My dog has been straining for a while but nothing is coming out. How long should I wait?

Do not wait. Straining to give birth with no fetus delivered for a long time, or an overly long interval between deliveries, is dystocia and an emergency; brachycephalic breeds carry the highest risk. Record the time straining started, whether a fetus or part of the fetal membranes is showing, and the colour of any discharge, then seek care immediately.

My parrot keeps crouching and straining but cannot pass the egg. What should I do?

This is egg binding and it is an emergency; it can occur in parrots, finches, pigeons, backyard chickens and in aquatic turtles, tortoises and lizards. Record how long the straining has lasted, whether the egg can be felt and where, and changes in alertness and activity, then seek care immediately.

My unspayed female cat or dog has started spraying. Is this a behaviour problem or illness?

Simple oestrus behaviour is usually mild. However, if spraying comes with increased drinking and urination plus dullness, think of pyometra first and a veterinary visit is needed. Record whether the behaviour follows a cycle, and whether other urinary or appetite signs appear at the same time.

Part of the "Veterinary" topic shelf → Evidence chain for this article →

Symptom Triage｜Reproduction-Related

JaneAI editor (TK.Lin Agent)2026-08-13About 3 min readPublished by IDAEO (TK Lin)

#獸醫百科 #症狀鑑別 #繁殖 #新生兒 #急症 #動物照護

Four reproduction-related scenarios: straining to give birth with no fetus delivered for a long time; birds and reptiles crouching and straining but unable to pass an egg; a newborn that is dull and will not nurse; spraying and changed oestrus behaviour in unsterilised animals. The first three are emergencies. For dystocia, record when straining started and the colour of any discharge; for egg binding, record how long the straining has lasted; in the newborn stage compensatory capacity is extremely low and deterioration is fast. If spraying comes with increased drinking and urination plus dullness, think of pyometra first. Each row also lists the timings and observations to record at home.

This section is compiled from the Symptom Triage chapter of the veterinary animal encyclopedia. The same symptom calls for different handling in different species, and copying what is done for another species can be harmful — first confirm which animal you are dealing with.

Symptom (what the owner sees)	Species where it is common	Possible direction	What the owner can observe / record at home	Matching specialty
Straining to give birth with no fetus delivered for a long time, or an overly long interval between deliveries	Dogs and cats (brachycephalic breeds carry the highest risk), horses, cattle and sheep, rabbits	Emergency (dystocia)	Record the time straining started, whether a fetus or part of the fetal membranes is showing, and the colour of any discharge	Reproduction and Neonatal Medicine (the original teaching material explicitly lists "pregnancy, parturition", an exact match)
Birds, reptiles or amphibians crouching and straining but unable to pass an egg	Parrots, finches, pigeons, backyard chickens, aquatic turtles, tortoises, lizards	Emergency (egg binding)	Record how long the straining has lasted, whether the egg can be felt and where, and changes in alertness and activity	Reproduction and Neonatal Medicine (the original teaching material explicitly lists "breeding ethics, pregnancy, parturition", an exact match)
Newborn puppies and kittens, chicks or young livestock that are dull and will not nurse or eat	Applies to the newborn stage in every species	Emergency (compensatory capacity is extremely low in the newborn stage and deterioration is fast)	Keep the animal warm; record the time of the last feed and the body weight, and whether the dam shows any abnormality	Reproduction and Neonatal Medicine (the original teaching material explicitly lists "care of young animals", an exact match)
Spraying in unspayed female cats and dogs, changed oestrus behaviour, more spray marking by tomcats	Dogs and cats, birds	Mostly mild (simple oestrus behaviour); veterinary visit needed (if spraying comes with increased drinking and urination plus dullness, think of pyometra first)	Record whether the behaviour follows a cycle, and whether other urinary or appetite signs appear at the same time	Behavioural Medicine / Reproduction and Neonatal Medicine (the original teaching material lists a basis for both normal oestrus behaviour and reproductive tract disease)

Limits of this content

This content comes from the Symptom Triage chapter of the veterinary encyclopedia (see the evidence chain for the original location and content hash). The sources at the end are the authoritative references cited by that chapter; the mapping is at chapter level, which does not mean every sentence is traced individually back to a given source. This content is for education and cannot replace the diagnosis and prescription of a practising veterinarian; in an emergency seek care immediately. This text has not been clinically reviewed by a named veterinarian.

Reading map; items appear in article order: Symptom (what the owner sees); Straining to give birth with no fetus delivered for a long time, or an overly long interval between deliveries; Birds, reptiles or amphibians crouching and straining but unable to pass an egg; Newborn puppies and kittens, chicks or young livestock that are dull and will not nurse or eat; Spraying in unspayed female cats and dogs, changed oestrus behaviour, more spray marking by tomcats — From the article text; read alongside the full article.

FAQ

My dog has been straining for a while but nothing is coming out. How long should I wait?: Do not wait. Straining to give birth with no fetus delivered for a long time, or an overly long interval between deliveries, is dystocia and an emergency; brachycephalic breeds carry the highest risk. Record the time straining started, whether a fetus or part of the fetal membranes is showing, and the colour of any discharge, then seek care immediately.
My parrot keeps crouching and straining but cannot pass the egg. What should I do?: This is egg binding and it is an emergency; it can occur in parrots, finches, pigeons, backyard chickens and in aquatic turtles, tortoises and lizards. Record how long the straining has lasted, whether the egg can be felt and where, and changes in alertness and activity, then seek care immediately.
My unspayed female cat or dog has started spraying. Is this a behaviour problem or illness?: Simple oestrus behaviour is usually mild. However, if spraying comes with increased drinking and urination plus dullness, think of pyometra first and a veterinary visit is needed. Record whether the behaviour follows a cycle, and whether other urinary or appetite signs appear at the same time.

Source anchors

Cite this article

Jane・《Symptom Triage｜Reproduction-Related》・IDAEO 知識庫・2026-08-13・https://km.idaeo.ai/post/vet/reproduction-signs

Updated 2026-08-15

更新 2026-08-15T15:41:02.273Z · server-rendered · four-language · IDAEO 知識庫

Symptom Triage｜Reproduction-Related

Limits of this content

FAQ

Source anchors

Cite this article

Related articles