When should I encourage my pregnant dog into her whelping crate?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can start tracking her temperature rectally with a digital thermometer. Take it once a day at the same time. They usually with go in to stage 1 labor after the temperature drops below 99. You should start watching her more closely around day 58. Newspaper is the best bedding for whelping boxes. She will be fine and it's impossible to control everything. I've attached a hand out on stages of labor and when to be concerned. I hope this helps and I wish you and Soska the best! Whelping and When to be Concerned Stages of Labor: -Stage 1 tends to start 10-24 hours after temperature drop (usually below 99 F). -Stage 1: nesting. Can persist for 3-24 hours before abdominal contractions begin -Stage 2: Visible abdominal contractions. FIRST PUPPY SHOULD ARRIVE WITH IN 1-2 HOURS. -Stage 3: passage of placenta. Usually occurs within 15 mins of passing puppy. If it does not happen, don’t worry. When to worry/Call: -Strong contractions > 45-60 mins without birth of a puppy -Weak and infrequent contractions >4-6 hours without birth of puppy ->4-5 hours between puppies (after birth of first puppy without birth of the next puppy). On average a puppy is born every 45-60 mins. HOWEVER, the mother can often rest for several hours between puppies. This rest period is NOT associated with contractions and usually doesn’t exceed 4-6 hours. -If one puppy is born and she is having VISIBLE contractions for >2 hours without 2nd puppy. Recommend calling around 1 hour mark to talk to someone. -Failure to enter active labor (contractions) 24-36 hours after rectal temp falls below 99 F -Mother is in obvious pain: biting at vulva, crying) -No puppy within 2 hours of seeing green vaginal discharge -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing clear fluid from vulva (rupture of allantochorion) -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing a clear/water filled balloon at vulvar lips (puppy is in birth canal)

Hello and thanks for your question about Belle. I would start off by recommending an examination by Belle's vet to be sure she is healthy/her pregnancy is going well, and she also may need to have some deworming done. In terms of setting things up at home, we normally recommend setting up a comfortable private area for whelping the puppies. A cage may not be best since it may be hard for you to be able to see/access the puppies if needed when she is giving birth. I have seen many people use a small child's swimming pool lined with cozy blankets as this is waterproof (floor won't get dirty) is easily cleaned, and has a high enough edge the pups can't get away but low enough mom can get in and out. Putting it in a quiet area of your house is best. You can also construct an open box yourself. You can read more about pregnant dog care at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A

If you think Negra may be going into labor it would be best to try and coax her into a whelping box that is inside so you can safely monitor her. If she is already giving birth, keeping an eye on her and then trying to move her and the puppies to a safer location after is best. If she seems very ill or severely in distress, and doesn't produce any puppies, bringing her to a vet ASAP for care is best.

That definitely sounds like Coco is close. If you haven't already, it would be best to prepare an indoor whelping box for her so she can safely have the puppies, you can observe them, and they are out of the elements.

I would recommend perhaps having her in a crate or maybe the laundry room/ bathroom at night? I would also consider using DAP, Or dog appeasing pheromones to help decrease her anxiety. This can be purchased at most all pet stores. I would also recommend an examination with your veterinarian to make sure there isn’t an underlying medical problem. I’m sorry Lani is so anxious, and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! The first thing is to be sure that Soska is up to date on all her vaccinations, is heartworm negative, in on heartworm prevention and has been dewormed. You can discuss monitoring her progesterone levels and vaginal cytology to optimize the correct breeding dates with your Vet. I will attach a handout on stages of pregnancy and when to worry during labor. Be sure to have a bulb syringe, hemostat, thread to tie umbilical chords and scissors. Here is a good website for whelping boxes:https://gordonsetterexpert.org/2015/10/29/design-yourself-the-perfect-whelping-box-set-up/ Whelping and When to be Concerned Stages of Labor: -Stage 1 tends to start 10-24 hours after temperature drop (usually below 99 F). -Stage 1: nesting. Can persist for 3-24 hours before abdominal contractions begin -Stage 2: Visible abdominal contractions. FIRST PUPPY SHOULD ARRIVE WITH IN 1-2 HOURS. -Stage 3: passage of placenta. Usually occurs within 15 mins of passing puppy. If it does not happen, don’t worry. When to worry/Call: -Strong contractions > 45-60 mins without birth of a puppy -Weak and infrequent contractions >4-6 hours without birth of puppy ->4-5 hours between puppies (after birth of first puppy without birth of the next puppy). On average a puppy is born every 45-60 mins. HOWEVER, the mother can often rest for several hours between puppies. This rest period is NOT associated with contractions and usually doesn’t exceed 4-6 hours. -If one puppy is born and she is having VISIBLE contractions for >2 hours without 2nd puppy. Recommend calling around 1 hour mark to talk to someone. -Failure to enter active labor (contractions) 24-36 hours after rectal temp falls below 99 F -Mother is in obvious pain: biting at vulva, crying) -No puppy within 2 hours of seeing green vaginal discharge -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing clear fluid from vulva (rupture of allantochorion) -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing a clear/water filled balloon at vulvar lips (puppy is in birth canal) I hope this helps and I wish you the best!

She may just want to go outside because it seems more comfortable, but I agree that's not ideal. If you do not have a whelping box set up for her inside I would make sure she has a comfy spot. She may prefer to be left alone - you could partially shut to door to a room so you can still supervise her and make sure everything is going okay. If she is actively pushing for more than 30 minutes or if she goes more than 4 hours between puppies I would recommend seeing a veterinarian to make sure everything is okay.