Charting Canine Temperatures for Whelping

Thursday Night at 10 am:
Today I called my veterinary to discuss Dixie's whelping date, as it seemed she was a bit late.  The vet  said that Dixie is not late if we calculate the due date from the date of the last breeding.   So using the date of  March 27, 2013 (date of last breeding) Then we get a due date of  Friday, June 29, 2013.   And that date actually puts Dixie back on schedule.

I would like to share with all dog breeders this handy whelping date calculator that I refer to often.....
 http://www.debbiejensen.com/date.html

This last week of pregnancy I am really going to pay attention to taking my Dams temperature at regular intervals.   A dogs normal body temperature fall within the range of 100°F to 102.5°F.  When a pregnant dogs temperature falls between 98-99 degrees it is a sign that whelping will take place within 24 hrs.

 Here is a great temperature chart that shows what we expect as whelping approaches...
 http://www.debbiejensen.com/temp_chart.html

At present, Dixie is hiding in her dog crate...and I took her rectal temperature.   It is Thursday at 10 am....Day 63 and her temperature is reading 99.4 F.   That is right in line with the chart.   I expect the temperature will continue to fall until whelping occurs.  Dixie is also showing all the other signs of first stage labor.


UPDATE:   Friday morning:
I woke up this morning to Dixie vigorously scratching in the corner of the closet.  Dixie's temperature this  morning at Day 64 at 8:15 am reads 98.4 degrees F.   Again, this is consistent with the Canine temperature charts.  Her temp is now between 98-99 and whelping should occur in the next 24 hours.


There are many other physical signs to let you know when the time is near.
 
1. Temperature has dropped to 98 degrees or lower.
2. Pupils will dilate. 
3. She will hide in dark places.
4. Digging 
5. Panting
6. She will stare at her rear end in confusion.


Delivery Update:
Friday night was a long night.  Dixie was panting and restless all night long.  I slept on the couch in the adjoining room so I could hear her and be aware of her progress.   At 5:30 am I found her temperature had dropped to 97.2 degrees F. This is the lowest temperature that a dog will reach before whelping occurs.  Sure enough, at 6 am, Dixie started strong pushing and her water broke. She delivered 6 puppies at 30 minute intervals.  All puppies were healthy and Dixie is doing well.  It was an exciting experience.  Looking back, I am so glad I had the information that the temperatures gave me through the labor process.  By seeing the temperatures drop as predicted by the graph, I was able to better anticipate the actual time of delivery.