signs that whelping is near

Question
i have a 2 year old jack russell who is 58 days pregnant i did have the next 2 weeks booked of work but due to sickness i am having to cancel my time off (not impressed)i am comming home of a lunch time to check on her but i have 2 other dogs and wondered if i should be seperating them and what are the chance's of her having the pups on her own why i'm at work please dont tell me to take her tempreture as she wont let her near her due to a past experiance

Answer
Hi Donna:

OK, since you're not able to take her temp you'll have to rely on other signs to indicate when whelping is near. The signs for pre-labor or early labor include shivering, restlessness, rapid panting, vigorous nesting behavior, refusal of food and occasionally a few bouts of vomiting. There may be a slight vaginal discharge. Once her water has broken on average a puppy will follow within half an hour. I would definitely separate her from the other dogs while you're not ay home. She needs her privacy & their natural curiosity may cause her to feel more anxious. There's every chance she can whelp fine on her own but if a problem should arise (such as an over-sized puppy) you'll obviously be unaware of it until you're able to check on her. Dogs have been having puppies for a lot of years & most follow their instinct just fine. Since this is her first litter, however, her knowledge is slim so if it's possible to check on her as frequently as possible I'd strongly recommend you do so. If you keep her in a separate room from the other dogs give her some old towels or similar material to use for nesting & possible whelping. I hope this helps!