Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Raven's Temperature

7 am temp: 99.6

Actually it's probably a little early. Poor Aliy endured having her temperature taken several times daily for almost 2 weeks. But... Raven's earliest due date is actually tomorrow.... so *I* will feel better if I start getting a base line now.

So what's the deal with taking her temperture? That is how I will have an idea of when the pups are due to arrive. A normal temperature for a dog is around 101-102 degrees. But every dog is different and so I need to establish what is "normal" for Raven. I'll do that over the next few days by taking her temperature several times during the day.

At somepoint in the next few weeks there will be a dramatic temperature drop. It may go as low as 96 degrees. Most dogs experience this temperature drop and it usually means pups are due within 24 hours. In some cases it may mean just a few hours! Sister Aliy's temp dropped 24 hours before the pups came, when GrandMa Kachina's temperature dropped I had puppies in less than 10 hours.

Aside from using the temperature drop as an indicator that pups are due soon, it's important to monitor so that you know if there is a potential problem. If the temperature drops and stays down for a long period of time and there are no signs of labor, it may be an indication that there is a problem and that a Cesarian Section may be needed, or at the very least, a trip to the vet for check up.

I'll be positng Ravens's temperature on the sidebar over to the right regularly.