rat terrier/bred with corgi what to expect durin g delivery

Question
My rat terrier accidentally bred with a corgi and is due on the 23rd of this month....I am just wanting to know signs of labor, what to expect during whelping and when to intervene...This is my first litter BUT at the moment I am hand raising a rather large week old pup I rescued from the jaws of my neighbors male dog hours after birth (mom took off and pups cord was rather soft and it was dirty) It is doing well so far and feeds like crazy only excepts regular baby bottles..
I know that with my little rats they will not be as big this one.. Please let me know of anything I need or situations I may not be prepared for..I have supplemental milk and heating pad and towels waiting, other than that kinda unsure.
 I read everything I can and think I have done a pretty good job with Kismet my abandoned little pup.
              Thank You Very Much,
                    Shelly

Answer
Hi. Usually, a dog will lose her mucus plug, a clear, stringy, thick discharge from the vagina, about 24-48 hours before labor begins. The first stage of labor usually consists of heavy panting and serious digging. This can last up to 24 hours before a puppy is born. Somethings you need to watch out for are a colored discharge before the birth of the first puppy, this means something is wrong and you need to get her to the vet. If she goes loner than 3 hours inbetween puppies call the vet. If she's pushing, but it takes her longer than 15 minutes and still no puppy, call the vet. Within 24 hours after whelping is done, get her in to the vet for a clean out shot. This will make sure that she has nothing left inside of her that could cause a serious infection and even death. Make her a whelping box, and get her use to being in it. I always keep on hand some plain vanilla ice cream to use during labor when mom may not want to eat/drink, this is a good pick me up for mom. Also, I keep a few tubes of Nutrical, you can get this from your vet or online. You can give this to mom and puppies if needed. Baby bottles and milk just in case you need them, plenty of clean wash clothes to dry pups. I also use empty two liter bottles, fill them up with warm water, wrap them in a thin towel, and put in the whelping box with the pups as an extra source of warmth. I'm going to give you a great web site to look at, if you have any questions after you take a look, feel free to write.

www.debbiejensen.com