Dog labor: How long between puppies & how to boost milk supply?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is about 30-45min. Some dogs can have longer break between the puppies, up to 1-1.5hr. However, if Mia is having strong contractions for over 20-30min and she cannot produce a puppy, it is a reason to go to see a vet right away.

Hello. As long as she is not actively pushing / straining & seems content to care for her new family, she may just need to rest for several hours. It is also not unusual for there to be a 24 hour gap between starting labor & delivering the last puppy. I will tell you that sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between an involuting uterus ( one that is shrinking down ) & the perception that there may be still some puppies. The uterus can be quite "lumpy" at this early stage. If she remains comfortable & there is no excessive drainage ( there will be the normal greenish discharge called lochia ), then I would not be too concerned. But if you are still concerned in 3-4 hours, or she starts pushing with no deliveries after 30 minutes, do see your veterinarian for further evaluation. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

You should look for signs compatible with more contractions and up to 4 hours in between puppies could be still fine. If more than that, you should ideally seek veterinary attention as soon as possible as c-section might be needed. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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.

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.

Typically the membranes pass within 15 minutes of a puppy's delivery, but I would not be overly concerned about the second pup's slower membrane expulsion. Puppies are usually born every 30-60 minutes, but there can be up to 3 hours between puppies, which is all normal. Be sure that Maggie is cleaning and stimulating the puppies to breathe very shortly after birth. If she is not doing this, you can use a clean towel to remove the membranous covering from the puppies' faces and rub their bodies to stimulate them to take a breath. This link also has some helpful information about whelping: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=678. Congratulations on your new additions!

I am sorry to hear about your concern for Leah. We normally do not see more than 4 hours pass between puppies, so it is concerning that she had so much time between the puppies. If you do not know how many puppies to expect (you didn't have an x-ray taken to count puppies) the safest course of action would be to have her vet examine her to be certain there aren't remaining puppies that need to be removed. You can read more about birthing puppies at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=678 Best of luck to you and Leah.