pregnant dog...

Question
QUESTION: Hi, my dog is in day 53 of pregnancy. Last night she lost alot of stretchy, clear mucus. I was just wondering what this is, and is it normal?


ANSWER: Hi Genna. That sounds like her mucus plug. They usually lose it about 24-48 hours before labor starts. Is there anyway that she could've been bred a few days earlier than what you thought?

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

QUESTION: Hi, i emailed you the other day regarding my dog. Well she is on day 56 now, last night she went under my bed and started scratching, pulling socks out of the storage boxes i keep under there, and making what i think was a nest. I got up, and tried to coax her from under her bed and back into her whelping box. After about 5-10 minutes under the bed, she reluctantly came out...She was ducking asif she was going to be told off for something, and looked a little nervous. This is very out of charactor for her. As i picked her up to place her back into her box i noticed she had red/brown discharge on her vulva. I sat with her for an hour to make sure she was ok, she kept licking and cleaning herself down below. Today she hasnt eaten a thing, she has only had a very small amount to drink, she is looking very sad and keeps walking backwards & forwards, or around in circles. She looks lost, asif she doesn't know what to do, and keeps going back under the bed. She is also walking very slowly. She has been asleep for just over an hour in her whelping box, and i have been researching for information on the internet all day but can't seem to find much. Can you tell me if you think she is nearing labour, or if her behaviour is normal at this stage? Any advice/help would be much appreciated.

Answer
Hi Genna. I would feel better if you took her to the vet for a check up. I don't like that discharge. If she should go into labor and have her pups now, then they would be ok. It's normal pre-labor behavior for the most part, but I believe that she needs to go to the vet to make sure that everything is going ok.