could any one tell me if there are many problems with whelping when a bitch's womb is fit to burst! her last litter she had four pups[and only started to show at seven weeks]. this time she is massive.i had her scanned on thurs but the vet said its impossible to tell the number. she did offer a x ray but i dont want to put her through too much unless totally necessary. she is fine in herself,eating and her happy self althoughshe looks very tired [hardly surprizing]. is there more likleyhood of premature birth[she's a sbt] and should i be worried about her contracting suffientiently to get the pups out. your advice greatly appreciated.:

It's usually very small litters that create whelping problems, due to there not being enough pups to produce the hormone to initiate contractions. Bigger litters generally come easily. As always, keep the vet up to speed with the pregnancy. :)

Hi

Bigger litters tend to be easier on the bitch as the pups are normally smaller so pass easier. However they can get very tired if the labour goes on for a while. Not really alot you can do about that but be there and give her all the support she needs. Vet might be able to give her a jag to make the welping quicker but it is amazing how they cope.

She could go early, but then again my bitch was early with both litters and she only had 3. A case of being prepared but you should be doing that anyway.

It has been said a lot before that the bitch looks bigger the second litter. MIne did and she had the same amount of pups as before, I would of sworn there was a lot more in her than there was lol

Hope all goes well

Wendy

A dog will probably appear bigger with susequent litters as their stomach muscles aren't as strong as before they have a litter so they dont hold the pups as 'tightly' as with a first.
I was tiny with my first baby who weighed 8lb 2oz and massive with my second who weighed 7lb 10oz.The midwives said it was due to muscle strenght so I guess dogs will be the same.
My sbt had a litter of 8 (1st litter) last year and she wasn't very big at all,but a friends gsd had a litter of 4 (2nd litter) and she was huge.

I dont know how true any of it is but good luck anyway and keep us updated. :) :)