Can I induce labor in my pregnant dog to schedule her puppies' birth?

Pregnancy complications really depend on how large the puppies are and how many she is carrying. It is best to work with your vet for regular checkups to confirm the pregnancy, and an X-ray as it gets closer to Riley's due-date to check on the size and number of puppies. Your vet can then recommend if a C-section is needed. Signs to watch out for during labor that may indicate dystocia (difficulty giving birth) include straining for long periods without success, a visible puppy stuck in the birth canal, or no puppies produced after several hours of labor. These are all signs something may be wrong and that Riley should be brought to the vet for care.

There's nothing you can do at home to make a dog go into labor. Midnight will go into labor when her body is ready. If she reaches 69 days of pregnancy without going into labor, you have to take her into a vet immediately.

I recommend an ultrasoun as soon as possible in order to determine if there are puppies present and if they are still alive, Normal labour and delivery is triggered in part by hormones secreted from the puppies and if there is only a single pup, or if the pups have died before delivery then this may not happed and a section may be required in order to remove them, Survival is very poor beyond 5 days overdue but the risk of infection and reduced fertlity in the future increases dramatically over time

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Achoos. Unfortunately, if the puppies are too large for her to safely deliver, then a C-section will be necessary again. She can have x-rays prior to delivery to determine if the puppies can fit through pelvis. There not medications that can be given safely during pregnancy to change the size of the puppies. You may consider spaying her in the future if she continues to have difficulties during labor and delivery. I hope this information helps!

An average pregnancy lasts 63 to 65 days. Dogs can give birth any time from the 58th day to the 68th day. Any birth during that time frame is normal. Earlier than 58 days and your dog may be giving birth to premature puppies.

Unfortunately it is difficult to say when exactly her delivery date is. Even with an ultrasound or X-ray, you cannot say for sure. If her belly looks big and rounded then I would say she is closer - probably expecting around the 1-2 weeks. Again, I cannot guarantee that because it all depends on how big the dad was as well. Just continue to give her lots of love and if you are okay with having the pups inside your house or in a safe area of your garage I would put some soft blankets or even a large plastic bin or kiddy pool with a lot of bedding in it now so she can get use to it. It isn’t guaranteed that she will choose to use that area but hopefully she will! Also, I would start transitioning (mix old food with new food for 7-10 days) her to puppy food as she will need the extra calories and nitrition while nursing her pups. I hope this helps.

A due date is never 100% accurate, as long as she is not showing any sign of going into labor there is no need to contact your vet, if signs of labor are starting and contractions last more than 2 hours without actually giving birth, at that point you should contact your vet for advise.