Labor progression

[sandiebeach01]

I picked up a very pregnant shelter dog on Friday and it’s now Monday afternoon. She has been having brown discharge since Sunday morning. Her temp Sunday morning was 98.3, evening was 99.9 and this morning was 100.1. She’s still eating and sleeping a lot. I’ve been getting mixed information. How can I help her ?

She’s stuffed with 10 pups! For such a small dog- that’s a ton.

 

[oldwoodsman]

@sandiebeach01 Is she eating? Drinking? If you lightly squeeze her nipples is milk coming out?

Generally, she will stop eating 12-24 hours in advance of Whelping. She frequently stops drinking 6-12 hours in advance. Milk can come in up to a week in advance but may also come in when labor starts.

Restlessness, and nesting behaviors also generally indicate that you are less than 24 hours out.

If you go to youtube.com/@SeasDiver, I live streamed a Whelping of 7 pups. It is 5 hours long, but I answered a lot of questions during the Whelping.

If you spend a bit of time perusing my comment history you will find a lot of comments about rescue Whelping and maternity fostering.

 

[sandiebeach01]

@oldwoodsman Thank you! She’s really skinny and has continued to eat but not drinking as much. She does have milk! I read a post that that said their dog needed a cesarean because her uterus was so full it couldn’t contract.

 

[oldwoodsman]

@sandiebeach01 Pups can be too big for the birth canal. Or when there is a singleton pup, sometimes some of the hormones are insufficient to induce labor.

If you see her in active labor, where she appears to have contractions or is pushing for more than half an hour, er vet visit is warranted.

When she starts nursing, make sure she has an unlimited supply of puppy kibble available. She won’t have much of an appetite for 12-24 hours post birth , but after that she should be voracious. Some vets say a rule of thumb for larger dogs is that they will eat their amount of kibble plus up to 1 cup per nursing puppy per day. So I have had momma’s eating 8-12 cups of puppy kibble per day. You should be feeding puppy kibble rather than adult since it is higher in calcium and she will need that for the milk. Also; unlimited amounts of water, keep the water near but outside of the puppy pen as you don’t want a puppy to crawl in and drown.

 

[dukedesu]

@sandiebeach01 Usually too many puppies is over 12 or so, but if she's in bad condition, it is more likely she will need a c-section. If she's still eating, she's probably not in active labor. Most refuse food before.

 

[grado]

@sandiebeach01 Hiiii! I recommend joining the group “dog breeding, whelping & puppy support” on Facebook. The group and page is a goldmine of info and helpful tips, even if you’re not a breeder. Asking this question there will also get you more answers! I’d recommend getting her whelping area set up and getting her comfy in there. She will start nesting and rustling her bedding around, becoming super restless which is a major sign that birth is happening very soon. My dog’s only sign was the nesting and rustling around, and then BAM it was time. Her temp also rose, but she ended up having 9 healthy pups. Please make sure to have calcium on hand (oral cal plus or dog friendly calcium tablets) to give between each puppy - it speeds up the process and helps strengthen contractions. You can also give it before birth happens when you know she’s getting close.

 

[sandiebeach01]

@grado Posted on there as well! Thank you