[AlpineLily]

Hello. New here! We have a 5 year old toy poodle that is very special to us and she's 54 days pregnant.

We recently lost our other dog from old age, just 1 month after his father passed from covid.

So we are really looking forward to these puppies.

This is her first and only litter. Only 2 puppies. We're keeping one or both, then sterilize.

She had check ups during the planning phase
Tests and microscope slides when in heat.
Ultrasound after 30 days.
Second ultrasound yesterday at Day 53 and an Xray.

Vet says everything looks good. The 2 puppies are high up, have a good heart beat, move and he mentioned they had bone calcification so they showed well on the xray.

Vet told me to start checking temp to establish her baseline and check for a drop.

I'm in Italy and people have been telling me the full moon makes dogs give birth, but it would be too early since it's 2 days from now and I shrugged it off as old wives tales.

Last night temp was 37.9 C and today this morning it was 37.1. Two hours later it was up 37.6.

Instead of establishing a baseline a week early, now I'm on pins and needles!

Could it be the thermometer is calibrated low? Temperature fluctuates during the day?

No discharge, eating well, usual activity. All normal. It's 9 pm so I'll log her night temp soon.

 

[PowersPup]

How exciting! I know nothing about birthing puppies so can't add anything helpful here, but best of luck to you and your little mama dog! And her two babies, too!

 

[Starvt]

Those are certainly on the lower end of normal. Yes, temperature can fluctuate. Are you taking her temp rectally? If there is some stool in the rectum, it can falsely decrease the temp. Also you should be sure to gently angle the thermometer so that the tip is somewhat pressing against the wall of the rectum.
At the vet clinic where I work, we always say that the crazy stuff happens on a full moon, but I've not heard/seen any affect on birth. Dogs are usually pretty darn close to the 63 days from ovulation, so I don't see how it would even be possible. Unless the heat cycle was linked to the moon (I could see that being possible).

 

[Rose n Poos]

You sound pretty well advised but as a back up, here's a resource that might have something helpful.

Nearly Everything You Want to Know About The Technical...

If you have a question specifically about breeding your poodle, please refer to the links to this incredible virtual library. There's a wealth of information with medical photos (not for the queasy, so you have been warned) that can teach you far more than you will learn here. It should go...

www.poodleforum.com

Sending positive thoughts!

 

[AlpineLily]

I think she just lost her mucus plug!

It's the afternoon of Day 55.

No signs of anything. No milk. Eating very well and playing with her toys.

I took her outside to go potty. Saw she has liquid stools, looked down and saw fairly good size mucus.

Her lady parts had clear liquid dripoing. She's now starting to lick and clean herself.

I hope she waits a few days!

I have puctures but might be TMI

 

[AlpineLily]

Thank you @PowersPup!

@Starvt interesting. Now that you mentioned it, I looked at her vet appointments. The day the vet said the microscope cytology and tests said "NOW" was the day after a full moon.

I'm more for progesterone, LH, cytology, and scans than the moon... but goodness, how weird.

@Rose n Poos Thanks! I'm reading this while my husband calls the vet for advice.

I'm alone up in the Alps to keep Lily away from the heat in town. We have a tiny stone cottage. Going down now to be near the vet.

 

[Liz]

Good luck to you, Lily, and the pups!

 

[cowpony]

Hoping for happy healthy mama and pups.

 

[AlpineLily]

So the little lady was very playful and happy to see them. Temp 99.9 (37.7) as it's been since yesterday at noon and it's now late evening. Eating well. No milk. No signs of anything.

Husband thinks it's just runny stools from something she ate.
Vet says milk will come closer to her due date and it's early.

So I'm back home. I figure I'm just on edge and they're right.

But now she grabbed her toy and hid under the sheets wimpering.

I'm on the computer working from home next to her.

She's been sleeping for the past 90 minutes but panting a bit. Relaxed, but deep sleep with quick breaths hugging her toy she's very protective of.

Hoping they're right and she waits a bit.

 

[AlpineLily]

Vet closes in 10 minutes so I took the temp before

36.6 C... that's 97.9!

And she's panting for over an hour.

Symptoms are symptoms. Second call to the vet... and he agreed it's time.

Husband was in a meeting and dropped everything to going to pick up newborn puppy formula to attempt to feed pups ourselves!

At least it's not 1 am.

 

[Liz]

Wishing her a safe delivery!

 

[Rose n Poos]

Sending positive thoughts that all goes well.

 

[AlpineLily]

Nothing yet. Past midnight and she's sleeping calmly.

I'm passing the time looking back and calculating days more precisely.

From the hour of mating it's now the 12th hour of the 56th day.

If no puppies by noon, day 57 will start (in 11 hours).

Any day counts for viability.

Hoping the late mating played a role, since the day before mating the vet ran a slide and said the cells on the microscope had almost 100% cornification and she was well into estrus and her window was closing "go now!"

Went next day. It was the first and only try.

Goodness, as you well know, this takes commitment and serious responsibility.

Can only be done out of love of the breed and being ready to be a caregiver and put in whatever time it takes.

2 puppies are coming. I hope they are viable and have a good chance at a healthy and happy life.

 

[AlpineLily]

This is little Lilly.

And this morning on the Italian mountains to escape the heat.

 

[Starvt]

The late breeding can indeed play a role. The 63 days of pregnancy starts at ovulation, but a successful breeding can happen up to a couple days after that. So she could be at day 58 today.
Hopefully it was a false alarm and she holds on for a few more days!

 

[AlpineLily]

I hope so, @Starvt

What happened is one of two puppies' died inside and it's causing problems. Lily seems to be in the early stages of whelping but is not pregressing and won't eat or drink.

So the vet did a 3rd scan. He didn't have to say anything. I saw the heart wasn't beating and the puppy wasn't moving.

I said "it doesn't look good, does it?"
He said "One's alive but it doesn't fit (since she's not dilated) and it's early"

So he called colleagues at a bigger clinic/pet hospital 40 minutes away. We went immediately.

They did another scan and confirmed. I said we would agree to a cesarean with sterilization, since we planned to do that before her next heat.

So he ran blood tests to monitor her health and repeated the scan (5th scan this month, 3rd today) to count the heartbeats per minute and called another colleague that specializes in assisting premature puppies.

My little Lily was started on IV and antibiotics and we were there until night.

Tomorrow they admit her and monitor her health as they wait to get more hours for the puppy.

There will be 3 veterinarians during the surgery, plus a colleague from a 3rd clinic who will come just to help the puppy.

 

[Starla]

Oh no. I was worrying there might be a problem, and hoping it wasn’t so. I am wishing for the best possible outcome for Lily and her puppy.

 

[Liz]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Best wishes to Lily and her puppy on a safe delivery tomorrow.

 

[94Magna_Tom]

Sad news. I'm praying for her and her pup.

 

[Rose n Poos]

Hoping as hard as I can for a happy outcome.