After the whelping - questions - Page 1

 I have a few questions if you please:

1/ The panting...wow! We are about 2.5 days post partum right now and she is panting up a storm. Is that normal? For how long do they pant?
2/ How long do they normally have an elevated temperature?
3/ The discharge - what are the normal colors and amounts? We have seen some globs that are rather clottish and quite dark and stringy. It is on the whelping box carpet...sound about right?
4/ What are you finding the avg weight gain for your pups over the first week or 2?
5/ Diarrhea -is this due to the placenta ingestion or all the food she is eating? When does it usually subside?
6/ Milk production - when does the milk come in? Is it like a human where it takes a few days? The puppies have gained weight and BEFORE whelping if I squeezed a nipple I would see milk/colostrum. Now...if I squeeze I get nothing. But the pups are gaining and not whining....so....what's the norm?
7/ Not question but...any tips for the first few weeks?

her temp is 103 give or take a bit. She is eating and drinking reasonably well. Not listless (maybe a bit tired). We are almost 3 days now post whelping. The temp in her area is 77 or 78 - no additional heat sources right now. The pups do not always huddle nor are they always spread apart. The dam is not showing signs of dehydration.

The pups are not screaming (only once in a while someone will until they find a nipple). I just can't really pinch out milk.

Kmaot

I am no expert, but usually a bitch temp goes down 24hrs before whelping, not sure but a temp of 103 is too high and from my experience heavy panting usually stops after the bitch whelps. Are you certain that she has not retained a placenta? I would consult my vet asap.

Sean.
 

Your bitch needs a vet visit to make sure there isn't a dead pup or a placenta retained.

I agree - they do tend to pant for a while after whelping but are usually completely settled by the second day, unless too hot under amn infra red lamp for example. But raised temperature and diarrhea are not normal - mine always eat the placentas but have never had diarrhea. She may be fine, especially as the puppies seem fine, but I would get her checked out, she could hvave a retained placenta or slight infection. As for puppy weight gain, puppies weighing on average 500-600g at birth weigh around 1kg at one week and 1.5kg at 2 weeks - on average- growth is quicker with smaller litters. I think the milk is already there from what you describe - you need to squeeze above the nipple to get it out, not the nipple itself.

I have talked with the vet.  The female did have a cleanout shot post whelping.  We do not feel that there is anything retained.

Forgot to say the discharge sounds normal, and how long it lasts is variable - it is usually more profuse and last longer if oxytocin was administered.

I don't think 103 is abnormal..  and you can expect discharge for up to 8 weeks after whelping.. to some degree..  the panting..  hmm..  is she nervous?  is this her first litter?  is there to much activity around the whelping area?   If her puppies are gaining weight.. they are getting milk..   some bitches do have diarrhea for a few days after whelping..

jody

Louise - I am offering her cottage cheese , goat's milk and Puppy Gold to try and keep her calcium levels up.  thanks for your recommendations....

This is good. However, you don't really know if the calcium in food/additives is doing the job without checking serum Ca+ levels. The calcium in food products is generally not absorbed into the blood stream. 

However, you may wish to treat her for hypocalcemia empirically (based on symptoms). Either let the vet give calcium gluconate IV or give the Ca+Glu- powder orally (absorbed in this form across the mucous membranes directly into the blood stream).

Don't forget about the folic acid and DE for milk let-down--give throughout lactation. Give the DE in the first supplemental feedings to the pups--to get rid of any possible internal parasites.