If her temp drops but you don’t see any signs of labor within a day, take her to the vet. As she enters actual labor you should be able to see her contractions and most dogs will begin looking at their hindquarters. Puppies born more than a few days early have little chance of survival and may even be stillborn or dead upon birth. Almost 98% of dogs give birth without incident, but in a few cases, an infection or another abnormality may cause a dog to go into labor before the right time. The female dog (bitch) may be restless, nervous and occupy herself in nesting activity. Once your dog's temperature has dropped, please do not leave her alone in case of complications. These signs include exhaustion, depression and fruitless, consistent contractions that last for upward of two hours. After a pregnancy length of about 63 days, your dog will begin to show signs of labor. Your dog should be more than capable of handling giving birth by herself, but complications can occasionally occur. An increase of licking of the genitals is normal before and during labor. When it drops to 98 degrees or lower, she should be delivering puppies within 12 to 24 hours. However, some pregnancies are unexpected and therefore the dog’s owner may be overwhelmed by the events unfolding: a moodier female, a growing belly, a loss of appetite, and so on. The second stage of labor is when the fetuses are pushed out by uterine contractions. Contact your vet if: Mum fails to go into labour within 24 hours of her temperature dropping. The normal temperature for a dog is 99.5 degrees to 102.5 degrees. The signs usually appear in a set order, so as each sign presents itself, we will be moving one rung higher on the ladder. (Editor's Note, Dr. Peter Kintzer: Given the large number of homeless dogs available for adoption that would be wonderful pets and companions, very careful thought and serious deliberation should be undertaken before electing to breed your dog. Steps to follow when your dog's in labor. Please bear in mind that not all dogs are the same, and not all dogs will present the same signs in the same order. A labor lasting more than 18 hours may be indicative of complications such as stillbirths and puppy death. A dog’s normal temperature is about 101.5, but it will drop by two degrees about 24 hours before she goes into labor. This article is a complete guide to dog pregnancies: signs of pregnancy, different stages of labor, dystocia and birthing problems, etc. If it takes over two hours for a mother dog to give birth … The second stage of dog labor is the actual beginning of her whelping her puppies, and is marked by noticeable panting, and contractions. 9 Potential Dog Pregnancy Complications. The lowered dog labour temperature is usually a sign that the puppies are on their way, so if they don’t come, something might be wrong. In most cases the dog will survive, although she may be infertile. 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