64 days - No puppies yet

Question
QUESTION: Hi, my shih tzu is 64 days pregnant and her temp this morning was 98.4 and I took it again right now and it is 97.6 but other than the temp drop I see no signs of her whelping soon.  She is acting normal and eating normal.  Should I be concerned?  At what point do I need to take her to the vet if she isn't delivering?  She's been having a clear stringy discharge for 3 days now but nothing else.  I'm starting to worry a little.  Please advise.

ANSWER: Hi Angel. That stringie discharge was most likely her mucus plug. Along with her temp dropping like that, I'd say that you should see some pre-labor signs very soon. If she goes past day 65, then I'd take her in for a check up. Some girls will eat and act normal up to the time to whelp. You can't go just by them not eating, and such.:-) I really think that she will go very shortly. Good luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: She delivered 3 adorable, healthy puppies yesterday!  My question now is in regards to her panting.  When the puppies are nursing, she will begin panting once in a while.  She'll do it for a minute or so and then stop.  I took her temp and it's normal (101.3) and she's eating (alot) and drinking plenty and acting very normal for a new mommy :).  Does not want to leave their side not even for a second.  I feed her in her box and have to carry her out to go potty:).  Anyway, is the panting normal or should I be concerned?

Thank you,

Angel

Answer
Great! I figured she would go soon. I like it when I'm right. :-) (I'm just kidding!lol) I'm a day behind on my questions. My oldest son has been pretty sick, so I apologize for not getting to you sooner.

Does she stretch out on her side when they're nursing? It's probably just fine, but you may want to take her in for a quick check up just to make sure that nothing was left inside of her. I always like to err on the side of caution. Were all placentas accounted for?