I have a pregnant Pug.

Question
Hi! I have a pregnant pug that at this point is exteremly huge in every aspect as far as having a big belly and what seems like huge milk sacks. My question is that I am not sure how far along she is but yesterday she was acting really weird and breathing heavy at times and my daughter and I noticed last night that she had some kind of stringy white substance coming out of her. Is this normal when they are pregnant or when they are getting ready to have babies? I have never had a dog that was pregnant so I hope that I don't sound to dumb. Thank you so much for your help with this...Any advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again, Darla.  

Answer
Darla,
That is the mucus plug, and as long as it is either clear or white you are ok.  If the mucus turns to a green or dark brown, you must go to the vet immediately.  If you start to take her temp, you will know how close she is.  The normal temperature is between 101 and 102.  When they start to go into labor this temp goes down to about 98 degrees.  So start to take her temp and you will see about how far along she is.  If she tries to nest, and does not go into hard labor (where you see a muscle wave down her back) within in twelve hours, contact your vet for a check up.  Pugs can have trouble delivering due to the size of the shoulders and head.
thank you
nancy