# Is this the whelping temperature drop?



## Nelsadoodle (Feb 27, 2016)

Hi, firstly if you are not going to offer help but instead have a go please save us all the effort and skip this thread.

My maiden bitch is on day 58. Temp at 7 am was 36.7 but now back up to 37.0 (4pm )
Was this her pre whelp drop or not?

Maiden bitch, no nesting yet, lots of pacing last night. Mucous clear from vulva but definitely present. Vulva soft and swollen.


----------



## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

Not going to have a go, but to call her a maiden bitch can't be accurate, not if she's pregnant. Maidens have not been mated! You mean first litter?
I never did temperature taking. The signs of going into whelp are clear enough without it, I think. With mine, (first and only litter) the vulval plug came out a couple of days before whelping, but the first-stage panting and nesting are unmissable. What breed is your girl, and do you know how many pups are expected, roughly? Day 58 would be early unless it's an unusually large litter.


----------



## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Nelsadoodle said:


> Hi, firstly if you are not going to offer help but instead have a go please save us all the effort and skip this thread.
> 
> My maiden bitch is on day 58. Temp at 7 am was 36.7 but now back up to 37.0 (4pm )
> Was this her pre whelp drop or not?
> ...


Normally a drop to 99F or below which is equal to 37.2C usually signals the first stage of labour and that should start 24 hours after the temp drop. So could well be.
Gestation is 63 days from mating but that is only an approximate and dogs like humans can vary, and not all are perfect textbook.


----------



## Nelsadoodle (Feb 27, 2016)

Burrowzig said:


> Not going to have a go, but to call her a maiden bitch can't be accurate, not if she's pregnant. Maidens have not been mated! You mean first litter?
> I never did temperature taking. The signs of going into whelp are clear enough without it, I think. With mine, (first and only litter) the vulval plug came out a couple of days before whelping, but the first-stage panting and nesting are unmissable. What breed is your girl, and do you know how many pups are expected, roughly? Day 58 would be early unless it's an unusually large litter.


Yes, first litter.
Vet wouldn't give me specifics without an x Ray did say it was a large litter though.

Day 63 is actually an average day 58 not unusual at all.
She's a Multigen labradoodle.


----------



## Nelsadoodle (Feb 27, 2016)

Sled dog hotel said:


> Normally a drop to 99F or below which is equal to 37.2C usually signals the first stage of labour and that should start 24 hours after the temp drop. So could well be.
> Gestation is 63 days from mating but that is only an approximate and dogs like humans can vary, and not all are perfect textbook.


I'm watching her like a hawk. My feeling is that she won't be long now, but they are all so different and I've never done temp readings with previous litters!


----------



## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Nelsadoodle said:


> Yes, first litter.
> Vet wouldn't give me specifics without an x Ray did say it was a large litter though.
> 
> Day 63 is actually an average day 58 not unusual at all.
> She's a Multigen labradoodle.


I never found day 63 to be an average.


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Sweety said:


> I never found day 63 to be an average.


63 days is the quoted average. All my litters have been on day 63.

What on earth is a Multigen labradoodle


----------



## Nelsadoodle (Feb 27, 2016)

A multigenerational Labradoodle is a Labradoodle who's parents are both at least third generation labradoodles.


----------



## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

Blitz said:


> 63 days is the quoted average. All my litters have been on day 63.
> 
> What on earth is a Multigen labradoodle


It's a labradoodle that is beyond F2, so a labradoodle x labradoodle.

Hopefully the OP is clued up about genetics & has done all the appropriate health testing for the inherited diseases found in both parent breeds


----------



## Nelsadoodle (Feb 27, 2016)

Yes thanks!


----------



## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Blitz said:


> 63 days is the quoted average. All my litters have been on day 63.
> 
> What on earth is a Multigen labradoodle


All of my litters were born on day 63.

That's why I feel it's more the norm than 'average'.


----------



## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Nelsadoodle said:


> I'm watching her like a hawk. My feeling is that she won't be long now, but they are all so different and I've never done temp readings with previous litters!


Most often quoted seems to be 62/63 days, and that seems to be the normal period of gestation you expect for dogs, but I have also seen 58 to 62/3 quoted too and even up to 65. I suppose like human pregnancies which is normally 40 weeks as standard not every person is bang on 40 weeks, you get ones that are under, and over, so I should imagine its just as possible sometimes for dogs to be too, hence the different length quoted in dogs in some/various sources. Maybe if litters are extra large or larger then normal for the breed then an earlier whelping sometimes does happen.

One of my friends has always taken temps, in fact it saved one of her bitches and the pups, she knew exactly when they should be due so started taking temps at the appropriate time, and one of her bitches temps dropped perfect text book on time, but 24 hours later nothing was happening at all. The dog just sat there. It turned out that she has uterine inertia, and it was only because of my friend being sure of dates and the temp taking she realised something was up, she got her vet checked and pups were delivered by C-section, had she not been on the ball, and got veterinary intervention pups and mum would likely not have survived.


----------



## Nelsadoodle (Feb 27, 2016)

Sweety said:


> All of my litters were born on day 63.
> 
> That's why I feel it's more the norm than 'average'.


I've also had litters arrive from 58 days right up to 67. Size of litter, size of pups and size of bitch all play a part. Your litters were textbook, I've taken her due date as next Wednesday but from 58 on I always start to get more watchful.

She's settled now so not going to happen in the next few hours.


----------



## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

Nelsadoodle said:


> I've also had litters arrive from 58 days right up to 67. Size of litter, size of pups and size of bitch all play a part. Your litters were textbook, I've taken her due date as next Wednesday but from 58 on I always start to get more watchful.
> 
> She's settled now so not going to happen in the next few hours.


Any progress?


----------



## Nelsadoodle (Feb 27, 2016)

No, spoke to my vet and he said that as her temp normally is around 37.4 he would be looking for it to go lower than that to at least 36.4.

No other signs really either. She is panting a bit but it's only intermittently and then only briefly. Will update when pups arrive!


----------



## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

good luck hope it goes well, look forward to pictures once they have arrived and mum is settled with them.


----------



## Nelsadoodle (Feb 27, 2016)

colliemerles said:


> good luck hope it goes well, look forward to pictures once they have arrived and mum is settled with them.


Thank you. Looking like we may have an eventful night ahead. I really hope so. She's fed up now.


----------



## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

You must have puppies by now?....


----------



## Nelsadoodle (Feb 27, 2016)

Ten pups in total born last night and early this morning. Nel is doing amazingly well. Pups are strong, fit and healthy.


----------



## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Really pleased for you that pups were born safely and both them and Mum are doing really well. Someones going to be very busy for a while to come.


----------



## Nelsadoodle (Feb 27, 2016)

The first seven.


----------



## Team_Trouble (Apr 11, 2016)

Congratulations what lovely little babies


----------

