Whelping difficulties

Question
I have a 3 yr old Alaskan Malamute bitch, whom has only had 1 litter before, she is alot different from my other bitch when it comes to whelping...I cant tell when she is in labour! She has gone through 4 previous heats with no pregnancies, though i always noted the dates she bred with my boy. I took note of last breeding and it was the 17th of April, i didnt think she was pregnant again but to my surprise she blew up like a balloon about 3 weeks ago. My problem is that i dont know if she is in labour or not, i took her temp last night 21/06 and she was 38.1c i took her temp again yesterday afternoon 22/06 and it had dropped down to 37.8c. She is huge and the puppies are slowing down in movement and are lower down the uterus, my girl seems to be very tired, though i havent noticed her labouring, she has started to pant heavy and i have put her in our upstairs bathroom so i am close to her, she just looks like she has had enough. Her milk has let down and she is quite happy to lay on the rugs in the bathroom and relax. According to my dates, first day of breeding, she is 67 days, I phoned the vet and he said it was nothing to worry about, but i am worried as my other girl has her puppies always on time, but with Kayla she is very erratic with whelping, from what i experienced the first time with her. She doesnt seem to be in any distress and i havent noticed any bearing down, i have been sitting with her to make sure she is ok and she seems relaxed with me there, but with the vet not offering, really not much advice at all i need to seek extra help. I am a competent breeder, i have been breeding since 1999 but this little lady has me stumped. Any advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated as it is now the 23/06 and i am starting to worry.

Answer
Hello Kris:

Pin-pointing the exact due date can be very tricky. For one thing, although the average gestation is 63 days remember it's 63 days from conception, not first breeding so it's very likely she's not truly 67 days along. It sounds to me as if she's definitely getting close - I know exactly what you mean about these tricky girls! One of mine is much the same way - never has a drop in temperature, or if she does she still doesn't whelp for three days! And she gives mixed signals. About all you can do is "hurry up & wait" - as long as she's comfortable it will simply just be a matter of time. Unless you can see actual contractions yet no puppy being born there's probably nothing about which to be concerned. She may be experiencing some pre-labor sensations, hence the panting but with any luck you'll see her water break & then you'll KNOW it's on! I know how frustrating this scenario can be but other than ensuring everything is ready whelping-supply wise, about all you can do is busy work & keep a watch on her. If she's like most of my girls, she'll wait until about 2 or 3 a.m. to start! LOL

I wish I could help you more decisively but there really isn't anything substantial I can offer. If it helps any, at least you know I'm out here hoping all the best for you & your "problem child!" LOL