Is there a way of knowing when a labrador is ready to deliver her puppies?
A normal pregnancy is 63 days give or take 5 days either way. A few days prior to delivery she will want to nest – make a place for herself and the puppies. Things that would normally not interest her start looking good – the laundry basket, the closet, etc. She may be emitting a snotty like discharge. You MIGHT be able to feel the puppies moving around. Her milk may come in – sometimes it doesn’t until the pups are actually there. If you take her temp, and it starts dropping dramatically she’ll probably have the pups within 24 hours. Stay calm! An experienced Mom will know what to do. The pups will be born in sacs and she will lick that off of them. She will chew off the umbilical cords and will eat the afterbirth. If it’s a large litter you might start cleaning up the afterbirth after a few pups so she doesn’t eat too much of it and get sick on it. Sometimes they won’t let you help with that. Their instincts are very strong. You can help if she lets you by drying the puppies off and
