Wonder if anyone has heard of this........

Bitch (not ours)  scanned at around 4 weeks gestation with at least 6 pups - most likely more.

Starts labour right on time - 2 bitch pups born naturally, then nothing.    Ends up with a vet caesarian - one extremely large  - like huge - dead pup with large placenta, and no sign of the rest of the pups seen on the scan.

Of course - all family at the ready with nice warm towels, and nothing to rub

It was almost as if the placenta of the giant pup had grown all over those of the missing pups, who must have re-absorbed.

Anyone else had this??

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

Could have been something like this I suppose but it is hard to believe that 3 or 4 of the puppies shared a placenta.  Perhaps the vessels in the placenta can fuse into the placentas of the others though or maybe the scan was not quite accurate.  Did the vet not offer any explanation?

That's very interesting, Isabel.   

Two vets and the owner all counted at least 6 on the scan - as far as I know the owner hasn't been given an explanation.

I've always been amazed when people say that they've had 'twin' puppies (presumably sharing the same placenta?).   I don't think I'd honestly know if I had, as the bitch usually eats the placentas  almost before they're delivered.    The dead pup in this instance was approximately 3 times normal size - about the same size as a fortnight old puppy, the owner said.

I wondered if the placentas could fuse, I must say.

Jo

I've certainly heard of very large pups before.  I don't know, but I have always assumed they were grossly distended because the puppy had died and fluid had continued to be absorbed into its tissues via the placenta but not discharged again because the circulation was not pumping.  Perhaps the others died earlier, just coincidentally, and were reabsorbed.  It's very sad.  I suspect they will never really know.

Hi,

Just a comment about twin puppies, the litter my girl had in February produced 6 puppies and two of them were almost identical.  To be honest I have no idea if they were twins (I am assuming dogs can have twins?) as she grabbed the placentas before you could get your hands on it, she couldn't have cared less about opening the sac! Even weeks later their facial features were identical but the growth rate was different. I have a picture of the two lying sleeping with their heads together and I can't tell which one is which - only memory of the pups position prior to taking the picture lets me tell them apart.

About twin pups -I've had this. They actually shared the same sac and was born together. One of them was dead though.

Yours actually came out together, did they?  With just one placenta?

I do wonder just how many pups can share a placenta?    With humans, can you get triplets who are monzygotic (is that the right term?)

Jo

I missed most of it - but wasn't there a programme on television recently about identical quads (human children :) ) ??

Daisy

Yes it is monozygotic in humans, where one egg splits into two, with sharing one placenta and sac and be identical with features.  Unsure if all 3 in triplets can be identical. Ususally 2 are identical coming from one egg and the other coming from a 2nd egg completely. (as what happens with non-idential twins)

The huge pup, could it have been a walrus pup?  They look massive when born.

If there was a problem then the rest of the litter was probably reabsorbed :(  When my girl lost her litter, she was scanned as having 8 pups, two weeks later she aborted 5 mummified pups, absolutely no signs of the other 3

Yes both arrived together, and with the bitch standing up, it was one very diffcult catch when I realised it was TWO. As one was dead though (no amount of reviving worked, think he'd been dead for a day at least) I don't know how similar they'd have been. I honestly can't remember if it was one or two placentas, but they were definitely both inside the same sac.

These two pups weren't in the same sac so probably not twins as they didn't come together although one did follow on from the other.  Most of the placentas were the same size but there was one massive placenta attached to a dead puppy.  This pup must have been dead for a day or two as it's mouth was open and all brown as well as it's tummy appearing brown although still in the sac.

BTW what's a walrus pup?  I've not heard that term before?

A

I had 2 arrive together in my last litter, but was not quick enough to see if there was one or two placentas. Both boys, very alike with the same growth rate. Saw one of them last week and hope to see the other soon - will be interested to see if they are still very similar.

Yes - what is a walrus pup?

Jo

Walrus pup.  Seems unlikely outside specific breeds though doesn't it.

They call them water pups too...usually known to bulldogs...they look terrible when they're born...so sad...

Sorry Isabel...I didn't think to look at the link before posting! LOL Always annoys me when someone comes afterwards and says exactly what they've said...SOZ!

  Happens all the time, not just with links ;)

One of my bitches had two pups in the same bag with one placenta and i had never seen that before, they both survived.