# Lab Labor



## Kye022984 (Apr 23, 2010)

I haven't seen a dog give birth since I was a kid and was wondering what signs I should be looking for to know when my lab goes into labor. She's probably going to give birth within this next week or so. How long do they usually labor for? When do I put her into the box to birth the pups?


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Kye022984 said:


> I haven't seen a dog give birth since I was a kid and was wondering what signs I should be looking for to know when my lab goes into labor. She's probably going to give birth within this next week or so. How long do they usually labor for? When do I put her into the box to birth the pups?


Panting, digging, walking in circles, wanting to stay in a hiding place, and eventually pushing are signs of labor. Big dogs have big litters, so expect her to give birth over an 8-12 hour period. Puppies usually arrive less than an hour apart, and once she starts pushing, she should produce a puppy within an hour. Labs usually don't have problems birthing, so she should do fine, but watch her for problems just in case. If she is due soon, you should worm her now. Our vet worms at 7wks in the pregnancy, and puts on Frontline, so the babies won't have fleas.


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## Guest (May 21, 2010)

Kye022984 said:


> When do I put her into the box to birth the pups?


She should start sleeping in the box at 7-8 weeks into the pregnancy. So NOW would be a good time. She should want to deliver in the box, but sometimes, they'd rather hide in a closet or do it on the couch. So, watch her carefully and quickly get her in the box when she's into hard labor. If you have to be away from her around the time she's due (if you're at work or away), make sure you leave her confined to the area her box is in (use an xpen or babygates to section her off from the rest of the house). 

FYI: Puppies tend to come in 2's: 1,2....3,4....5,6...etc When you think she is done delivering, take her on a LEASHED walk outside to relieve herself. Take a towel with you. Keep her on the leash so she doesn't run off to have that bonus puppy. If she does have another outside, use the towel to dry it off and wrap it up until you get them both inside.


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## Kye022984 (Apr 23, 2010)

mekasmom said:


> Panting, digging, walking in circles, wanting to stay in a hiding place, and eventually pushing are signs of labor. Big dogs have big litters, so expect her to give birth over an 8-12 hour period. Puppies usually arrive less than an hour apart, and once she starts pushing, she should produce a puppy within an hour. Labs usually don't have problems birthing, so she should do fine, but watch her for problems just in case. If she is due soon, you should worm her now. Our vet worms at 7wks in the pregnancy, and puts on Frontline, so the babies won't have fleas.


Thanks for the info. I just put Frontline on her yesterday because she has fleas now. I am hoping they go away soon. Luckily, I only have one room that is carpeted and I am vacuumed and sprayed it down and put a gate up so they can't get into it. Do you know how long the Frontline takes to kick in?


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Kye022984 said:


> Thanks for the info. I just put Frontline on her yesterday because she has fleas now. I am hoping they go away soon. Luckily, I only have one room that is carpeted and I am vacuumed and sprayed it down and put a gate up so they can't get into it. Do you know how long the Frontline takes to kick in?


Frontline Plus works within 24hrs. Ticks take about 20-24 hrs to die, but fleas start dying within an hour or two of application.

Spreading Borax on your carpet will kill fleas. Just leave it lay for a couple of days then vacuum. You can reapply it in 10 days at the new hatch because it doesn't kill the eggs. After 2-3 applications ten days apart, fleas in the house will be gone. And Mule Team Borax only costs about three dollars, plus it's safe. So just in case the spray didn't kill them, you might try that.

Our doctor uses Fenbendazole to worm the dog at 7wks rather than pyrantal pamoate. It kills the migrating microfilarae as well as the adult worms. It might be fine to simply use ivermectin too, I just know ours gives Panacur in pregnancy which is fenbendazole. You might ask your vet for his suggestion. Our dogs are also on a monthly Heartworm/wormer, but during pregnancy, he does give an extra dose of wormer two weeks prior to the due date.


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## Kye022984 (Apr 23, 2010)

mekasmom said:


> Frontline Plus works within 24hrs. Ticks take about 20-24 hrs to die, but fleas start dying within an hour or two of application.
> 
> Spreading Borax on your carpet will kill fleas. Just leave it lay for a couple of days then vacuum. You can reapply it in 10 days at the new hatch because it doesn't kill the eggs. After 2-3 applications ten days apart, fleas in the house will be gone. And Mule Team Borax only costs about three dollars, plus it's safe. So just in case the spray didn't kill them, you might try that.
> 
> Our doctor uses Fenbendazole to worm the dog at 7wks rather than pyrantal pamoate. It kills the migrating microfilarae as well as the adult worms. It might be fine to simply use ivermectin too, I just know ours gives Panacur in pregnancy which is fenbendazole. You might ask your vet for his suggestion. Our dogs are also on a monthly Heartworm/wormer, but during pregnancy, he does give an extra dose of wormer two weeks prior to the due date.


Well, it's been 24 hours and the dogs are still scratching. Like I said I have barricaded the carpeted room, vacuumed and sprayed and kept them off the couches, and swept up and vacuumed all the base boards in our home. My husband is spraying the yard this evening. What should I do if the fleas are still around when the puppies arrive? Should I start bathing the Mama in the evenings and eventually the puppies too? I have to admit I am nervous. I don't want anything bad to harm the pups but I feel like I am doing the best I can and it's still not good enough.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Do you see fleas running on her? Or is she scratching from flea bites already on her? If you see fleas running, call your vet for a dose of capstar and some advice. It costs about three dollars a dose, but you may have to pay a vet appt if he won't give it without a visit. If it's just old flea bites that are making her scratch, then you just have to wait it out like you would if you had a mosquito bite on you.


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## Kye022984 (Apr 23, 2010)

Yeah! I checked her out this morning after I posted and I picked one off her that was alive but, was moving pretty slowly. Thankfully. I think the Frontline is doing it's job. On my male though I picked off four live and moving ones. I am going to give it a little more time though. If I have to bathe her every night for the sake of the little ones I will. I did find the bites on her in the exact spots where she is scratching so I put some Schriener's Herbal solution on them to heal them up. Thank you so much for the input. I will most definitely keep the capstar in mind too.


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

It kills fleas within 24 hours of them being on the dog. Any around the house and ones hatching will jump on all the time till their are no more left in the house, or yard.
You dont need carpet to have fleas around the house. I havent had carpat in 8 years and still get fleas. They use any crevice, crack, furniture, dusty corner, anywhere, to lay eggs.
I treat with frontline plus monthly in summer to keep fleas in check as I cant kill all the ones outside on acreage and my dogs go into the fields.

Good luck with the whelping.


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## Kye022984 (Apr 23, 2010)

Yeah, I figured as long as I attempt to do something we can at least keep the flea population down to the minimum. Hence, the reason why I fenced off our one carpeted room. They don't have as many places to hide on the wood floors as they do the carpets. Anyway, I also looked into Capstar and Comfortis if the Frontline doesn't do the job. Anyone know how long after can I administer another product if the Frontline doesn't work? Obviously I will be using another one that is also safe to use in pregnancy.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

You can give capstar at any time. You will need to call your vet and ask about Advantix or another product and the pregnancy. I would stay away from Promeris.


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