I think my Chihuahua is in labor and I feel that her puppies are too big for her to have on her own. I can't afford to take her to the vet and I don't want her to die on me . It was a freak accident that she has gotten pregnant in the first place.
She has doubled in her weight and she has a hard time even walking. She is panting and trying to keep to herself which makes me feel she is in labor. What do I do to help her and what will happen if she can't have them on her own.

The closest vet is 2 1/2 hours away!! :(

Can you call some one and find out the risks? Get some help some how, now! My Chihuahua is my only child so you got me really worried. I think I may faint...

First of all, take the dog's temperature rectally. If it's dropped below 100 degrees, then she is probably in labour. How long has she been pregnant? If it is over 68 days it could be a problem, but more than 70 days she is definitely in trouble.

Does she have milk in her teats? If so, I wouldn't let her go more than 20 hours, especially in this case, because you have to travel so far to a vet. If nothing else, please at least call your vet for their opinion. I would definitely call a vet if she is over 70 days pregnant, if she is in hard labour for more than 40 minutes, if she is in extreme pain, if there is longer than 2 or 3 hours between pups and she is still straining or you know for sure there is a pup there. Also, if her temperature is down but she doesn't go into hard labour within 24 hours there is cause for intervention.

If the dog appears to be in hard labour for a long time with no progress you MUST take her to the vet! You could very well lose your dog and the pups if the pups are too large for her. Part of being a responsible pet owner is to ensure that you provide adequate medical care. Would you not take your child to the doctor if it was ill? She may need a caeserian. Can you imagine trying to give birth to a baby for hours and hours that is just too large to pass through the birth canal?

If she delivers the pups there are still things you need to watch out for. Watch for uncontrollable shivering, high fever, foul discharge, no interest in the pups, decreased appetite, stjff walking, seizures, etc. Also watch her teats to make sure they don't get hard and inflamed (mastitis).

Best of luck... keep us posted!

Didi

If your Chihuahua is a female, having it spayed is one of the best ways of making sure you don't lose her early either through problems from an unplanned breeding or later cancer.

We have enough of these freak happenings that we slaughter 10,000,000 dogs a year for lack of homes. If you can't afford to spay/neuter your pets and other medical care they need, you can't afford a pet.