Well, the big day will be next week! We have opted to do a scheduled C-Section on 7/5/19 for several reasons. First off, Deja has at LEAST nine puppies seen on her pregnancy x-ray! It is possible there may be a 10th puppy hiding… It’s possible! That is a LOT of puppies to whelp!
The second big reason… we are heading into not just a weekend but a HOLIDAY weekend! This means that “vet help” is greatly reduced/non-existent! IF Deja were to have any whelping problems, my only option for “help” would be the vet E.R.
I’ve been down that road before and what happens is… IF Deja were to have any problems delivering her puppies and we were to go to the vet E.R. for help, Deja’s health would not be a concern per se. That is how the emergency triage works. They don’t recognize a “puppy-to-be” in distress as “living” as long as Deja is not in mortal danger. I can’t bear the thought of “losing” a puppy because, to me, every one of those puppies IS living (all you have to do is hold her hand against Deja’s tummy to feel movement!)
So… Just waiting to hear back from my repro vet as to what time we need to have Deja there?
Meanwhile, we’ve started taking Deja’s temperature (frequently) throughout the day. For those not aware, progesterone levels (which is what maintains preganncy in all mammals) will drop indicating impending labor. That drop in progesterone can actually be monitored via temperature… Deja’s temperature will drop a few degrees below normal which corresponds to her progesterone level dropping signifying impending labor.
Now this drop in temperature isn’t an “exact” science. What that drop in temperature/progesterone really means is… labor is impending in the next 24 hours! If whelping naturally, you want to catch the time of that drop and if you do NOT start having puppies within 24 hours… another cause for concern! Even with a scheduled C-section, we will continue to take Deja’s temp monitoring for that drop because it is possible for her to have puppies on her own a day early, 7/4/19 especially because she is having a large litter.
It is definitely going to be an exciting week coming up!
Jema Golden Retrievers 