This page pulls together every specific vet-call trigger from across this area into one place — useful to review in advance, and to check quickly if you’re not sure whether what you’re seeing is a reason to call.
The most important first
- During labor: strong straining for 20–30 minutes with no puppy, weak straining for about 2 hours, or more than about 2 hours between puppies with more expected.
- During labor: green or black discharge before the first puppy is an emergency (call immediately), as is foul-smelling discharge.
- Just after whelping: straining again once whelping seems finished, or a placenta unaccounted for after 24 hours.
- First weeks postpartum: a hot painful mammary gland, foul-smelling discharge with fever, or restlessness and tremors in a small-breed dam.
- The general rule: if you’re genuinely unsure, call and describe what you’re seeing — that’s a better use of your vet’s time than waiting.
Before labor starts
- No sign of labor by about day 70 after the first mating (or about day 66 from the LH surge, or the due date your vet calculated from ovulation testing).
- Her temperature has dropped (normal in late pregnancy is 99.5–102.5 °F / 37.5–39.2 °C, and it typically falls below about 99 °F / 37.2 °C before labor) and labor has not started within 24 hours.
- Green or black discharge before any puppy has been born: an emergency, call immediately.
During labor
- Stage 1 lasting more than about 24 hours without progressing to visible straining.
- Strong, persistent straining for 20–30 minutes with no puppy delivered.
- Weak, occasional straining for about 2 hours without a puppy, especially before the first puppy. Never wait more than 4 hours.
- More than about 2 hours between puppies when you know or expect more remain.
- Green or black discharge before the first puppy has been born: an emergency, call your vet immediately. Later in the whelping, green discharge should be followed promptly by a puppy.
- Foul-smelling discharge, or a fever above 103 °F (39.5 °C), at any point during labor.
- A puppy, or its bubble-like sac, visible at the vulva for more than about 15 minutes without being born. Call, and don’t pull unless your vet tells you how.
- More than a few drops of fresh red blood.
- Vomiting, collapse, visible exhaustion, or obvious distress or pain.
Full detail: when whelping doesn’t go to plan: warning signs and the stages of labor.
Immediately after whelping
- Straining again once you believe whelping has finished — can indicate a retained puppy or placenta.
- A placenta count that doesn’t match your puppy count, unresolved after 24 hours.
- Foul-smelling or increasing-volume discharge, rather than the normal, gradually lightening lochia.
- A dam who refuses to nurse, shows no interest in the puppies, or seems unusually unwell.
- A temperature above 103 °F (39.5 °C).
- Any puppy that is not breathing well, is too weak to suckle, or cries constantly. Every puppy needs to nurse within the first 24 hours to get colostrum.
- Any puppy that has lost weight, or not gained, after its first 24 hours.
- Any stillborn puppy. Your vet may want to check the dam and the rest of the litter.
- After a cesarean: her temperature goes above 103 °F (39.5 °C) (a rise of 1–2 °F / about 0.5–1 °C in the first one to three days is expected); the wound becomes red, swollen, wet or starts to open; or bloody discharge lasts longer than about a week or starts to smell.
Full detail: the dam’s first 24 hours after whelping.
In the first weeks postpartum
- A mammary gland that’s hot, hard, or painful, especially with fever or refusal to nurse from that gland — possible mastitis.
- Foul-smelling discharge with fever, lethargy, or reduced milk production — possible metritis.
- Restlessness, heavy panting, or muscle tremors and stiffness, particularly in a small-breed dam with a large litter, 1 to 4 weeks postpartum — possible eclampsia, a true emergency.
Full detail: postpartum complications: mastitis, metritis and eclampsia and lactation and milk production.
The general principle
Every threshold on this page exists because it’s the point where waiting starts to cost something — for the dam, the puppies, or both. None of these require you to be certain something is wrong before you call; describing what you’re seeing to your vet and letting them help you judge it is always a reasonable use of a phone call, even if it turns out to be nothing.
When to call your vet
- Green or black discharge before the first puppy: an emergency, call immediately.
- Strong straining for 20–30 minutes, or weak straining for about 2 hours (never more than 4), with no puppy.
- More than about 2 hours between puppies when more are expected.
- No labor within 24 hours of the temperature drop, or none by about day 70 after the first mating (about day 66 from the LH surge).
- A temperature above 103 °F (39.5 °C) at any stage, during labor or after.
- A puppy that has not nursed within 24 hours, or is losing weight after day 1; a nursing dam who trembles, pants heavily or walks stiffly.
- If in doubt, call — your vet would rather hear from you early.
Work on it
A few minutes here will teach you more than re-reading the article.
Ask yourself
- Could I recall the key thresholds on this page without looking them up, in the moment?
- Do I have my vet’s contact details, including after-hours, somewhere I can find instantly?
Find out & check
- Find out whether your vet prefers a call at the first uncertain sign, or only once something is clearly wrong.
Do one thing
- Bookmark or print this page alongside when whelping doesn’t go to plan before labor begins.
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Sources & further reading
- Cornell University Riney Canine Health Center — The Normal Whelping Process. vet.cornell.edu
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Periparturient Problems in Bitches and Queens. merckvetmanual.com
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Dystocia in Small Animals. merckvetmanual.com
- Cornell University Riney Canine Health Center — Dystocia in Dogs: Understanding Difficult Births. vet.cornell.edu
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum Care in Bitches and Queens. merckvetmanual.com
- AKC Canine Health Foundation — Whelping and Dystocia (podcast transcript, Dr Cindy O’Connor). akcchf.org
- PDSA — Whelping: a guide to your dog giving birth. pdsa.org.uk
- VCA Animal Hospitals — Caesarean Sections in Dogs: Post-Operative Instructions. vcahospitals.com
Where evidence is limited, recommendations rest on established practice and expert judgment, and may be updated as knowledge develops. This is general information, not a substitute for immediate veterinary care during an actual whelping emergency.
Next steps
- Related: every article in this area links back here for a quick timing check.
- Return to the area hub: Whelping: the complete guide from first contractions to recovery.
- This completes the Whelping & the Bitch’s Aftercare area. Next: the Neonatal period.