My dog is giving birth and bleeding. When should I call the vet?

When puppies nurse, it releases oxytocin in the mother dog, which in turn causes uterine contractions. These uterine contractions can cause the blood to come out, and can cause her to shiver from pain. I'd have Ellie and her puppies seen by a vet on Monday to make sure everything is ok.

If she is groaning and has bloody discharge form the vulva she needs to see a vet. If she is pregnant she may be having a miscarriage or a problem birthing. If she is not pregnant she may have a uterine infection, a bladder infection or bladder stones. These are not things you can treat at home. She is obviously uncomfortable so I highly recommend you get her to a vet.

This is very concerning - she may be aborting a litter of puppes or may have an infection. I would recommend an urgent appointment and depending on the findings and an ultrasound scan an emergency spay operation may be recommended to prevent further blood loss. I recommend strict bed rest until you can arrange an emergency appointment

After the delivery, your dog may leak fluids and discharge for several weeks. This discharge is called lochia, and its color may be a shade of red. Lochia should be odorless -- if it has an unpleasant smell, contact your vet, as an odor indicates infection. Otherwise, general intermittent bleeding around the vulva may continue for weeks or, in some cases, months. If you notice that your dog is actually still bleeding a few days after birth, contact your vet. While it may be normal, you need to rule out complications like postpartum hemorrhage, which can result from poor blood clotting.

Some bloody discharge is normal but I can't say without seeing her. I would recommend to take Sadie into the vet for a radiograph to see if other puppies are still in her uterus. If retained puppies are present, they need to be removed as they will cause a severe infection. The doctor will also check her for a fever and abdominal pain. I would recommend to get Sadie spayed in 3 months as well so you won't have to worry about this happening. I hope nothing serious is going on with Sadie. Best of luck!

I am very worried about Bebe. If she hasn't had any puppies for 6 hours, but still has puppies inside, I would definitely recommend to take her to a veterinarian. Sometimes a puppy can be stuck in the birth canal or the mom gets so tired from pushing that her uterus is no longer able to contract to push the puppies out. Both of these situations are dangerous for the puppies and Bebe. The veterinarian will examine her to see if there is a puppy stuck in the birth canal and will most likely recommend taking and x-ray to see how many puppies she still has inside. Depending on what they find, they may recommend doing a c-section. In most cases, this is the only way to try and save the mother and the puppies. I am so sorry. I know this is a very scary situation.

That is not normal and could be a sign of miscarriage. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm this clinical suspicion and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!