Is our yorkie in Labour?
 

Our two yorkies first mated 62 days ago and the vet confirmed that our girl is pregnant with 'at least' 2 pups. Yesterday we went to the pet store to get the rest of the bits we needed and when we got home she was constantly panting and shaking. At first we thought it was just the hot weather but it went on for quite a while so we thought she was in the first stage of labour.

She's been panting, shaking and whining for the best part of 10 hours on and off and now she's asleep! Is it normal for them to sleep during this stage?

She's also digging in the whelphing box and she's been sick once (but not much).

Any advice would be great.

Call your vet. hoping for strangers on a forum to "help" is not what your bitch needs right now.

Gl

Has she pushed at all?
That is one of the dangerous parts of breeding. Rule of thumb is not to wait over 4 hours without second stage labor, and then seek Vet.
Please keep us updated. You can lose the pups and lose her too, if you wait too long.

Don't think she has. All of the literature we've red has said the first stage of labour can last upto 24 hours with first time mums. If there's been no progress in a couple of hours, I'll give the vets a ring.

Sometimes the pups moving into position can mimic labor. I had one girl that panted some off and on for 2 days without labor progressing...then went on to have a trouble-free whelp. Then you can have one show no early signs and go right into labor quickly.

Some just keep you guessing. Watch out for any signs of distress and best of luck.

I am assuming these two posts are from the same person. If so, please pick one member name and post only with that to minimize confusion during a time you do not want confusion!!!! Not only is it against the rules to have two accounts, it is just going to make it more difficult for you to ensure answers to questions during a critical care time for your dog & her puppies.

I would get in touch with a 24 hour emergency care vet and make sure you know how to get there quickly. If time is right where you are, contact your regular vet and see if he is willing to let the puppies be born in his office with you observing. It may cost a bit, but better that if you have no mentor or experience. Actually I don't know you experience level -- is this your first litter? During labor is just a difficult time to be trying to learn about whelping a litter. Too many things can happen needing split second decisions on your part. No time to type back and forth hoping someone WITH experience can answer you when you need it. Some of our most experienced members are probably asleep right now and may not be online for another 6-8 hours! If this is your first litter, it would be so much better if you could have an experienced mentor WITH you. In lieu of that, I would be in close contact with a vet.

I have limited experience. When my girl started her hard panting pups were imminent (within a couple of hours) but I had read previously that they can stay in this state for a full day before actually moving on to start delivering pups. Still, for myself, I would feel more comfortable being in contact with a trusted vet if the panting had gone on for more than 8 hours.

Best of luck to you, your momma dog and her puppies.

BTW -- if you have time, read through Debbie Jensen's Whelping Guide -- extremely good info: http://www.debbiejensen.com/ She also has some videos up on Youtube showing the whelping of a litter: