Mastiff pregnancy

Question
I saw in one of your recent posts, you talked about some issues that mastiffs have during whelping.  You said that sometimes they need Al - what is this exactly?  My female mastiff is in day 61 of her pregnancy and we are waiting patiently for the births.  She has shown no signs of "getting ready" for birth so I have my fingers crossed that there are no problems.

Answer
Hi Gretchen. No, you see, AI is artificial insemination. :-) That's where you take sperm from the male, and have it inserted into the female. This is done usually when a female is a shy breeder, or if the male and female live really far apart. It is also done when you have 'lazy' breeders, or the male may be too big to normally breed. Your breed is prone to secondary inertia, meaning that labor stops after one or two puppies are born. In that case, you would need to take her to the vet and maybe have a shot of oxytocin to pick things up again. That's also why c-sections are sometimes needed, as labor may not resume. Your breed is also susceptible to vaginal hyperplasia and prolapse. That is when, during whelping, the vagina basically tries to turn itself inside out. It will be a big red ball of tissue that the vet will have to correct. Sometimes whelping can not finish naturally when this happens. Just keep a good eye out for potential problems, and don't let her go over day 65. Good luck, and if I can help with anything else, let me know!