How Will I Know When My Chihuahua Is Ready To Give Birth?

There are many signs when a dog is about to go in labor. It should be 59 to 63 days since conception. A dog will nest(will look for a dark place and gather papers/towels/clothes), she will pant, pace around, and even dig on the carpet/bed. If you are comfortable enough you can take her temp. Rectally, it will drop to 98.3 to 98.8, her normal temp. Is 101/102. You want to make sure you have a box made up for her with towels/ papers, with it being long enough for her to stretch out in and tall enough, so the pups can't get out. She may need your help. I had to tear open the sack of the first pup, and the second one got stuck, which I had to help pull out. If you do have to help her with tearing the sack, you have to make sure she licks its face right away, or it will not breathe due to the fluid in the nose and mouth. You can use a baby nasal bulb, but make sure you squeeze the air out of it, then put it in the pups nose/mouth. You don't want to blow air back in. Also, if you don't have a bulb, try a warm wash cloth and rub until the pup starts to breathe. You can help stimulate breathing by rubbing the pups belly/back. There are many article on the web on whelping. You may get in a situation that you need help in and waiting for an answer on here may be too late. One last thing, since you have a small dog, you might want to have a whelping box that has pig rails(see articles on whelping boxes), the mother dog will sometimes lay on the pup, or the pup may get behind her and she will smother it, regardless if it is yelping. The pups need to be warm also, room should be around 85, you can use a heating pad, set on low if you have to have an air conditioner on, or don't have a heater/heat lamp. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Good luck and congrats!

Well most dogs go into labor around 60-64 days after they have got pregnant. If shes an inside dog, she will start to drag items of clothing and such to a dark corner/are where she plans on having the puppies. She will become very restless, but may take only a few short naps. She will be in labor anywhere between 2-6 hours, but if she goes over 8 you need to call your vet asap. Your dog will be fine on her own, but its best if someone can be there to help if anything goes wrong. Her instincts should take over, and she should d fine. In some cases the puppy could get stuck. ONLY if the mother starts to panic gently grab the puppy  and pull. You may have to slightly twist. Your dog will chew off the amniotic sack within 1-3 minutes. If she doesn't then you need to grab the puppy in a washcloth and pull the sack off, making sure the puppies airways are clear. Good luck  ps: I would keep a few store bought puppy bottles and formula just in case a problem arises and the mother can not nurse.

All Dogs including Chihuahua show some signs that point out towards start of birth process. These are called signs of labor that usually start at the end of 9th week of pregnancy. Birth of puppies starts 6-24 hours of start of these signs. These signs can be

1. Loss of appetite
2. Reduced activities
3. Agitation
4. Restlessness and pacing
5. Nesting behavior
6. Rectal temperature below 100 F
   

These signs are indications of start of birth of puppies in dogs.

Temprature heavy panting

Heavy panting and temp

Pregnancy in dogs can last for 59-68 days with an average of 63 days. If dogs don't deliver around 70 days of pregnancy then it is time to take her to vet. If your dog is pregnant and in the 9th week of pregnancy then note for signs of labor. You can observe labor signs that can start 8-48 hours before true labor. These signs are decrease in rectal temperature below 100, agitation, no eating, restlessness and pacing. If your dog show these signs then it means that she is going deliver puppies soon. But it will be good to get ultrasound after 50 days of  pregnancy to know abnormalities in puppies and size of litter.