I have a very pregnant Jack Russell Terrier. She was bred to a toy Fox Terrier. How can you tell when they go into labor? How can you tell if they are having problems? Her breasts are engorged, she had a mucous discharge approx 30 hours ago, she does not seem to be in pain , and is not straining or bearing down. I have birthed a lot of goats and my cats just pop them out, but she [Dinki] is a small terrier and this is her first and only litter. Any advice? karen

-- Karen Mauk (dairygoatmama@hotmail.com), April 12, 2000

Answers

I can only tell you my experience with Great Danes but I'm pretty sure the signs will be similar. You should take the dog's temperature. When it drops a few degrees they will normally whelp within 24 to 48 hours. (Normal temperature is 101 or 102 and it can drop to 98 or so.) If it is already in the 90's then you are probably pretty close to the time. They will also show signs of restlessness, i.e. not laying down for very long, roaming around the house or turning in circles a lot. As the time gets closer they can start panting as if they are hot. You should have a whelping box ready for them and show her where it is and encourage her to get into it ahead of time. We usually have them sleep in it for several days before their due date so they are comfortable with it. This box should be out of the way of your normal household activities so they feel safe and secluded but it should be in a place close enough for you to keep an eye on her. Have your kids leave her alone during the last few days so she is not around a lot of commotion. Dogs like to be secluded when they whelp although you should be there in case she needs help. You may or may not get any kind of discharge before the first pup but we usually didn't until after the first one. You should be able to see her having contractions similar to how a cat would look in labor. Puppies are usually born no more than 2 hours apart. Some have come one right after the other and others can be up to 2 hours apart. If she is contracting and does not produce a puppy after say ten or fifteen minutes, see if you can see any evidence of a puppy coming out such as a leg. If you see a part of a puppy and she is not able to push it out, she will need help. I would call your vet and have them on the phone to tell you how to help or advize you to bring her in. We are used to helping and bigger dogs give you more finger room so I'm not sure how they handle it with little dogs. If she stops contractions and does not have one for over two hours, then she is either done or there is a problem like one is stuck in the birth canal. Either way, you should call the vet. They will usually give them a shot to be sure no puppies or afterbirths remain. Incidentally, gestation is 63 days so that helps you figure out when they are due but some can come a day or two early or late. Any earlier than that and the pups may be too small to survive.

Good luck and happy puppy breath!

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), April 12, 2000.

The above advice is very good .How many times was she breed and how many days apart .I usually expect pups from the first breeding date anything past 24 hours of that date I would have her seen by a Vet .Is the discharge clear ? Any odor ?

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), April 12, 2000.

I raise rat terriers, which are almost the same as fox terriers. She will pant like a dog does on a very hot day. She may go into a box to have the puppies, or she may decide to have them in a human's bed if she is accustomned to sleeping with a person. She will probably not have any trouble. If she does seem to be straining and straining for several minutes, or if she tries to grab the puppy with her mouth and pull it, you will need to step in and help her. Gently grasp the baby and put a VERY gentle traction (pull) on the baby. Too much traction may injure the mother. If is better to apply to little traction than too much. When she has another contraction, the baby should come right out. Let her tend to the baby. They seldom need help with more than one. It would be nice to be able to call the vet if things don't seem to be going well, but sometimes you don't have time. We have a little male dog that I would like to have sold, but his mother pulled all the toes off one of his back feet because he was a breech birth, and instinct told her to do something. The entire crisis took less than 3 minutes to develop, plus it was about 3 am. His mother just hurt and she knew she had to do something. The next puppy was born without any trouble.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), April 12, 2000.

Colleen,Patty and Green, I want to thank you for all the help and advice. I am not usually such a nervous nellie, but I love this little dog. When I got her she fit in the palm of my hand, and I have fairly small hands. I got her iriginally for my terminally ill son. But I could not part with her, she took a lot of care at first, and she was very bouncy, and active. Chris needed a quiet mellow dog [he got a different breed]. Anyway, I managed to get very attached to this little bundle of energy and enthusiasm. She had 5 puppies today. three girls and two boys. She did it all by herself, with no help from this nervous wreck! Everybody is doing fine even me. Again thank you all so much. Countryside people are the BEST!

-- Karen Mauk (dairygoatmama@hotmail.com), April 13, 2000.

Congratulations!!! I was just checking in to see if there was an announcement and, if not, I was going to post a message to check on you. Sounds like your little girl did a fine job. I can certainly relate to your nervous nellie feelings. Even though we have whelped quite a few litters, I always get nervous when they are due because each time it can be different. Some dogs are great mothers and do it all themselves and others act like they haven't a clue and you need to help them with everything. People think that having puppies is just a natural thing and dogs have been doing it for centuries so what is the big deal but a lot of things can go wrong and a lot of puppies and mother dogs have been lost over the centuries but people don't realize that because the dog is having the pups under the barn or somewhere else and they never see the problems. The mother dog just shows up with three puppies but they don't know that the mother also lost four and got rid of them, etc. Different breeds are harder whelpers and that plays a part as well. I'm glad to hear yours all went fine. Five sounds like a nice size litter for a small dog.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), April 14, 2000.