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About Patti
Expertise
To date, I've owned 7 dogs, all of which have lived into old age. Having cared for them in all stages of life, I feel I can offer sound advice to other pet owners, and people considering getting a dog. I am knowledgeable about the AKC (American Kennel Club) dog breeds, training and exercise, caring for sick and elderly pets, feeding, as well as many holistic treatments pets can benefit from. My only request is that you write me using standard English and punctuation.

Experience
My life experience in this field is more like "on the job training" rather than an actual degree in animal welfare. You may benefit from my experiences over the past 30 years. Aside from the dogs I've owned, I'm also involved in "breed rescue" and have fostered several dogs, all of which have been adopted to wonderful "forever homes". I find helping people who want a dog very rewarding.

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Veterinary Medicine > Dogs > English Mastiff in labor

Dogs - English Mastiff in labor

Expert: Patti - 11/3/2009

Question

My Female

Hello I have a almost 3 year old English mastiff(akc) we breed her to another akc English mastiff... Going by the last day they stuck she is due Nov.12... going from all days I would pin it around this Thursday Nov.5th to the 12th! She started showing signs of labor on Friday night (October 30th) could not find the right place to lay down panting heaving temp was at 100.9, seemed a little moody on Saturday (not her at all!) then on Saturday night she started having contractions! They were lasting about 30sec to a min long and were about 5 min apart, but her temp was 100 even. She seemed fine all day on Sunday then monday yesterday her temp dropped to 99.8 about 5 hours later it was back up to 100 even again! She has been passing, not sure where she wants to lay down and is panting heavy seems to be having contractions here and there... sorry for the book! We are new to this and I just want to make sure that I know what to expect! Do you think that I am getting closer? I am trying to pin point so that we are ready!

Answer

Hi Samantha,

You didn't say the date your dog was bred, so I can't tell you if your calculations for the due date is correct or not.

During the last week of her pregnancy, a dog is prone to drastic changes in body temperature. While many dogs do experience a drop in temperature which can indicate the onset of labor with 12-24 hours, that rule isn't cast in stone. Some dogs don't have the temperature change.

Typically a dog’s period of gestation is between 57 days and 65 days following conception. Now this is where it gets tricky. The date you're counting from is the conception date, not the breeding date. It’s extremely important that you know this little fact. Dog breeding and conception does not always occur at the same time. After intercourse the sperm has the ability to stay viable for up to five days following the action.
You can check the calculated due date here: http://www.askabreeder.com/Dog+Gestation+Calculator

Anytime you think your dog may be having a problem during her pregnancy or during labor, please call your veterinarian! From an online answer site such as AllExperts, you may not get a response for three days, and you simply do not have that kind of time if there is an emergency.

Best of luck,
Patti

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