My bitch has just had her 2nd and final litter, the pups are 3 days old, she occassionally leaves the whelping box, and scrapes at the carpet for 5 minutes or so, there is no obvious signs of distress etc, is this normal behaviour for after the pups have been born ?

Thanks

Nicola

Hi! Congratulations to you and proud mum :-p
Yes, this is normal. The uterus is contracting still, to regain its' normal size. This makes the bitch restless and wanting to dig. Odviously it hurts. Your girl is very good, doing it outside of the whelpingbox A warm towel on her tummy when she is laying down with her pups, may help a little.
Best wishes,
Karen

She has been vet-checked post-whelping to make sure everything's been expelled, hasn't she? Keep an eye on her and if she starts to become more agitated and digs more frequently contact the vet again because she could be developing eclampsia and need emergency calcium.

Thank you so far, yes she has been vet-checked and passed with flying colours, all the pups are well fed, and she's being a great mum, she never dug after her first litter so I was slightly concerned this time.

Many thanks

Nicola