dog pregnant/labor

Question
Good Morning,
I think my pug might be pregnant. She was in heat the last 2 weeks of August and I tried my best to keep our other dog away from her.She always gains weight this time of yr, and I did not think anything of it. Well Friday I noticed her shaking and when I went to pat and examine her, I noticed her teats. The back four are huge and I rolled them and all four are expelling drops of what I believe to be milk or colostrum. Her temp has been all over the place from 100/4 to 98.3 but it is averaging about 99.5 The last 2 nights around 10 to midnight she has this episode of "panting" I wake up calm her down and she seems to be fine after.  I have noticed little pea size droplets of this milky like substance coming from her vulva. This if in fact is a true pregnancy will be her first litter. She has been well natured her whole life and last night I went to go drop some hamburg inher food bowl and she actually showed aggression WHICH IS NOT HER AT ALL! I have noticed little signs like she has been pulling and biting the blankets, cleaning herself a lot and such. Can you please help me. Besides going to the vet and spending a fortune how  can I tell if she is truely pregnant and when she will have the pups if this is the case.  

Answer
The only way to know that she is pregnant is to take her into the vet and have either an x-ray or an ultrasound done to determine how many puppies, or if there even are any puppies. She could be having a false pregnancy. Unfortunately when you have a pregnant dog, inevitably you are going to have to spend money on way or another. I cannot tell you when she is going to have the puppies if you are not even certain what day your other dog tied with her. If you do not know how many puppies there are and for some reason one of them gets stuck in the birthing canal, this can be a very dangerous situation for your bitch and the puppies. If this is the case during labor, she will need to be taken to the vet for a c-section. The best way to keep your dog safe is to have an x-ray taken so that you at least know the number of puppies there are.

For the future, I would suggest that you get her spayed after she has this litter, and your other dog neutered to prevent future pregnancies. Having puppies is a dangerous venue for your dog and there are a TON of expenses that come with puppies to include unexpected c-section as I mentioned above, vet visits for the puppies, shots, supplemental milk in case the mom does not nurse enough, mush/food for the puppies once they are weaned from mom's milk, puppy pads to start house breaking and toys for the puppies.