restless, contraction?

00:23 internal exam = not dilated

00:29 contraction

00:34 internal exam = some dilation, first pup breech, pushing

00:39 contraction

00:44 contraction

00:47 contraction - feel feet + legs

oo:49 contraction

00:51 internal exam = pup retreated

00:56 contraction - legs

01:01 contraction; birth sac broken

01:13 contraction; feet extruding

01:21 contraction NB: feet retreat when she stops pushing

01:21 big drink of water

01:27 contraction; lifted bitch up and supported her with left arm under head and chest, introduced two finger into birth passage and hooked them around pup's neck, then gently pulled him out with contraction

01:28 first pup male; breech; 139g; breathing within 10 seconds; bitch attending; after 60-90 seconds I squeezed cord contents towards pup and cut it as bitch eager to chew on it; placenta expelled within ten minutes

01:45 internal exam = puppy?

01:50 colostrum with stimulation and pup latched on

01:55 contraction and internal = birth sac

01:59 contraction

02:05 contraction and birthsac; after contraction birth sac retreated

02:16 contraction; NB: I raised bitch with left arm with each contraction from here on

02:19 contraction; internal = I broke waters

02:26 contraction

02:29 contraction; used two fingers to hook pup around hips and extracted; normal position male; 144g; needed rubbing for twenty seconds before first breath; put first pup on to suckle and after minute/two minutes squeezed cord contents towards pup and cut, placenta expelled as I did so; put pup on with some difficulty, couldn't suckle for first ten minutes, then managed on own.

Hope this is useful, previous whlepings have been very similar

:)

Will the one alone be bigger?

Might be bigger, since it would be receiving lots of nutrition in that horn - but it may just be the way the horns of the uterus are lying that makes it feel as though one pup is on its own?

Should I be worried about this? I havent had an xray just an u/s?

Would not be able to advise you on this... or the other questions. :o

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Thanks Dog geek :)

Its my first whelping on my own and Im a bit nervous and anxious.

I think we are moving a bit closer to the action, as last night her belly was very tight and she didnt like me touching it, or listening to the pups heart beats.

Today she wont let me near her back end, taking her temp was not an option according to her! She is scratching up the carpet in every dark corner she can find and is a bit skittish and very unsettled today.

So Im happy to leave her be and let her do what she wants.

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Hi,

Sounds like your girl is fairly imminent seeing as she is scratching around in dark places, I would now be confining her to the whelping box.

Signs with my bitches over the past 40 years are as follows.

They usually go off of their food 12-24 hours before whelping, most times just refuse to eat, or have a few mouthfuls which they usually will give back when the first pup is pushing it's way out, of course the making of the bed, such as yor girl is now doing, and another thing apart from the stick to you like glue, they usually have a bowel movement just before they start delivering, it is usually a soft texture and darker than usual.

What I suggest is put her in the room she is to rear her and have her babies, get a comfortable chair and a good book and a cup of :coffee: as I feel she is not too far off, watch late tonight or early tomorrow just the way things go sometimes, they like to keep you on your toes :laugh:

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If she wont let you touch her rear, has been clingy, and is scratching around she isn't too far off. With ours they are usually in a whelping box on newspaper and they start shredding the paper a few hours before hand. Probably due to discomfort. I would suggest putting her somewhere quite away from kids and other dogs but somewhere that you can keep a watch on. Make sure it is a relatively soft spot has she won't fancy laying on hard floors. Don't give her your very best bl;ankets as they may not be anygood afterwards (mine never were-shredded and covered in blood and stuff).

Also make sure its somewhere that you can be comfortable. You may find that being a first litter she will want you around just to talk to her and help her settle. We have had a few litters with the whelping box in the laundry late at night. While she was comfortable enough Its a bit uncomfortable trying to lay beside the whelping box in a five foot area on cold hard tiles (especially when your 6 foot 2 tall) in the middle of winter. This happened with on of our bitches first litters. Her second litter she had without anyone around as she had them 2 hours after my father passed away and the mother was left in the whelping box on her own. First sign was when one of the kids went to check and she had three pups by then.

Contact your vet by phone and just let them know what is going on. I think its a good idea so then they are prepared if you need them in an emergency. Also make sure the car has fuel in it with a box in case you have to take her to the vets. We had to with one, she required a CS as there was a dead pup blocking two live ones. After the CS I had to drive home with a mum still under anesthetic on the passenger seat and with two newborn pups resting in a towel on my lap. Lucky it was at 2am and no one else was out and about.

Be prepared for a night with little sleep. However it is worth it the next day.

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Well I hope you have some happy healthy babies and mum soon.

My girl was probably slightly clingier than usual in the week leading up to whelping. She went day 63 on the dot! However as I sat there day 62 evening with her and she looked perfectly happy and comfortable and all as usual I started thinking about calling the vet in the morning for a check up to make sure. The only sign she showed of imminent whelping was when I went to put her in the whelping room in her box (as we had done for the last 7 nights!) and she was really upset when I went to leave to go to bed. So I dragged in the mattress and slept the night with her. About 4am she really wanted to go outside so off we went with torch and blanket in hand, she had a wee and we went back in, however she didn't settle and kept wanting to go back outside. 5:45am waters broke, 6am first pup. My mentor breeder could not believe how calm and quiet my girl was leading up to and during delivery. She uttered not a single sound, no scratching, shredding of the paper or anything, just calmly had a few contractions, poppped out a pup and contined like this until the last one at 2pm. I only hope that our next litter goes in much the same fashion!

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Thanks for the replies.....

I think something might be starting...? do dogs have a water that breaks? or do they pass something like fluid?

She has been hiding while I fed the children their dinner, and Ive found her hiding in the corner of the spare room - at the opposite end to the whelping box in the laundry !

There is a pool of fluid on the floor, thicker than wee and not yellow, Im assuming its fluid not vomit but similar consistancy.

I spoke to my vet today and he said the same as previous posters....get ready in case they are on their way, but not to panic if they stay put untill the weekend if she is well and calm...day 63 is Fri and its her first litter

She looks a bit droopy eyed but is puffing, not panting as her mouth is closed. So I'll get the kids a movie and keep them quiet and see what happens next

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Contact your vet by phone and just let them know what is going on. I think its a good idea so then they are prepared if you need them in an emergency. Also make sure the car has fuel in it with a box in case you have to take her to the vets. We had to with one, she required a CS as there was a dead pup blocking two live ones. After the CS I had to drive home with a mum still under anesthetic on the passenger seat and with two newborn pups resting in a towel on my lap. Lucky it was at 2am and no one else was out and about.

Be prepared for a night with little sleep. However it is worth it the next day.

Definitely this! I was so organsied for my current litter, even had a box set up with blankets, newspaper, towels and a couple of empty hot water bottles ready to fill if needed. Off we went to the vets sometime around 11pm and needed up being a c-section. It was only when we went to leave that I realised the box was still sitting by the door of the whelping room. Next time I will have 2 - 1 by the whelping box in case we have to go part way through and 1 in the car in case we head to the vets and I forget to pick up the first 1 :)

Luckily for me, I had a friend come with me to drive, it was only 2 puppies and the vet is less than half a km from home. LOL.

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Every dog is different. Panting is always a sign that they are close, unless they are really hot.

Digging paper & a nest is not, they may do this spasmodically for days beforehand.

Some go off food, other will eat anyway, some are clingy, some not.

They may hunt for places & not settle a few days in advance or just beforehand.

One of mine never showed any signs until she was ready, then hopped in the bed & had them in an hour, every litter.

Another causes so much fuss, won't leave me or let me leave, digs & all sorts for days in advance.

Go by your dates, within a day or 2 & watch her carefully & go outside with her every time.

Temperature is a guide but I never bother, the dogs would hate it.

I would also not be doing internal exams to see how dilated she is during the birth. You don't need to know. The birth will occur unless there is no labour or pushing for an hour & no puppy. Then you get to the vet.

Heaps of dogs have pups with little intervention or fuss. When she is ready sit by her & let her get on with it. Pats & chats if she likes them & see if she copes, if not then you know what to do I am sure. Good luck & hope to see photos soon :)

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slow developments but moving through the stages in her own time. She is worried but calm enough, gosh I was too when my first born came!

I will touch base with my Vet at midday to see what they think re: her progress, I dont know how long the first stages of labour can take, but I guess its like people, they are all different and cant be rushed.

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slow developments but moving through the stages in her own time. She is worried but calm enough, gosh I was too when my first born came!

I will touch base with my Vet at midday to see what they think re: her progress, I dont know how long the first stages of labour can take, but I guess its like people, they are all different and cant be rushed.

my girl was just under 24hrs with the first stage poor girl, her first litter.

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I seem to recall from the book I borrowed from the library if there's no action 2 hours after the water breaks you need a vet! I hope my memory has failed me, that was 10years ago I read the book.

You need to be writing down what is going on, and what the time was, so you can tell the vet if you need one.

I'm hoping all is going well for her.

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