my pooch began early labor on wednesday evening, she did not go into stage two until early this morning. i was very concerned and my vet did come out last night and said all was well, heartbeats, shes dilating.... she said if she does not have them over night we will need to be seen in the morning. at around 12:45am she began pushing, at 1:20 a pup arrived. feet first... nothing out of the ordinary... but she was lifeless. we tried for ages, rubbing and rubbing, clearing the airways, my dog was licking her like crazy... we called the vet who said its normal and there isnt much you can do... i was gutted! i have never had a dead puppy before so this is new to me, but i was gutted. the next pup arrived, he was fine, so i cheered up, the next pup began to arrive, out she popped, we split the sac quickly, my dog began licking like crazy but nothing, we rubbed and rubbed, cleared the airways... lifeless still after 20 minuets. my dog was not in any distress by this. she then went on to have two more healthy pups, so we have 3 live and 2 dead. im really upset, i feel like i failed and could have done better. i do of course know these things happen... but two of out 5 seams too much to me... we have the vet coming later to check all is fine.... how do you feel after dead pups?

We all feel gutted that we couldn't save all our puppies, but you really have to grieve and let go. The ones that are alive (and mum of course) have to take all your attention for the next few weeks. It helps a bit but once it is all over quite a few tears are shed. Some people can never get over the loss of puppies and never breed again. Those of us that do carry on have to try to harden our hearts against this happening again. And then go through it again next time we lose one.

Unfortunately nature is cruel sometimes and we never know the reason why they don't survive. It really is better to lose one now, at birth, than in a few days/weeks time though as you haven't got attached to the individual puppies yet.

I know its sad but at least you do have live puppies. a friends frenchy has just had one still born puppy by cesarean after the vet kept putting her off and making her wait another day. My friend knew the due date but the vet said she would be ok  to wait until day 67!!!!!

Glad you have 2 live puppies. You will never know when they were lost and although so hard you will enjoy those you have.
Mostly the pups I have lost have been born alive but lost in first week.
I have a bitch at home who had two litters and it was identical. Each litter she struggled to pass the first pup  and it was  dead. She did have live puppies. The first we lost 2 still born, the 2nd 3. Pups were out of the bag and my belief is that they were held up so much they were not attached for a while.
The only consolation I can offer is, that the litter of 2 was my most enjoyable, for me and for the bitch.
I had been hoping to keep a puppy from her and in the end that didn't happen but you will remember all the good bits if you go on to breed again.

yes the first one was out of the bag and the second took a while to push out, the head was out but she was struggling so i helped, but i could not cut the cord because it was so tight... there was no space to cut it, his belly was literally touching her and there was no slack at all so i rubbed while still attached until the placenta followed... but it was too late by then

I have a place in my garden where the puppies I've loved and lost are buried. It's so hard when that happens, no matter how hard we try we still feel we've failed both the puppy and the mum, though common sense should tell us otherwise. You'll move forward eventually, though you'll never forget the 2 puppies you lost. I hope the remaining 3 puppies thrive and you can begin to enjoy them.

Horrible, and it usually is after a delay, though just as often a long delay can result in live puppies, it all depends on whether the pups later along the line have placentas detached.

I have been angry with a relief vet refusing to administer Oxytocin to one of my girls for who a delay of more than two hours resulted in stillborn in her second litter.

with her third litter she was huge and after first pup just stopped, but they insisted on waiting three hours, she then had two live pups very quickly, but we then had the next two stillborn, before some more live, (one of which we really had to work on as seemed lifeless), and another stillborn after that one, plus she wasn't right (kept going out and straining as if needing a poo) when vet said she finished, and a day and a half later produced another rather mangled large dead pup.

We lost 4 out of 11.  Previously I have only lost one in the occasional litter to stillbirth, or worse within first days.

Last litter for the first time I had two partly mummified pups who had obviously died past the absorption window, but long before term, and lost one pup the next day, as Mum had been unwell (the recipe of her food had changed and she had eaten very little and refused to eat for two days including flaked salmon) after whelping, no matter what I gave her until I hit on smelly tinned cat food.

Fell awful for you, but enjoy the pups you have, and mum is obviously well and loving them x

Ive had this with my bitch first litter long delay between stages and we lost more than were alive. Tried again 18 months later and lost half of a large litter. Delay between pups an no reasons. Its awful so wont be breeding from her again. To have a mother that pushes them all out like shelling peas and everything is dandy to then another where the outcome is so much different is very distressing. I hope to have a frenchie litter some time in the future. But although we possibly face a c section and there is the added risk of that ill be happy all out in one.

im not sure about breeding her again now after this. my vet thinks the first pup was dead before labour and thats what had held the labour up. which ok is fair enough... but for another to die that i tried to so hard to save, im really gutted. shes happy with the 3 she has and didnt seam to notice the two which did not make it, she licked them for a while when i was rubbing but somewhat gave up and walked off... as if she knew before i did. i have never experienced dead pups before so i guess i had been lucky so far until this time, it was her first litter so if i did breed again it may be different... but not sure if i want to take that chance

When you first posted how long she had been in labour - and your vet said it was ok to wait, I knew he had never bred toys.  I would have insisted that he was wrong and had an x-ray at the very least.  The last 2 dead puppies had probably waited too long.

I would always question a vet, but it's something that novices won't do.  So sad.

I had a nightmare with the litter I had this time, its a long story bt.. one puppy had an eye prob, then mum had mastitis, and at six weeks I had to make the decision to have one of the pups pt to sleep.. she had an ectopic urethra.. I was devastated, cried all the way to the vets, all the way back and all the time I was burying her in the garden... don't beat yourself up, you did ur best.. enjoy your pups.. what really hacks me off is people who think its easy money..my litter cost me a fortune an broke my heart.. but im enjoying the naughty little rouge I kept now.xx 

Where is the "like" button for Sammye's comment!

That is awful Samye.  My friend had her first litter for some years, all seemed well, except on the day one pup was being collected a little scab was noticed on his bottom, but the new owners were already ion their way.

As this little guy was a real tyke and into everything in the garden etc, it was assumed to be an infected scratch and he went to new home and to vet for Antibiotics.

At 10 weeks he came back to my friend the breeder diagnosed with a mast Cell tumour, as it had not responded to AB treatment.

This entailed a refund of purchase price, payment of his vets bills including specialist referral fees, Her won specialist and vets fees, and he is now in a foster home as having kept a pup from the litter he was not getting the rest, and trying to keep the area clean was proving difficult with two wrestling playing pups.

Now fortunately Grade 1 Mast cell tumours are totally treatable, he was put on steroids to shrink the tumour.  He has now had the operation, but unfortunately the wound site got infected and he had a high temperature!!!

So all in all a nightmare, and he will still need to be found a new home when all is over. :(

awww thats sad. he will get the home he deserves

Aww bless him..its so hard sometimes, and the longer you have them and look after them the harder it is to let them go...i hope he finds a lovely home soon..xx 

You can bet the average BYB or puppy farmer would not have taken the huge loss such a pup entails, but sadly conscientious breeders after such a disaster may be put off breeding again, purely as they can't afford it, apart from the heartache..

Sorry to hear this. But like others have said, at least you have three live puppies. A bitch I was interested in having a puppy from lost all her puppies in the womb at a very late stage. Was very upsetting to the breeders and myself also as I'd been waiting two years for a pup from her and she won't be bred from again :(