# Why hasn't my dog gone into labor after temp drop



## ChiChi4Life (Sep 2, 2017)

I'm looking for a little bit of advice. I have an almost 3 year old miniature deer head Chihuahua, normally weighs 3.5 lbs or so, but currently weighs in at about 10 lbs. I was planning on getting her spayed, but her heat cycle came on again super fast and even though I watched her so so carefully and made her wear a diaper, I realized about a week ago that she's pregnant. I have an idea who the father might be but not 100% sure it could either be the male Boston Terrier down the road or my husband's Trucking buddy who's a Dachshund mix (no idea with what and only speculating on the dachsund part. We just adopted him from a shelter in wa a week before my pip went into heat ) who happened to be home at the time of her heat. I was so careful to keep her separated but somehow she got pregnant and it's not a phantom pregnancy because there are most definitely puppies moving in there I felt at least 3 to 4 little bodies. I'm not sure when exactly when she is due, but I know that if I go by the dates of when her heat first started and then stopped and count from the middle dates of her heat (fertile time) to now, she should be due literally any day. Since she is a short hair (absolutely no under cost to speak of either) she always runs a little cool temp wise, so when I started taking her temp 2x a day, it read from 99.9 to 99, with one day reading a 98.5 and still no babies. She has an unbelievablly huge appetite and she has only eaten more and more as her pregnancy goes on. She eats 3 to 4 trays of wet food per day with table scraps and snacks thrown in (she used to eat 2 trays plus table foods) but she would eat continuously if i allowed it. I'm worried that something may be wrong, because her temp went down to below 99 the other day and she threw up her breakfast (telling signs but no labor) otherwise she just sleeps all day. Idk when she will go into labor. Does anyone know of any other signs I should look for or ways to tell exactly how far along she is or when she may deliver? Temp taking isn't doing anything and pups are moving around just fine. She hasn't been licking her hind end or leaking anything whatsoever and she hasn't been doing any nesting or anything like that. I have no way to get her to the vet (car is currently getting worked on )not to mention the only vet close to me charges over $100 just to walk through the door and isn't the vet I normally use. Idk she was even pregnant until about a week or so ago when she suddenly just ballooned out. I have the numbers for the ER vet close to me just in case. I am looking for any kind of advice or tips and tricks regarding whelping and / or what I can do. I wish I had been able to get her spayed before her heat came on, but it just wasn't in the cards at the time. I am especially worried because this is the second time she has gotten caught and it's so soon after her first litter so I'm freaking out a bit. I have never seen a dog get preg so darn easy! She is getting fixed the second the vet says its ok and this time ill go to a different vet if they tell me to wait until after the first heat after pregnancy since that's how I'm in this predicament to begin with. Any advice is helpful! Please keep rude comments to yourself. All positivity accepted!


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

The majority of bitches conceive very easily. Usually, one mating is all that's needed.

I would be a little concerned if she has been mated by a Boston Terrier. You describe her as a Miniature Chihuahua, so, if the father is a Boston, do be aware that she may need a C Section.

Without knowing the date on which she was mated, then you're always going to be guessing as to her due date.

The usual signs of early labour are loss of appetite, sometimes vomiting, extreme restlessness, digging/nesting. As labour progresses, the digging will become more frantic and the bitch will pant and shiver/tremble.

Working back from when she was in season, approximately how many days along do you think she is?

After this litter is delivered, I would not wait until she has another season to have her spayed, as it seems at least two entire dogs could have had access to her during her last season.

Three months after her pups are born, your Vet can do a blood test to check her hormone levels and spay her if he's happy with them.


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

ChiChi4Life said:


> this is the second time she has gotten caught and it's so soon after her first litter


Did she have a litter from her last season?

How could the Boston Terrier have got to her if he lives down the road?


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Her weight gain seems massive. If you are really feeding her that much food it is hardly surprising. You seem to be feeding her more than 4 times what my dogs get and they weigh at least 4 times what your dog used to weigh. I think you need to be very careful as she is more likely to have a difficult whelping if she is overweight.


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## ChiChi4Life (Sep 2, 2017)

Here she is, my soul-dog Pipsqueak aka Pips, Pippy, Pippers lol if I calculate it correctly, she is 9 weeks pregnant right now, about


Sweety said:


> The majority of bitches conceive very easily. Usually, one mating is all that's needed.
> 
> I would be a little concerned if she has been mated by a Boston Terrier. You describe her as a Miniature Chihuahua, so, if the father is a Boston, do be aware that she may need a C Section.
> 
> ...


Yes I plan to get her spayed as soon as the pups are weaned and if her regular vet gives me issue this time I will go to a new vet. If she got pregnant when I think, she would be about 57 or more days along. Her last litter was exactly 57 days. The sire of her last litter was a dog I was fostering. He was an apple head chihuahua and dachsund mix and she delivered fine even though he was about 10 to 12 lbs (maybe slightly more idk)


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

ChiChi4Life said:


> Here she is, my soul-dog Pipsqueak aka Pips, Pippy, Pippers lol if I calculate it correctly, she is 9 weeks pregnant right now, about
> 
> Yes I plan to get her spayed as soon as the pups are weaned and if her regular vet gives me issue this time I will go to a new vet. If she got pregnant when I think, she would be about 57 or more days along. Her last litter was exactly 57 days. The sire of her last litter was a dog I was fostering. He was an apple head chihuahua and dachsund mix and she delivered fine even though he was about 10 to 12 lbs (maybe slightly more idk)


Oh dear. Yes, you absolutely must get her spayed before her next season. Two accidental matings and two pregnancies back to back will take a huge toll on her.

Most bitches will deliver on or close to day 63, so she would be early at this point. All you can do at this point is watch and wait, you will know when labour begins.

As Blitz said, you do seem to be overfeeding her. Bitches do need more food once they're lactating and feeding pups, but not at this point.


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## ChiChi4Life (Sep 2, 2017)

Blitz said:


> Her weight gain seems massive. If you are really feeding her that much food it is hardly surprising. You seem to be feeding her more than 4 times what my dogs get and they weigh at least 4 times what your dog used to weigh. I think you need to be very careful as she is more likely to have a difficult whelping if she is overweight.


She has always had a huge appetite and a very fast metabolism. She is very healthy and fit, just very lean. She has always been a very excitable and hyper dog. The food trays are for small dogs and are about 2 oz per tray. The vet said that her appetite is normal, due to her activity level and to never deny her food if she acts hungry. Her last litter was with an applehead dachsund mix who was fostering here at the time. If she got caught by the Boston terrier (he gets loose alot, the owners keep him chained to the porch outdoors) it would be much preferred to if the sire is my husband's dog (we had just adopted him from a wa shelter at the time) he is 15 lbs and the Boston is only slightly bigger than my chi. She is quite tall, and has long, long legs (like a deer) with a small body. Either way, I'm watching her carefully and have the vets numbers on call in case she needs more help than I can give.


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## ChiChi4Life (Sep 2, 2017)

Sweety said:


> Oh dear. Yes, you absolutely must get her spayed before her next season. Two accidental matings and two pregnancies back to back will take a huge toll on her.
> 
> Most bitches will deliver on or close to day 63, so she would be early at this point. All you can do at this point is watch and wait, you will know when labour begins.
> 
> As Blitz said, you do seem to be overfeeding her. Bitches do need more food once they're lactating and feeding pups, but not at this point.


Her last litter whelped at 57 days. Yrs I will be getting her spayed asap it is scheduled for Jan. Written down, it sounds like I am overfeeding her, but she never gains weight, unless she is pregnant. She metabolizes food at such a fast rate, that after a few hrs, her stomach looks caved in (except for right now of course lol her belly is so big only labor will cave that in lol) no, she doesn't have worms lol she is just a very high strung dog. My vet said I'm not overfeeding her, and to feed her when she is hungry, so until she tells me otherwise I have to follow her advice. Idk when she will whelp, she has been sleeping pretty much nonstop unless I go outside and then she wants to go but otherwise she is sleeping


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## SingingWhippet (Feb 25, 2015)

Obviously it's a bit late to do anything about it now but I do agree with the others that it sounds like you've been overfeeding her quite drastically. It's only really late in pregnancy and during lactation that the bitch's food needs upping considerably.

As a breed Chihuahuas have a fairly high rate of c-sections, around 35% of litters are born via cesarian. The sire of the litter being larger and her potentially having been overfed during her pregnancy will increase those risks further. I would familiarise yourself with the signs of dystocia and also make sure you've planned ahead so you're ready in case an emergency c-section becomes necessary.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

ChiChi4Life said:


> I'm looking for a little bit of advice. I have an almost 3 year old miniature deer head Chihuahua, normally weighs 3.5 lbs or so, but currently weighs in at about 10 lbs. I was planning on getting her spayed, but her heat cycle came on again super fast and even though I watched her so so carefully and made her wear a diaper, I realized about a week ago that she's pregnant. I have an idea who the father might be but not 100% sure it could either be the male Boston Terrier down the road or my husband's Trucking buddy who's a Dachshund mix (no idea with what and only speculating on the dachsund part. We just adopted him from a shelter in wa a week before my pip went into heat ) who happened to be home at the time of her heat. I was so careful to keep her separated but somehow she got pregnant and it's not a phantom pregnancy because there are most definitely puppies moving in there I felt at least 3 to 4 little bodies. I'm not sure when exactly when she is due, but I know that if I go by the dates of when her heat first started and then stopped and count from the middle dates of her heat (fertile time) to now, she should be due literally any day. Since she is a short hair (absolutely no under cost to speak of either) she always runs a little cool temp wise, so when I started taking her temp 2x a day, it read from 99.9 to 99, with one day reading a 98.5 and still no babies. She has an unbelievablly huge appetite and she has only eaten more and more as her pregnancy goes on. She eats 3 to 4 trays of wet food per day with table scraps and snacks thrown in (she used to eat 2 trays plus table foods) but she would eat continuously if i allowed it. I'm worried that something may be wrong, because her temp went down to below 99 the other day and she threw up her breakfast (telling signs but no labor) otherwise she just sleeps all day. Idk when she will go into labor. Does anyone know of any other signs I should look for or ways to tell exactly how far along she is or when she may deliver? Temp taking isn't doing anything and pups are moving around just fine. She hasn't been licking her hind end or leaking anything whatsoever and she hasn't been doing any nesting or anything like that. I have no way to get her to the vet (car is currently getting worked on )not to mention the only vet close to me charges over $100 just to walk through the door and isn't the vet I normally use. Idk she was even pregnant until about a week or so ago when she suddenly just ballooned out. I have the numbers for the ER vet close to me just in case. I am looking for any kind of advice or tips and tricks regarding whelping and / or what I can do. I wish I had been able to get her spayed before her heat came on, but it just wasn't in the cards at the time. I am especially worried because this is the second time she has gotten caught and it's so soon after her first litter so I'm freaking out a bit. I have never seen a dog get preg so darn easy! She is getting fixed the second the vet says its ok and this time ill go to a different vet if they tell me to wait until after the first heat after pregnancy since that's how I'm in this predicament to begin with. Any advice is helpful! Please keep rude comments to yourself. All positivity accepted!


If shes had a temp drop to what you say then 1st stage of labour should have started by 24 hours after the temperature drop.
I would be concerned because she is a very small breed and the prospective fathers are larger breeds meaning the puppies could well be on the larger size, especially a Boston who tend to have large heads. Dystocia can happen for several reasons, because of conformation of the Mum narrow pelvis, the size of the pups, or because there is a pup badly positioned, you can also get something called uterine inertia where the uterus doesn't contract and push the pups out which can happen at the start and nothing at all happens, or from uterine exhaustion if the pups cant come out for some reason and the uterus becomes exhausted. Its also even more complicated as you don't know when the pups are due for sure, and she has also not long had a litter.

If she has dystocia for any reason (and as said 1st stage should happen 24 hours at most after temperature drop) then without the help of a vet you could lose Pups and Mum.


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