Hey, can anyone help, when do you know that the Whelping has finished?  My girl has had 5 pups today, (only 3 seen on scan, she pranced around while being scanned so they said it was just a rough guide).  When will I know that she's done?

She had the first 4 evenly spaced every 2 hours, and then just an hour for the last one.  She's still heavy breathing and occasionally panting but her tummy is soft??

Help

I don't suppose everyone here will agree, but what MY vet does in this situation is to tell me to come in right away (even out of hours) for ONE Ex-ray.  Then you know for sure.

It does vary with breeds and individuals but if you put a hand flat under her when she is lying down or either side of her tummy if she is standing and apply gentle but quite firm pressure then you can generally feel if her uterus is empty, but it is not foolproof!  Usually if she is finished then she will be resting quietly with her babies and not panting unless she is hot or possibly still in labour, sometimes a short walk in the garden will be enough to start contractions if she has got any more. If you were expecting 3 and she has 5 then chances are that she has finished

> She's still heavy breathing and occasionally panting but her tummy is soft??<br /><br />Help

This is pain, her uterus is contracting and it varies how long this continues.  Some may go for a week with this panting.  I think a soft tummy sounds as if she is empty.

When I thought my girl was done I called my local scanner and they came round to make sure no more pups and that she was cleared out. She was so I could then concentrate on her and pups without any worry of more popping out so to speak

Well we've just had a bit of a surprise in my house. Puppy no 6 born at 22.06, 7 1/2 hours after the last one.  Came kicking and screaming into the world, how fantastic is that

That's pretty fantastic indeed!!!!  And a lesson to us all that you just never know!  Congratulations!  And be glad she didn't have it in the garden somewhere! 

And only three seen on the scan.  In my (not so humble!) opinion,  one (ONE) Ex-ray at the very end of the pregnancy is far preferable to not having basically any idea of how many pups to expect.  They do that here with no problems, and Switzerland is no third-world country when it comes to veterinary medicine! 

Hah - Best practice is really to take mum and puppies to your vet after YOU thinks she's finished, for confirmation that she is empty.   He may well x-ray to be sure and/or give her a shot to clear her out.   At the same time he should check the puppies for abnormalities you might have missed.  That way you are good to go!!    You'll have to get somebody to either drive you, or be with the bitch to watch her enroute.   Have the puppies in a box on a warm, not hot, pad and covered, by mum so she's not distressed being separated from them.   I'd get them 'topped' up before leaving, to keep them quiet!!   

I will tell you that one of our bitches had a protracted whelping, in one of my then vet's examination rooms out in Canada (we lived a distance from him and having had to take her in for assistance, he suggested I stay).   He lived over the practice so when enough time had gone by with no further arrivals, I could call him down to help with the next one.   He didn't want to do a Section.  We all came home the following morning and I left hubby watching her and the new litter while I made myself comfortable .... he yelled that there was another puppy coming - my vet had missed it!   Clearly she was right in the pelvic area, out of feeling (he didn't bother to x-ray thinking it was all over!!).    So an unexpected arrival can happen.

Well, that was a surprise but not at all unknown, lovely for you to have 6 healthy puppies, enjoy them

I had similar in the past and the current litter last one born around dawn some 5 1/2 hours after others who were born at regular intervals

Hope all puppies and mom doing well x

Thank you, yes they are all beautiful. 
We ended up taking her to the vets yesterday as she kept straining and after our surprise no. 6 arriving 7 1/2 hours after the 5th she needed checking over.  And guess what she had an X-Ray just to check.  It showed no puppy but did show a gut full of air possibly she was gulping air, I don't know.  Anyway she has had some probiotics and antibiotics also bland chicken and rice. 
We we're back to the vets today with a view to a scan if she was still straining, possible retained placenta, but she's fine today and the vet was happy with her, so all good.  Thank goodness.