Baby

Question
Hello, My boxer Baby is due to have her first litter any day on 3/7 the vet said she was 42 to 45 days along. She is huge, has milk, and her vulva is huge she looks so ready to us we have'nt left her alone at all. My question is how much can dogs exceed approximate due dates? When should I worry? She's not in distress but she refuses to be in a room alone and has been that way for at least a week now. She seems less streesed than we are. Thanks for your help!

Answer
Hi Lindsey,

Whelping occurs 62-64 days from ovulation; if you did progesterone testing, you know the ovulation date and can do the math to find the expected whelp dates.  If you didn't progesterone test, then it's more of a guessing game - a bitch may whelp anywhere from 58-72 days post-mating, so there's a wide range of possible dates.

If you haven't been monitoring her temperature, start now, at least twice a day.  When the temperature drops by a full degree (below 99F) and stays down, whelping should occur within 24 hours.  (Mine have dropped and then gone back up in the few days before they actually whelp.)  She'll most likely start nesting, panting, and perhaps shivering 24 hours or so before whelping.  (Some bitches start panting as much as 36 hours before whelping, some only a few hours before.  As the saying goes, "bitches don't read the whelping books"!)  

There is a chance that a bitch will not go into active labor - she will not show any outward signs and will not have any contractions - especially in small/single litters.  This is not the norm, but not uncommon so it's best to be aware of the possibility.  If there is no sign of labor and her temperature has dropped, you can have a progesterone test done - progesterone will drop below 2 ng/ml about 24-48 hours prior to labor.  At that point a vet checkup is a good idea, in any case.

This article has quite a bit of detail and good information on impending whelping; it's about Corgis but most of the information is relevant for any breed.
http://www.jimanie.com/lists/archive16.html

Good luck!!