My dog is in labor for hours with contractions. Is it an emergency?

When a dog is having active contractions, and it's been more than four hours since the last puppy came and you believe there are more, this is a medical emergency, and Daisy has to see a vet right away. This is not normal, and there could be a puppy stuck in her birth canal. Please take her into a vet now, she needs immediate medical attention.

Poor Angel! If she's been having contractions for several hours and has not produced any puppies yet, something is definitely wrong. The puppies may be too large to be born naturally, or one may be stuck in an awkward position in the birth canal. I would recommend taking her to the vet right away to be checked, as she may need an emergency c-section.

This is an emergency. Please take Megan to a Pet ER now. There should only be about 30 minutes between puppies. There may be a puppy stuck in the birth canal, or she may be too weak to have contractions. Please rush and take her to a pet ER now.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If she has been having active contractions for more than 4 hours with out the delivery of a puppy this is an emergency. Greater Swiss can have trouble giving birth and we have many in our area then need C-sections. Below is a handout I give clients. I would call your Vet as soon as possible to discuss. Whelping and When to be Concerned Stages of Labor: -Stage 1 tends to start 10-24 hours after temperature drop (usually below 99 F). -Stage 1: nesting. Can persist for 3-24 hours before abdominal contractions begin -Stage 2: Visible abdominal contractions. FIRST PUPPY SHOULD ARRIVE WITH IN 1-2 HOURS. -Stage 3: passage of placenta. Usually occurs within 15 mins of passing puppy. If it does not happen, don’t worry. When to worry/Call: -Strong contractions > 45-60 mins without birth of a puppy -Weak and infrequent contractions >4-6 hours without birth of puppy ->4-5 hours between puppies (after birth of first puppy without birth of the next puppy). On average a puppy is born every 45-60 mins. HOWEVER, the mother can often rest for several hours between puppies. This rest period is NOT associated with contractions and usually doesn’t exceed 4-6 hours. -If one puppy is born and she is having VISIBLE contractions for >2 hours without 2nd puppy. Recommend calling around 1 hour mark to talk to someone. -Failure to enter active labor (contractions) 24-36 hours after rectal temp falls below 99 F -Mother is in obvious pain: biting at vulva, crying) -No puppy within 2 hours of seeing green vaginal discharge -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing clear fluid from vulva (rupture of allantochorion) -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing a clear/water filled balloon at vulvar lips (puppy is in birth canal)

If she is still showing signs of distress or labor, I would take her in to your vet. Your vet will be able to determine if there are any additional puppies. Your vet will be able to give some meds to help with labor or do a C-section on her to get the rest of the puppies out. I hope this helps and the rest of the puppies and mama is okay!

Poor Tinkerbell! Chihuahuas often have difficulty giving birth due to their very small size, and very frequently require c sections to give birth to them safely. If you feel she still has puppies to be born but she is having no signs of birthing them, this is a medical emergency and she has to see a vet now. Please take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

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.