my pregnant german shepherd has milk in her nipples...igently squeezed one and a tiny bit of milk came out....generally how long before labor begins is milk present...?
2007-02-23 21:43:03 · 4 answers · asked by natalie b 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Milk can present it self up to a weekor 2 before birth. If you have a place in mind for her to whelp (give birth) then get her there now. She should be carefully watched and sometimes but not all dams will greatly slow down their food consumption shortly before birth. You can try to take her temp. but if you have never done this before don't try to do it now. Her temp. will go down a bit shortly before birth.
If this is her first litter she should be watched closely because not dams know what to do with the first litter. I hope you have read up on how to help with pups delivery if not the a crash course with your vet is needed in a hurry.
Things you will need to have on hand are: towels to help stimulate the new born pups, scissors, a suction bulb, and some kind of string to tie the umbicial cords of the new pups if needed, I usually put a dab of iodine on the ends of the cords to make sure no infection can work its way into the pup.
Good luck.
2007-02-24 00:23:36 · answer #1 · answered by ♥Golden gal♥ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your dog is lactating, that only means that her milk is ready for her puppies. It isn't really a sign that she is about to give birth, only that her body is getting ready. She should have already picked her spot that she wants to give birth in. Usually, they like to pick spots that are relatively hidden and private. If you have noticed her going into closets or under beds or anywhere else that she does not normally go to, that is the spot that she has chosen. If you see her laying around a bit more than usual, whimpering, licking herself, not being able to get comfortable and switching positions a lot or laying in funny positions she should be really close. Those are some begining signs of labor. The average gestation period for a dog is 60 - 65 days although it can be a little shorter for smaller dogs and a little longer for larger ones. Try not to follow her around too much, but if you haven't seen her for a little while (about 30 minutes or so) I would try to find her and see if she has started giving birth. Rubbing her tummy (if she allows you to) can soothe her mentally, as well as talking to her and praising her. When the puppies start to come, remain present but do not try to interfere unless she is having problems. A problem would be something like one of the puppies being partially out for more than a few minutes or her howling like she is really hurting. She will move around her chosen spot a lot while giving birth and that is completely normal. She will tend to each puppy as it is born and may get a little testy if you try to do it for her. When she has not delivered a puppt for around 45 minutes to an hour, very gently prod her stomach to feel for any additional puppy sized lumps to make sure that there are none still in there. After she is done, make sure that she has plenty of food and water in close vicinity to her as she will not want to leave her puppies for anything more than a potty break during the first couple of weeks. Try not to move the puppies as she will just keep moving them back and it creates more stress for the mother and the puppies. I hope this helps. Good luck and congratulations on your puppies!
2007-02-24 07:14:19 · answer #2 · answered by Lisa H 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
try to keep her in one area. once her temp goes down she can have a puppy like that! once i see milk my dog always has hers like 1 to 3 days later
my chihuahua had a pauppy right on the kicthen floor as i was about to check her temp to see if she was ready .
here's a link about the labor if this is your first litter:
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/showdogs/breedingreproducing.htm
great site! i used it before.
2007-02-24 07:11:03 · answer #3 · answered by kioana j 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
you need to check her temp. if it is around 99 degrees she should have the puppies real soon. Please watch her real close and make sure that she has a good place to have the puppies. if she has any problems, like no puppies after 5 to 6 hours after her water breaks please take her to the vets. good luck on the puppies
2007-02-24 06:49:37 · answer #4 · answered by Skyhoss 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋