The only thing currently residing in the whelping box is one cat.
The extra material in the whelping box is for Daisy to “dig.”
Puppies cannot be early or late — well, they can but it is not a good thing. This is why it is important to do progesterone testing when creating the litter — it both correctly times the breeding and establishes the whelping window dates.
I reviewed Daisy’s progesterone numbers yesterday and know we are still in the safe whelping window.
As I mentioned previously, a decrease in body temperature is a sign that labor is imminent but Daisy seems to have had at least three drops in her temperature, making things confusing. Yesterday her temp was 99.2 at one point — it is under 99 this morning.
Breeders like to think temperature drop is some kind of sentinel event, but the professional literature does not seem to share that opinion. Runcan and Coutinho da Silva (2018) identify that “…the preparturient “temperature drop” is highly variable and at times unpredictable” (p. 13) and advise not using it to inform timing of elective c-sections.
Clearly something is happening now that is different than before to be giving temperature readings under 99 when her normal is about 100.5 — and that something is positive.
The same article I mentioned above, one of many I have read recently, offers this helpful table for assessing when veterinary intervention is needed:
From: Runcan, E., & Coutinho Da Silva, M. (2018). Whelping and Dystocia: Maximizing Success of Medical Management. Topics in Companion Animal Medicine, 33(1), 12-16.
Daisy does not currently meet any of the criterion listed above for veterinary intervention. Although we likely had the temperature drop (see #2 above), Daisy is showing signs of Stage One labor, which include panting, restlessness, and nesting (digging).
Daisy needs to move towards Stage Two labor today. If there are issues or concerns, I will use the secret hotline number and seek additional input from Daisy’s veterinarian.
We have not flown solo thus far. In addition to having access to literature not typically available to breeders, I am lucky to have a veterinarian in the family who provides ongoing moral and professional support.
I also have a breeder-colleague I was communicating with yesterday. I can and do ask her directly, “what do you think?” — if my thinking is off, I trust her to tell me. She shared something I think is important for all to consider because it is so true and speaks to the scary challenges of this time:
“The way I see it, there are risks with both natural whelping and c-sections. I think the natural whelp is riskier for the pups, and the c-section is riskier for the bitch. And overall, breeding is risky business.”
Risk.
All of this is about risk.
Risking lives and deaths, trying to balance benefits and burdens without complete knowledge or the wisdom of hindsight — that is what this is about right now.
I have to live with the consequences and therefore, the decisions must be mine.
The job of friends is to trust me.