My four year bitch had her second litter on Sunday  and my fourth litter and we have been having issues ever since.
She was carrying 11 puppies in total, 10 were delivered between 8.30a.m. and 4p.m. after some help from some oxytocin from the vet ( she was showing no signs of labour at all and the first pup was a bit of a surprise and I didn't catch it in time so no oxytocin was produced naturally) by midnight nothing more had happened so I took the opportunity to get 40 winks but she produced puppy number 11 whilst I was asleep and again this one was found dead.
Despite bottle feeding 3 incredibly tiny pups every two hours they sadly died by tuesday morning ..we were left with six but all apparently healthy nursing and putting on weight. I had mum checked out by the vet who gave her some antibiotics for a slighly raised temperature which has calmed her down a lot.
On thursday I did my routine half hour check on mum and the pups to find another dead puppy..this time I think in her restlessness she managed to squash her despite having a proper whelping pen and pig rails.
Today (Friday) she is again incredibly restless, not panting as much, but constantly asking to go outside. She is eating normally, urinating and defaecating normally but does have some, expected, brownish discharge after urinating..this is not smelly at all so I'm not too worried about that.
I think I'm really just looking for other peoples expertise as to ideas to a) settle her down and b) opinions on whether it would be advisable at day 5/6 to separate mum from pups and if so how long is too long?

You know your own bitch better than anyone. if in doubt speak to your vet. hopefully you will have a good relationship with him. hope it goes well.

i would take her to the vet, with pups in a box, you need to rule out eclampsia fast

If she is very restless then I would have her checked by the vet. Often as pups get stronger and need more milk the uterus contracts more and this may be making her more restles and pushing out more discharge. I never leave my  Mums and pups alone, not even for 1/2 hour for the first 3-4 weeks as unfortunatly pups can and do get squashed.. We have a 24 hour watch kept on them untill they are a little better able to look after themselves. Even then someone is within hearing distance for 8 weeks. Pups are masterly at getting into trouble,...
Aileen
Just to add I can see no reason to seperate her from her babies. Unless she is attacking them.

Sorry so many of the pups haven't made it.

Could she simply be too hot and that is making her restless? Could she have retained some afterbirth which is making her want to pass it hence the frequent toilet breaks?

I would certainly have a word with the vet and see if they come up with any ideas as the weekend is upon us again.

Have no suggestions re squashd pups other than someone being present with them 24/7

Speak to your vet.

Thanks for the advice...I have taken her temperature for the past couple of days and it is normal plus she has been on royal canin starter food for a good few weeks so we can rule out eclampsia. ( better not tempt fate )
I'm glad to say that she has significantly calmed down again now and is nursing calmly and quietly..I can only imagine that having just popped out 11 puppies that the weeing is not going to be as normal. I spoke to my vet about this and to put it somewhat crudely it is the equivalent of having a weak pelvic floor and therfore she will feel that she needs to go more than she really does.
Purdey is also part of a pack of 5 labradors and seems to be much happier when she has a bit more opportunity to come and go from the whelping box ...I suppose she doesn't appreciate being separated from all the action but also doesn't want to abandon her new babies so gets a bit ' wound up'.
With regards to the loss of some of the puppies I have spoken to a couple of vets who have said that a large litter will have a much higher probability of loss due to overcrowding in the uterus and the position of the faetus can seriously affect how much nutrition it gets from mum.
In other peoples experience does history tend to repeat itself with the same bitch or could another litter be all plain sailing? My other girl has also had two litters - one of 11 and one of 10 completely free of veterinary intervention and with no losses ( I think there's something in the water here!) whereas purdey has had two big litters ( both 11 puppies) with several unfeasible pups in both.

I would never rule out eclampsia based on what kibble I am feeding, she produced 11 pups which will have drained her calcium reserves and now is feeding pups therefore losing more calcium, I would be giving her foods/drink with calcium, yogurt,cottage cheese and goats milk to be on the safe side.

Some females seem to have better track records when it comes to whelping pups than others,[was it the same stud each time that there may have been genetic issues with the pups] after problems twice I wouldn't be putting her through it again.

Thanks Rhodach..I forgot to mention that I am giving her welpi in her drinking water to supplement her. I am also keeping a close eye on her for any other symptoms but apart from a lot of intermittent panting there aren't any other signs. I think the panting is mostly related to wanting to be let out more than anything else.
I know what you mean about risking another litter. I'm just thinking that apart from a slight temperature on day 2 ( 0.5 degrees above ) and her obvious restlessness ( Which I don't think is a 'medical' problem) there hasn't really been problems with Purdey as such more with losing pups ...that sounds terrible and that I don't care about the pups but I can't really work out how to phrase it. Speaking to two or three vets they are very much of the opinion that there is a certain amount of inevitability of loss in large litters and that I should treat the successful raising of two large litters by my other bitch as the exception not the other way around.
I suppose what I'm driving at is has anyone else had similar experiences only to then have a 'normal' litter later on.

I am no way experienced but my bitch was the same after she lost a pup a couple of days ago leaving her with one remaining puppy, she was panting asking to go in and out constantly. I took her for a walk and took my other dogs along aswell, she really enjoyed herself and after that she got back to being a mum again. I know some would disaprove as the risk of bringing back an infection but it was the only way i could snap my bitch out of it.

Hi Fushang,
Sorry to hear that you lost a pup and that you only have 1 left...that also sounds a bit of a nightmare...how old is your pup now? If your bitch has up to date vaccinations then there will be a certain level of immunity passed through the colostrum. My vet told me that pups are actually at a much higher risk of infection around 6 to 8 weeks old as the immunity from the colostrum will diminish somewhat before they then get their first jabs.
Having let purdey out a bit with the others and having spent a bit more time with her she is so much calmer..I think a lot of it is separation anxiety and there's not a lot the vet can do for that!
James

I think the panting is mostly related to wanting to be let out more than anything else.

dogs pant post delivery, sometimes up to ten days, not because they want to be let out!

Tina,
I know that is the case...but in my experience they are also fairly calm with it. The difference in my case , and I'm assuming in the other case too, is that there is an obvious degree of agitation and inability to settle. I feel that your comment is unfair in tone. After 10 - 15 minutes of being allowed to go outside and have a bit of time with the other dogs and to have a bit of a runaround she is more than happy to go back in and lie calmly and quietly with her puppies.

> a large litter will have a much higher probability of loss

I think that's true, unpalatable though it may be.

As for Eclampsia, I always supplement my bitches, large or small, with Collo-cal D to be on the safe side.

Good luck with your remaining pups.