temp has not gone up or down

Question
QUESTION: I have a female lab who is almost 3, this would be her first live litter,
and if i got my dates right she is due Sept 13th. I have been taking her temp. twice
a day, she has no milk coming out of her nipples yet but her temp. had been about
99.6 for the past 3 days is this normal?  She was bitten by a copperhead snake on
Sunday  Aug 26th, could this have something to do with it?"

ANSWER: Hi Michelle:

The average temperature is normally between 101 to 102.5 degrees but it can & does vary from dog to dog. Establishing a baseline, as you've been doing, is an excellent way to track fluctuation; however, it's not an exact science. Although quite often a bitch will experience a drop in temp, usually 98 or 97 degrees, shortly before beginning labor, it doesn't always occur. I would urge you to have your vet give her an exam & even more important, have an Xray or ultrasound done. This will provide some insight as to litter size & fetal development & should help to determine the actual gestation progress. It's often very tricky to know exactly when conception actually takes place which can make a due date off by as much as a week. Since she's not yet lactating, my best guess would be she may have a bit longer to go before delivery. Once you can feel tangible fetal movement it's fairly safe to assume whelping should occur within 10 days, give or take. As for the snake bite I'm assuming she was treated or possibly she wasn't invenomated? Unfortunately you'll have to rely on your vet as to the possibility of any problems that may have caused -- it would really depend on how serious the incident was. Worst case scenario would be if she received enough venom I'm sure it's possible it may have interfered with the pregnancy & may have had an adverse effect on the puppies; however, all the more reason to consult with your vet & get a hands-on informed medical opinion & prognosis. Hopefully all is well & the timing is just a bit off. Please let me know your vet's findings & I'll be hoping for the best for all.

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

QUESTION: Thank you for answering so fast!!! I want to have her xrayed but I am scared to because with her first pregnancy we had an ultrasound done when she was about 32 weeks and 2 days later she aborted one fetus, ended up with pyometra (sp)and lost the whole litter. So i have been a little weary on the whole xray or ultrasound bit.  She was seen by the emergency vet about her snake bite was kept over night and given prego save treatment and is doing well.  I have been feeling fetal movement for about a week now. I will keep you posted ....Thanks so much!!

Answer
Hi Michelle:

Whew! I was fearing pyometra as I typed to you (thinking that the litter may have died from the snakebite!) but now knowing you're feeling fetal movement I'm ecstatic! I would definitely recommend having your vet give her an oxytocin injection after the litter is born -- I do it either the same day if the delivery is complete by early morning or the following day. This helps the uterus to expel any remaining contents & since she's already had one experience with pyometra I'd strongly urge you to have that done as a safeguard. It will also help the milk to "drop" & become more readily accessible to the little greedy ones! I can certainly understand your reluctance to have her Xrayed considering the previous incident. She may simply get too stressed & it's certainly not worth risking losing the litter. I'd say just continue taking her temp two to three times daily & monitor her behavior. One thing I often notice in any of my bitches about to go into labor is in addition to the normal impending labor signs (nesting behavior, panting, shivering, pacing, restlessness, refusal of food) they will often have an appearance that I can only describe as "lumped up" -- their back is slightly arched * they seem to walk in a semi-stiff manner. It may sound crazy but I think only a very observant eye can detect it so be on the lookout for such an appearance. Please do keep me posted & don't hesitate to let me know if you have any additional questions.