Expert: Jannie Balliett - 11/21/2008

Question
We're amateur breeding my mums dog with our bitch right now, and shes around 51 days into her pregnancy, she has allot of fluid coming from her vagina, she is quite restless,drinking allot of water, heavy breathing and looks quite upset, could she be going into early labour?

Answer
Yes.

51 days is not too early actually, as their gestation period average is 63 days, but can go into labor earlier.

She might not actually have her first puppy for 24 hours or more, but the fluid discharge is a sign.

The restlessness, heavy breathing/panting, etc., are signs.

I hope you have a whelping box for her so she can go in it and feel comfortable, and "nest" in it. She will scrape the blankets or whatever you've put in it, and arrange it and rearrange it.

She will stop eating, and possibly stop drinking.

I'd get a baby electrolyte (a generic Pediloyte) for her to drink, a powdered canine replacement milk that you mix with water, she will drink that well, and a liquid diabetic glucose booster. Give her a squirt in the mouth every once in awhile when in labor to keep her blood sugar up.

Vanilla (only vanilla) ice cream and smooth peanut butter is good too. Offer her a tad of ice cream while in labor, and put smooth peanut butter on your finger and let her lick it off, and offer her the Pediolyte and canine replacement milk while in labor.

When she needs to go outside to pee, and she will poop the closer to birthing she gets, supervise her, not allowing her to be alone. She could have a puppy outside without you knowing, or go into a small, tight area like under a porch, deck, etc. to have the puppies and you won't be able to get her out.

Have a heating pad with a towel or small blanket over it, in a basket or box ready for newborn puppies, and drape the basket or box with towels or blankets to enclose them.

They can not regulate their body temperature until around 2 weeks old and will freeze and die.

So when she has a pup and is cleaning it, chewing the umbibical cord and placenta (which she will eat) and lick the baby, allow this until she is birthing another and her attention goes to that pup, and get the other puppy and dry it gently with a clean towel and place it in the heated basket or box, draping it well.

Do this as the whelping continues.

Once she is finished, change her whelping box bedding, place the heating pad on a blanket or large towel, and another on top of it, then another on that one, and give her puppies back to her to feed them which will not be milk for a few days, but an antibiotic which they need to survive.

Drape the whelping box to keep them warm, and you can use a heating lamp aimed at the inside or a small desk lamp with a high watt bulb to radiate heat.

Make sure the box temperature is at least 77 degrees which will be okay for mama but warm enough for babies if they snuggle her-- her body heat helps keep them warm.


She will eat and drink once she has taken care of them a few hours or so, so allow her the time she needs.

She will let you know when she wants to pee or eat and drink. Keep giving her the booster and other things mentioned above.

A dark, almost black, but green discharge is okay after she's had puppies--- BUT NOT BEFORE.

If she has that before a puppy is born, call your vet.

It could be an hour or more between puppies being born or minutes, so be prepared.

Call your vet if her labor persists without pups being born as it could be a pup obstruction in her canal.

Watch for breech births-- when the black pearly ball (the baby) presents, she will push it out-- if she is having a heard time, look and see if it is feet and butt, which is breech, and you will have to help her.

Clean hands well, vaseline is nice to lubricate your fingers, and reach inside her gently with your fingers and grab his shoulders and gently, very, very gently help pull it on her next contraction which helps expel the pup without damage to it, and be careful.