Since yesterday afternoon Esme (med/large gundog) has been very restless and spent last night moving around the bedroom (where the whelping box is), digging about and panting more or less constantly. Breathing is quite laboured, very short breaths. At 4.15am I had to hit the Red Bull!

She's still eating, but doing a lot of sleeping between bouts of panting, lots of spending a penny (with accompanying mucus strings) and done half a dozen poos. Pups are still moving about.

With my previous litter, with a different large breed, 6 years ago, the panting started early evening and 3am first pup was born. 8th and last pup born at 7.30am. I hope Esme isn't so crammed full she doesn't get to the 2nd stage - certainly not seen any contractions and she is huge!

Any advice (this is only my 2nd litter)? She is day 61 from 1st mating, which the scanner thinks she took from (9 pups seen). She also said she didn't think she'd go to 63 days due to the size of the litter.

This first stage can go on for 48hrs and to be in true labour has to have contractions which move the pups towards the exit and dilates the cervix. The extra weeing,pooing and the mucous makes me think the pups are lining up and moving down putting pressure on the bladder,bowel/rectum and the cervix.

Is 9 pups a huge litter for the breed or does she look abnormally big to make you think she may have primary inertia?

If you are really worried or she becomes distressed then speak to your vet and get her checked over if they think it is needed.

Keep us posted on how things go.

It's not a massive litter, the average being 6-8, but it is her first litter, and my first with this breed.

I'll see how things go today and tonight, she definitely isn't distressed at the moment, and will speak to the Vet tomorrow if nothing happens tonight, especially as we are heading for a Bank Holiday weekend!

Hopefully she will settle down to business in the next few hours.

Here's to a safe and healthy whelping

i have had one of my girls be in slow stage 1 for about 36hrs and she was huge...had twelve with no issues once she got going.

i have her grandaughter who also had 12, she was restless throught one whole night and then the first pup literally fell out without me seeing one contraction!

They are all so different, if she is ok in herself and is sleeping between bouts of panting it sounds normal, hopefully she will start later today or tonight.

All the best x

Abbreviated update is 3 boys, 3 girls (one with huge hernia, so for now just seeing how it goes) 1 stillborn and a c-section to remove final dead huge pup. I am shattered!!!

keeping fingers and paws crossed for your little one--it sounds like you hand your girl have really been through the mill. Well done on keeping everything together and hope you get some rest soon!

So sorry that your girl ended up with a section.  I hope that she recovers quickly, and that the pups thrive.

I am so sorry that things didn't go better, I hope that the surviving pups do well.

A breeder friend had a pup born with her abdo open and the contents spilling out,she sent her to the vet with her hubby to have the pup PTS, sometime later her hubby reappeared with the pup, the vet had poked all the bits back inside and sutured her up, he felt that it had happened during the whelping due to a short cord and she should be given a chance, she went on to thrive much to her breeders amazement and is now in a pet home and nearly 2 yrs old.

Keeping everything crossed for you.