first stage labor

My shih tzu is in the first stage of labor and has been for almost 36 hours I can see puppies moving and she is showing no signs of stress or  panting or pushing but it seems this stage is taking much too long this is her third litter and she has never had any problems any advice would be appreciated

[Misfits4Me]

Welcome.... Goodness, 3 litters by what age? Just because the first two pregnancies went well doesn't mean the third one will! It's possible that her body cannot handle any more of this!
You need to call her Vet and ask these questions....Not an online forum....She may be in danger at this point and need a C-Section.....Please, call them now....Let us know what happens & good luck.....Karla

[Margot49]

Agree with Karla.  Puppy may be too big, turned the wrong way, etc.
Her third litter and you are asking these questions here?
Yep, hope all turns out ok,me specially for the poor dog.

[Ghilly]

Thirty six hours is WAY too long for a dog to safely be in labor, in ANY stage!  It CAN take two or three hours for the first puppy to emerge after contractions start, but after that there shouldn't be more than about 30 minutes in between puppies and maybe an hour or so in between the horns of the uterus emptying out.  A small litter should be done in about 3-4 hours from start to finish.  Larger litters should, of course, take longer.

I hope that a vet was called for this little one!  Shih Tzus are tiny little dogs and a plug puppy could cause a great deal of pain and trouble for the mother and it could literally mean losing her AND the rest of the litter if something isn't done quickly!  I hope the OP posts back and lets us know how everything went!

Ghilly