Shih Tzu in labor?

Question
i had my Shih Tzu bred on Aug. 8th and i think she is in labor today.  I noticed yesterday she did not want to eat all day.  so I took her temp. and it was 98.4 she last night started digging in her whelping box in the blankets.  So this morning she has been panting and looks like shivering.  What other signs will there be?  How close is she to having her puppies?  Could this last all day?  Until tomorrow ?  She was 10 lbs before pregnancy and is now 13.9 lbs.  I took her for an x-ray and they said there was three maybe four puppies.  any help will help thanks Sindy

Answer
Hi Sindy:

It certainly sounds as if she's at least experiencing pre-labor. Refusal of food, shivering, panting, vigorous nesting, restlessness, pacing & sometimes vomiting are all signs of imminent labor. If you're able to see her water break, which looks very much like a fluid-filled balloon if she's standing but could look more like just a small puddle if she's sitting & it's broken, you can usually expect real labor to begin within an hour. If you observe obvious labor, such as contractions for more than two hours yet no puppy is produced, I would urge you to contact your vet or an emergency clinic as it's always possible a puppy may be over-sized & will essentially block the other puppies from being born. It may only be necessary for her to get some help from an injection of oxytocin, which helps the uterus to contract more efficiently but only your vet can determine if that may help or if a C-section will be necessary. Since it sounds like she's full term, hopefully she simply has a little more time before puppies begin to be delivered but the symptoms you described can last for quite a while in some dogs, often as long as 24-36 hours. However, once you can see obvious contractions you'll know it's definitely time so keep an eye on the clock & note when each puppy arrives. If more than three to four hours lapses in between puppies, it's time to seek emergency medical assistance ASAP. I'll be hoping things progress smoothly for your girl & for you - often such scenarios leave those of us with preggie females in desperate need of sleep! Please let me know how everything goes!