Hello I have actively followed the forum for a very long time and it has helped me so much, now I really need advice. This is my third litter I have bred, first from this bitch, she was due today but went into labour on Sunday and delivered Monday morning, she delivered 10 within 4 hours it was so fast one was born sleeping and I tried really hard but she sadly passed away.

After the 10th puppy bitch was panting and digging and still pushing, after an hour she stopped pushing but extremely unsettled so I phoned the vet and was told she had probably finished and it was after pains, he said phone in an hour to see how things are. Well things were crazy, my bitch decided she wouldn’t let me near her, she turned wild growling lunging pacing crying panting, I couldn’t camm her down so took her straight to the vet who palpated and said she had finished but I asked if they could do a blood test as I was worried about eclampsia. She had to be muzzled as she was so distressed I have never felt so awful.

Results came back low so they wanted to put her on a calcium drip over night, I dint know what to do as she hadn’t fed any of the puppies but I didn’t want to risk losing my bitch. So she stayed and I came home to start bottle feeding the puppies, by this stage I hadn’t had any sleep in 72 hours and felt very unwell with worry. I went to collect her yesterday morning and they said she had been aggressive all night and when they brought her out a big pool of green fluid leaked all over the floor, they said you can’t take her she needs an X-ray make sure there’s no dead puppies inside her and her levels of calcium were at the bottom of normal so wanted to put her back on the drip... I was worried sick, but had to leave her as the puppies were overdue their feed at home.

When they phoned in the afternoon they said no dead puppies, discharge has slowed right down, but they hadn’t put her back on th drip as she had been to aggressive to get out the kennel. I was so mad. They’ve kept her all day for no reason. She was so stressed sh3 hadn’t been fed since Sunday and this was Tuesday, she wet herself on the way out to the car, when we got home she’s crying pacing barking to go in and out of every door, she can’t settle for a second she keeps running in and out of the Whelping box smelling the puppies then running back out crying.

I’ve tried to get her to lay down she won’t for a second. I’m so sleep deprived I’m worried sick about my girl, worried sick about the puppies, how successful is hand rearing puppies that have never had colostrum? They seem to be taking milk well but it takes me an hour and a half to feed and stimulate all 9 then half an hour till start over again. The puppies seem dirty all the time it’s no fescues it’s sticky like the milk and yellow. I don’t know how ofen I should flannel them down, I don’t want to keep getting them wet and drying them. I’m sorry it’s been such a long post. I just need some support from people who may have been through something similar. Many thanks

Go to Face book orphaned puppies. They have good advice

Can anyone here offer advice? Where about in the UK are you? If no one here can help, try here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/orphanedpuppies/

Thanks so much for the group I’m posting now

Also based st Anne’s near Blackpool

Go onto Hyperdrug website you can buy puppy colostrum and dried milk from there.
You can also get a bottle of liquid calcium for your bitch.
First just try and get her to settle along with yourself and pups in a quiet place, give her some cream of chicken soup, scrambled eggs anything at all to keep her quieter poor baby but keep a constant watch.
If she doesn't want the pups you can hold her down to let them get at least a few feeds till you can get things sorted to bottle feed them.
Forgot to add if pups haven't had any colostrum go back to vet and demand antibiotics for them to go along side bottle feeding.

You need to be tube feeding your puppies and need a mentor or good videos to show you how.

You should always give calcium from the birth of the first puppy onwards, it prevents eclampsia.  At the first sign of any restlessness or growling or weird behaviour, increase calcium further.  Add calcium to her food or this behaviour may well continue and she may end up rehospitalised or worse. 

From after whelping onwards, the bitch can be supplemented with 90mg of elemental calcium for each pound of bodyweight per day.  For example, calcium carbonate (Tums) provides 40mg of calcium for every 100mg of calcium carbonate.  Calcium citrate, better because it doesn’t require food for processing, only provides 21mg of calcium for every 100mg of calcium citrate.  So a 20lb bitch could be given 1800mg of calcium in 4500mg calcium carbonate, or 4.5 tablets of Tums.  Or you could give her half a heaped teaspoon of calcium citrate powder.  (Calcium Carbonate is the most common form of supplemental calcium but it must be taken with food for it to be effective. Calcium carbonate is the form found in most antacids and supplements, such as Tums, Calsorb, and OralCal Plus.  It is also the type most often found in dairy products, such as ice cream.  Calcium Citrate is the most effective oral supplement but it is harder to find. It is absorbed as soon as the dog eats it and it does not need to be taken with food.

After whelping, only give calcium if you see weird behaviours:  Nesting, moving puppies, hiding, stress etc.  Then, how much to give depends on bitch’s size, litter size and how aberrant the behaviour is. Large breeds should get 1000-2000mg.  Her behaviour will often improve within 30mins but if it doesn’t, give another dose immediately.  You can then dose with that 4-5x a day if her behaviour continues, or stop supplementing if she’s ok.

I would take one pup out the box and sit with pup and let mum come and explore the pup in her own time.  She probably has a lot of milk, which is only adding to her discomfort.  If slowly and calmly doesn't work, you may need to muzzle her to enable the pups to feed.  She may then slowly regain mothering abilities.  I would not resign yourself to hand-rearing the puppies if you have only just got the bitch home, you need to ensure the bitch is well and does not have eclampsia and then help her regain her mothering abilities.

I think you need expert help and advice from a mentor or mentors who have time to help you.