My dog is agitated and breathing hard after birth, what's wrong?

Heavy breathing is quite common in lactating females but it could also be a sign of milk fever which is a condition caused by lack of calcium in lactating new moms. if you also see lack of appetite, trembling and lethargy i would strongly recommend taking her to the vet urgently to get it treated.

The only way to know for sure is to have an x-ray taken by your vet. If she is still panting and having contractions, then this is a sign that she isn't finished delivering pups yet - so if she's doing this and hasn't had any pups in the past hour, I would recommend taking her to an emergency vet for x-rays. Normally, when labor is finished, the mother will settle down and lick her puppies (or puppy, in this case) and allow them to nurse. If she still seems distressed and panting, or is still having visible contractions, then I would be concerned that there may be one or more puppies still inside her.

If you have not had a veterinarian take x-rays to determine how many puppies are left you should take her to your veterinarian or an emergency hospital to make sure all puppies are out. She could still be in labor. Low calcium would be another possibility. This could also be a behavioral change. I would not be too concerned about no afterbirth or placentas - it is fairly rare for them to cause a problem when retained.

Yes, I would be somewhat worried. It is possible there is a retained piece of placenta or puppy (likely non-viable) still inside her. Panting is usually indicative of pain/discomfort. I suggest you take Luna to the vet for an exam. If you take her in, be sure to take the puppies with you.

If the panting is non stop then it is not normal but panting after giving birth is considered normal in the first 24 hours after birth. one of the reasons could be exhaustion but it could also be due to milk fever which is a condition caused by lack of calcium due to milk production. in such a case i would recommend a vet visit to check her calcium level and rectify it accordingly (usually by injection and oral calcium).

With the symptoms you are describing, I would recommend taking Zoey to her veterinarian. I am concerned she could either have a retained puppy or low calcium and both are serious conditions that require medical treatment. They can also evaluate her physical condition to make sure is as healthy as possible for her puppies.

It is possible that there is a retained puppy or placenta. A uterine infection is also possible. I would highly encourage you to have her evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. An x-ray will likely be recommended to look for any additional retained puppies. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.