Hi,
Our lovely girl (small gundog breed  2yrs) had her first litter just over six weeks ago - six gorgeous pups, all doing very well, lively, alert, and very cheeky playful puppies. Nice easy pregnancy and she managed birthing with us just supervising and giving reassurance, all went smoothly. She's been a great little mother, pups kept spotlessly clean, no feeding issues. They are all very big pups, and weaning started around 4 weeks ago, much to her relief, and now she lets them suckle for a few minutes only once during the evening, just before bedtime - they are on puppy kibble & goat's milk, with the milk amount being reduced slowly, and can manage dry kibble without any trouble.  Her post-birth discharge cleared up after around two weeks, and there were no issues. So this morning, I noticed just a couple of tiny spots on the kitchen floor were she'd been sitting (and definitely from her vulva), quite reddish but not pure blood. Her appetite is still really good, we are in the process of moving her back to her normal pre-pregnancy food and her milk is now drying up nicely. She's not drinking any more than usual, she's active, bright, and looks her usual bouncy self, maybe a little lighter than pre-pregnancy but that's fairly normal. I rang the vet who says if she seems happy and settled, not to worry unless the discharge increases or her behaviour changes, and that it could be her coming into season - she's always been a 7-8 month season cycle so that seems a bit soon to me as her last season, when she was mated, was February. Has anyone else come across spotting at the 6-7 weeks post-birth point? This is our first puppy litter and we've been extra careful to make sure our girl has been cared for properly - I don't want to risk her being poorly at all. Any advice appreciated.
Thanks.
ps pups all have lovely homes to go to, very carefully checked out by us!

Briefly, no, this isn't anything I've seen in mine

I think you can only go by what your vet advises although if you are worried, it might be worth having him take a look and certainly if this continues, or she shows other signs of a problem.   If she starts drinking more, her tummy seems enlarged etc. and if she is lethargic, I'd be worried about the possibility of a pyometra.   Having a litter can upset the normal cycle, but if she was in last in February, it's a bit soon for her to be back in, I'd suggest.

If the litter is now six weeks, I'd take her completely off them so they are ready, in another couple of weeks, to go to the next stage of their lives.   Part is weaning is being able to live without mum being around at all, after all.

Thanks MamaBas, appreciate it.
Yep we are planning to have them off her by the end of this week, and they are going to their new homes when they are ten weeks

Mine are still spotting sometimes at 6 weeks. If her discharge stopped at 2 weeks that quite quick  so  her body is probably still clearing out. The puppies still having a suckle will also stimulate the uterus to keep clearing by contracting.

I don't think it is. A season..... Vets are pretty clueless about breeding a lot of the time, other breeders often have far more experience :)

Doesn't sound like anything to worry about.... Although I'm sure the vets will give you antibiotics anyway ;)

I'm so glad all you experienced breeders are around to answer questions like these when I have them

It's not unusual so unless the discharge gets smelly or she goes off her food or drinks excessively then I wouldn't worry, it sounds as if you have had a lovely experience with your babies, I find male dogs also tend to show an interest in a post whelping bitch but it doesn't mean she is coming in season I think they just get confused

Thanks everyone, really helpful comments! I'll keep a close eye on her.
Yes it's been a lovely if very tiring time and I think we've been very lucky so far. I'm dreading them all leaving though, but atleast one boy is staying with us.

I concur with Bucksmum.

I have never removed Mum from pups, but she does keep away from them, with only quick play sessions, leaving most of the canine interaction to other members of the canine clan.

I too let the mum decide what time she wants with the babies and my girls still give quick comfort feeds when pups are leaving. To me it is important to have the interaction and learning from the mum till they leave. My mum's don't naturally spend too much time with the puppies when they are 8 weeks old, just quick visits and not even allowing feeds each time...

We're being guided by mum - they're her pups after all! She does a lot of quick checking, making sure bottoms are clean, etc and she's starting to play with them which is lovely to see, but it's all in quick bursts and she spends most of her time away from them whilst still monitoring from a distance. Interestingly last night was the first night she didn't let them suckle but we'll see what she does today. They are all such big pups it must be getting really uncomfortable for her now - largest one weighed 3kg at 6 weeks and the smallest was 2.5kg, but absolutely beautiful, and full of mischief.  It's comforting to hear from experienced breeders - thanks again everyone.

Congratulations on puppies.