Janet Ford
UKC Forum Member
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: In the boonies of Michigan
Posts: 673 |
Average is 11 days from first red show to standing heat. This can fluctuate with each individual, though.
A test is to swab her vulva with a piece of tissue. When it's red, she is not going to be ready. When it turns straw colored, she's ready. That window is normally 3-5 days Sometimes as little as a day and othertimes it can seem to go on forever. She will start acting flirty, needy and a bit silly if she's like most dogs I know. Other females may act upset with her and she may try to mate with other dogs, even females once she's in standing heat.
Good luck. 7 isn't impossible but it's more a gamble - not just on her taking but on her uterine health. If she takes, monitor her labor and delivery closely. If she strains too much or you go an hour or so between pups, it's time for the vet. A torn uterus will spell fatal for a bitch. This can happen at any age but particularly higher risk in older females due to all the seasons she's had, not necessarily the pregnancies.
Also, ask your vet for a tube of gelled calcium to keep on hand just in case she goes into milk fever after they are born. Do NOT supplement with extra calcium before the birth, but do after they are born.
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John & Janet Ford
Michigan
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