N00bie whelping question - Page 1

In the past when I have assisted/attended whelpings, nature has always taken its course and I just "knew" when it was time.

Of course this time I am on pins and needles. Xena was bred starting June 11, that puts her due this weekend I believe, this is not her first litter.

Dilema My central a/c went out ( its triple digits here right how) and I have a little 5000 btu window untit trying to cool 1400 sq ft ( cant block it off) I have Xena in the front room right now in front of the window unit but it is still right at 98 in here. Outside its 99 with a heat index of 108 and humidity of 48. I have been taking her temp twice a day in expectation of the temp drop due to whelping. She stayed at 101-102 until yesterday, lastnight she went to 100.6 then down to 100 which is where she is at now. My question, with her temp drop with the ambient temp so high?

I know..... Just leave her alone and let nature take its course lol I am stressing over this one because she didnt get very big and I am only feeling 4 pups, I worry with such a small litter that the pups are going to be to big,. She is panting so hard from the heat, any suggestions to help cool her down>

Just in case I do have my vets home and cell numbers on speed dial and he does make house calls if needed ( we have worked together alot over the years lol)Wouldnt be unusual to him for me to call late at night, last time I was knocking on his door at 3 am for some bute for a coliced horse lol

Therese

My big suggestion.....a large tub of ice, with a fan behind it blowing the cooling "vapor" onto the dog. You can also wet towels, and lay them around, but that is a last resort.

Believe me, I know the jitters that begin to enter your thoughts...She'll be fine, you have all your ducks in a row.

Maybe try shading your windows from the outside, lots of water, ( i am sure you already know that) if you have a room with tile let her lay there. I know that it is hard but it cooler then carpet. hope this helps.

Thanks for the suggestiongs, I hadnt thought of a tub of ice, I remember that from my childhood and the swamp cooler days lol

I wish I had tile somewhere, they put wall to wall carpet in this house, even in the bathrooms.

I would suggest dipping her paws in cold water, and gently wiping the insides of her ears with a cold wet cloth. Dogs can't sweat, so only exposed skin is a way of cooling them down. Good luck

A friend of mine who lives in Arizona, and shows a lot uses a mister to spray her dog with cool water. She also has special cooling pads she puts in the freezer/refrigerator, then has the dog lie on them. You might try the same with a wet towel, and keep swapping it for a fresh one as it heats up.

Also you can freeze some water bottles and lay they next to her.  You could get some tiles and lay them on the floor for her as well.

the ice with the fan is an awesome suggestion also cover the window  and keep monitoring her temp . Your doing great as far as I can see  :))

as we know when the time comes the time comes and there is no stopping it.

I had a simelar  expirience     the female kept me at hello for days    she had 1 pup inside her ( did not know at the time ))  she went past her due date temp was around 100  and I was getting a bit worried ..lonstory short .. All went well she passed the pup ( huge one at that )  and since I had no clue about a single pup I stayed up all night she was as content as they come :)) a vet visit a quick xray   7 hours after  and I finally had peace of mind  and went night night ;))