Hi I have a friend who has boxer which just had puppies, this was 2days ago. Mother has started panting again as if she is giving birth again, she has lost a little blood, I know blood is normal however can panting be a still born or even a live puppy? Any help will be welcomed

Sami xxxxx

Panting post whelping is normal, as the pups feed the uterus contracts causing pain and she pants to cope with it, passing blood is the body expelling any debris which may become infected if it stays inside.

If she thinks there are more pups then she needs to take her to the vets for a check up. Was she expecting more pups than what has turned up?

Panting ( and scratching/nesting) is normal following the birth of puppies. It is all part of the post birthing process as the uterus contracts and gets rid of the blood and debris left behind. The bloody discharge can continue for up to 6 weeks following delivery of puppies. As long as mum is not straining/pushing  there is nothing to worry about . As the puppies suckle,so does the uterus contract to dispel the  post birth 'stuff'. If the discharge becomes really smelly/offensive you should consult your vet , it could mean that the girl has an infection. Please bear in mind that the post birthing discharge is normal, can vary in colour from red to brown and varies in amount from bitch to bitch . The discharge can smell a bit strange but it is pretty well the same as in humans post whelping !

Did she not have the vet check her over and the pups after she had finished delivering...?

I bred a Boxer litter about 10 years ago where the Bitch whelped 7 pups very easily but I could have sworn I could see another pup moving.I called out the vet to check her & the pups over but  he said that he couldnt feel any more pups there & that I had probably just seen the womb contracting down.he wouldnt give her an Oxytocin injection as he reckoned that it just unsettled the bitch.
Mum wouldnt settle & when I phoned the vet again I was told it was normal & as I wasnt very experienced I trusted his word.
On the 3rd day after the pups were born I put them in the car to take them to have their tails & dew claws done,went back in to collect Mum,she stood up & a dead newborn puppy fell out of her.I couldnt believe it & I took my supposedly imaginary dead pup to my own vet on the way to the docking vet
He was very apologetic but I wasnt impressed as he could have lost me my girl so changed vets after that ,so it is possible for there to be a retained
pup but after that If I  had any pups I had  Mum  x-rayed just to make sure.

Thanks for all of this, I will let her know all the replies and she can go from there.

Sami xxxx

Twice I have had a delayed pup - one came and to my experienced friends astonishment ( this was my first litter ) alive after 24 hours.
Ever since then I have had a vet check although not always satisfied with vets dealings as they come across as what is the problem. I think this is because they do not have regular dealings with litters.

i have only one thing to say on this matter and thats follow your instincts.there is absoloutly no harm in just checking....i ALWAYS follow my instincts and if im wrong i dont care i still sit and smile cos im better off for knowing rather than left worried sick and wondering!!!