My dog just had puppies, but I think more are coming. Is that normal?

Occasionally, there can be 2-4 hours between puppies. If she is actively straining for an hour or more without producing a pup then she should be examined by your veterinarian right away. An exam and abdominal x-rays would be recommended in this situation anyway to confirm the presence or absence of additional pups inside Dhorina.

Well done to you and Mama! That is an impressive first litter for a Collie. Though it is possible that there are more pups on the way. Puppies are usually born every 20 minutes during the delivery process. Though it is possible for a female dog to pause and have a break for up to 2 hours between puppies. Best of luck, and please feel free to ask as many questions as you need to during this process.

It is normal for dogs to have puppies between 30 and 45 minutes apart. If your pet is not straining or does not seem to be in pain, then this is less of a worry, however, dogs tend to hide their pain much better than humans. If you know that your dog had more than one puppy, then I would take her to a vet and make sure that there aren't complications. A breached puppy can cause harm to the mother and be life threatening if not addressed.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mocha. If she had x-rays while pregnant and she was only expecting one puppy, then she is probably doing fine. However, if she was expecting more puppies or you don't know the number of puppies, she will need to see her veterinarian. She will need an x-ray to ensure there are not any more puppies that have not been born yet. I hope this information helps!

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.

If the radiographs were taken after 42 days gestation the puppies skeletons should have been calcified which means your vet should have been able to count heads and spines and give you a fairly accurate number of puppies. If they were taken before the skeletons had calcified it is much more difficult to get an accurate count. I have been surprised in the past when it turns out some of my patients have had more than the original guess from the radiographs. This can happen if two puppies are superimposed, or overlapped one on top of the other in the images, making it look like two puppies are just one. However, if your vet saw 8 skulls and spines and you only see 7 puppies my thought is there is still one that hasn't been born. If Sugar still doesn't give birth to that eighth puppy in the next few hours I would call your veterinarian. I hope this was helpful!

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)