Does Labor start all of the sudden?
 

Bella is at 59 days and still is acting as if she was never pregnant! She looks like she swallowed a canteloupe and xrays showed 5 puppies. I am curious to know does the labor just start spontaneously like with women when there water breaks or does it happen slowly? She just doesnt seem to be slowing down at all.
Can I still give her a bath? She had one less then a week ago but she sat in her dinner last night. :confused: I washed her with a wash cloth but still seems dirty.

Usually you have some warning. Zoe stopped eating and was sleeping more. Also, have you been tracking her temperature? That gives you an indication as well! Good luck!

Well, I've heard of some saying that without warning "out comes a puppy", but I'd agree that normally you have some signs that labor is starting or going to start. Low temps, loss of appetite, digging/nesting, shivering, staring kind of glassy eyed, and more are all possible signs of oncoming labor. If she's only on day 59 you probably still have a few days, but taking her temp in the morning and evening could give you some idea on what's going on.
Hmmm, a bath??? Maybe okay especially if she enjoys them, but I think I'd rather just go with a general area sponge-type bath at this point. I wouldn't want to stress her out any at this point.
Good luck to you.........5 puppies is a good-sized litter. I'll surely be watching for your updates & birth announcement.

It depends on the female and how many litters. Usually the first time, they are unsure of what is going on with their bodies. So, you'll see many signs, mostly glassy eyed look. I call it the spacey look.

Yes, you can give her a bath, but with a medicated shampoo. Usually about the time her temp begins to drop. After whelp, I usually rinse hind quarters and blow dry before putting her back in with the puppies. Usually a full bath after the puppies with a puppy, soapless shampoo, making sure that you thorougly rinse her.

One of my girls is on day 64 today and has no signs at all except as Mary said, that glassy eyed look. her appetite was bad the past couple of days but she is eating well today. First litter for her.

I am taking her temps. The vet suggested I start day 57 every 4 hours while awake. I notice at night she is higher 100's and in the am lower 99's. She EATS up a storm and sleeps alot. This is her first whelp.

What does the puppies "dropping" look like? Will it be obvious to a beginner like me?

Thanks for all the wonderful answers. I LOVE learning new things especially if it benefits my girlie!

Taking temperature does not always help.....Sometimes they temp doesn't flux until actual labor begins and you don't want to be taking her temp then.

If pups are born with placenta in tact, it'll be a dark bubble that appears, at times puppies will present themselves hind legs first, without a bubble, becareful not to pull puppies legs (you could injure them) , but assist by gently grasping the body and pulling gently with each contraction (work as fast as possible().

With 5 puppies please have NutriDrops on hand.....I always rub a drop onto puppies gums after they are breathing and the cord is cut, it' really assists in getting that puppy going before putting them to mother's breast.

Most dogs will show signs in the early stage of labor. They get restless and might start walking around looking for a private place to have their pups. They will hide under a bed or couch if there is one available. As the labor progresses the female will start digging and nesting. She will might vomit a little and she might have to poop several times as the pups work their way into the birth canal and put pressure on the colon. As labor progresses more the mom will start panting and pushing. I have only had a couple of females over the years that did not exhibit most of these symptoms. They were very good about hiding the fact they were in labor but if I watched them close I could always tell when they were having a contraction.

Do you have a quiet place away from the family ready for her. A place that is private and that she and the puppies can be monitored 7 x 24. It's best to confine her to the area where she will whelp. I usually do this about a week prior to her due date. It's best so that when she starts contractions, she doesn't go hiding on you under the bed, in a closet, etc. I usually keep my girls in my bedroom in a puppy play pen with a whelping box in it. All supplies readily available right next to the pen.

This is good advise but it really depends on the bitch and what she is use to. Mine are use to following me everywhere in the house and if I tried to pen one up it would be very stressful for her. I try to avoid any stress as much as possible the last week of pregnancy. You don't what to put a pregnant bitch in a position where she is jumping up and down trying to get out of a pen or room. Of course I watch mine very closely and once the labor starts I move myself and the female into our bedroom where I stay with her until the delivery is complete.

Mine won't go into labor unless in a quiet place, away activity, less stressful. She's checked on once an hour on the hour. They want no one around. My puppy pens have padded floors and tops and covers (my girls like privacy). However, hubby is making a new whelping area out of a baby crib, completely lined with plexi glass and a latched top on it. Floor lined with rubber padding a Pish Pads.... I gate off my bedroom, only hubby and I are allowed into the room. She's kept in pretty sanitary conditions until puppies are weaned, her on potty area, etc. And I don't want to take the chance of her dropping puppies all over the house.........

Yes we have a whelping box with all our supplies all set up for her in our bedroom as we have other animals. So far she has spent very little time in it. She goes to bed on her doggie bed outside the box (her wish) and then in the middle of the night she whines until I put her in bed with us. She is with us 24/7 as she will not have it any other way and neither will we. We have it worked out for this entire week that my son (18 year old), bf, and I have rotating work shifts and the only time one of us will not be able to be with her is for 2 hours and I have called in my best friend who knows Bella well to come sit. I am able to leave work the SECOND anything looks like labor is pending. I live 7 minutes from work.
I have Nutra-drops, I have beef liver in the freezer, I have Tums, I have goats milk, I have whelping pudding supplies, I have vanilla ice cream, yogurt and cottage cheese. I am in the medical field so I have made a full blown whelping kit and I am not squemish. I read old posts back even years and if anyone suggested it I bought it. I wanted to be WELL prepared for this and do right by my girlie. I have the vets number and UCD on speed dial! I have probably over done everything but better safe then sorry. I just need patience now which I have NEVER had. :rolleyes:
Oh and Bella did keep getting under the bed but my bf blocked under the entire bed with wood much to Bella's dismay!

It sounds like a nice whelping area your hubby is making. I always whelp mine on the bed in a big wicker dog bed. I also cover the bed with an old bedspread and until the females starts hard labor I don't try to make her stay in the basket. We just chill out and watch tv.:) Once the pups are born then I move mom and babies to the whelping box in the x-pen in the spare bedroom. Of course the all night deliveries are the hardest. I am so thankful that my husband helps me with the delivery.

I got this information from another exhibitor/breeder: after I saw your post on tums and because I know you want everything to go as smoothly as possible, I thought I'd share it.
Eclampsia/Calcium

Revival Animal Health - Oral Cal Plus #160-210

new product from revival, same as calsorb with out the nasty taste, does not make them vomit.


If you must give calsorb, put it on your finger, and rub in bitches mouth, gums, inside of mouth, underneath tongue, then follow with nutrical, don’t just squirt a blob in their mouth. Even if they throw up, it HAS absorbed (not 100%.. but a lot) because the bloodstream picks it up immediately through the mouth..it does not have to be digested to work. Give calsorb or Oral Cal Plus if bitch is exhibiting signs of eclampsia. Some signs are very subtle. My bitch would dig like crazy when I took her outside, then try to climb up the side of the wall of the house…that was her first sign she was going south for me.. and we’d treat with calsorb immediately. Anything “odd” should be taken as a sign…especially, panting, pacing, restless behavior etc… understanding of course that bitches pant after delivery anyways for a few days.


Okay to hold it at bay, so it never comes at all… forget everything about giving tums, cottage cheese, cheese, icecream.. etc. It’s useless. The body needs the calcium to be delivered with the correct ratio of Vit D and Phosphorus or it doesn’t absorb it, it’s useless. Pet Cal has this correct ratio. Another thing that has it is, believe it or not.. a scrambled whole egg! Of course everyone knows not to start calcium until the litter is whelped.. no giving it to PG bitches… I do give some calsorb during whelping If things slow down on a larger litter, but never before whelping. Make it a general practice to scramble your bitch an egg every day, and depending on weight, give ½ to a whole pet tab per day. I gave it to a 8 lb bitch ½ in the morning ½ at night…this is the “daily dose” for about a 20 lb dog who was NOT nursing a litter…so just fine for ½ the size, but nursing a litter. I would grind up the pet tab in the food processor and put the powder in the egg when I scrambled it.

Also, check your dog food for Soybeans, soy protein, or anything related to soy in any way. For SOME reason that is not completely understood by me (many menopause supplements contain soy, or are soy based, so this seems to be a contradiction).. soy protein can interfere with the absorption of calcium in dogs. If your food has soy of any sort, change to a food that does not for the duration of the weaning of the litter.

It sounds like you have done your homework. I pray momma has a safe whelping and I hope she has a day whelp for you.:) You will learn patience when she starts having pups.....you can't rush mother nature.:)

Mine stay in the bedroom until they are old enough to go home or into the puppy room, right outside my bedroom......usually between 12 and 16 weeks. No one goes to sleep until 2 hours after the whelping and we take shifts for the first 72 hours as they are the most crucial. Hubby helps with the whelping or if I'm at a dog show, does the whelping.

Now on the lighter side.
Do you remember your first whelp.....I do, when it was all over, hubby and I looked at each other and laughed. We came to the conclusion that we could have filled in for the Keystone Kops.

Yes, I remember it very well. Depending on which one you count. Not long after I got married my husbands beagle had pups and I was freaking out. Momma kept vomiting so I called the vet. He said to just give her some honey. Then came the water bubble so I called the vet again.:rolleyes: Luckily the beagle knew what to do because I sure did not. Now with my first Yorkie litter we were at our friends house that had sold us our Dixie. We had gone out to eat and come back and Dixie had a puppy almost all the way out. Luckily our friends helped with that delivery. I guess that is why I am a bit more understanding when someone comes on in a panic. There is just nothing like experiencing it first hand.:)

We'd assisted my mentor with several litters and I mean several. As, I've stated before, she didn't allow me to breed a litter until I'd finished 3 Champions...... But, nothing prepares you for the first time, and the next and the next....each one is different.

You were so lucky to have a excellent mentor and to get off to such a wonderful start. My mentor was a hobby breeder but she did love her dogs and she did introduce me to yorkies so for that I am very grateful. I have learned so much since then.

Wow, a whelping area made from a baby crib! That sounds like it will be awesome. Will it be up off the floor as a baby crib is or will it be made without the legs on the bed so it sit's on the floor? I would love to see pics of it when it is finished.

bjh.......I've seen pics of your whelping/nursery area set up. I like it also and have taken notes:p. Oh I so hope that Toby & Halle had a successful breeding and will have pups come mid August.:xfingers:

Mardelin and bjh, Thank you both for the wealth of information! You are both wonderful.
Bella would stress if I left her in a room without me so I put the other animals in the bf's daughters room.
Bella seems to want Vit D from the sun. Last outing for potty she insisted on sunning herself for a couple minutes before I freaked that it is too hot for her outside (96 degrees) and I made her come back in which required me picking her up and carrying her because she wasnt ready to come inside :confused:
I am glad you both remember what it is like the first time. I will not be alone I have the bf and my son both GREAT supporters and care takers and then bf's daughter 11 who is a great cheerleader but she will not be present for whelp.
Thanks again!

PS her dog food is Chicken Soup for the dog lovers soul and contains no soy of any kind.
While cleaning her belly and nipples I noticed her milk is in. Does that put her any closer ?? :xfingers:

I swear I thought I wrote this post. I'm on day 64, no signs...maybe some nesting. I could have wrote this...lol

My Go-Go whelped on her 64th day. I guess she ovulated after her 2nd breeding on her 12th day of showing color. That's why most vets won't do a C-section until the 69-70th day. I go into panic and run to the vets to make sure there is no problems, especially if there are no outward signs of distress.....

Off the floor, with the platform being able to be moved up or down....just so, it's easier on my back when assisting. Saw one in a pet store, $500.00, I thought no way, can do it for cheaper. The most expensive part is the plexi glass.

I just got tired of seeing that ugly puppy pen in my bedroom for 3 or 4 months.

I know it's hot here in this part of CA too.....the dogs have only been let out for potty breaks and right back in.

That's EXACTLY what I was thinking when I read your first post....a crib would be right up there(almost)to your height; I didn't remember about the fact that crib mattresses could be raised and lowered.........VERY handy. Lucky you to have a hubby that can do those kinds of things.