Could any one tell me if a bitch can have mestritis without having a temp,my bitch pupped 2 days ago and has been panting since ,no pushing though, vets been out and put her on anibiotics there is no temp  but shes not eating today although she was yesterday! and not much milk shes a litter of 8,large breed her calcium levels are fine .im keeping an eye on her tonight and supplementing the 3 smaller pups .....long night ahead

It's perfectly normal for a bitch to pant for a few days after mating. I'm not sure I'd be wanting to give her antibiotics uneccessarily, bearing in mind that whatever the bitch ingests comes through in her milk. It's also normal to have a dark brown discharge, so don't worry if that happens. Don't give her large meals, little and often is best. I always give my bitches something every 2 hours, milk then 2 hours later the meat from a boiled chicken leg, 2 hours later milk, then 2 hours later chicken, and so on. You can vary the chicken with a couple of scrambled eggs or some non oily fish. I keep to this regime for 3 to 4 days then gradually start to introduce 'proper' food. Good Luck

bitches often pant for a few days after whelping and it is because the uterus is contracting back down in size and this can be a little painful, this is normal and unless she was showing other problems i would be reluctent to put her on AB's too. Their appetites usually pick back up again after a few days, they are usually anxious and sore and this can be enough to make them not to keen on their food, if she is otherwise happy then i would just keep a close eye on her but she will probably pick up soon and then she will eat you out of house and home!!! milk can take a few days to become really heavy, the more the pups suckle the more it encourages milk production so let them have a go often too.
all the best with your girl and her babies :)

Hi Willowsmum,
Yes, I suppose a bitch could have mastitis without having a temperature.
If you check the whole undercarriage, and find no harder, warmer, redder or more tender parts, I'd say it's not mastitis. It's normal for a bitch who's had a litter two days ago, to do quite a bit of panting. It's the uterus contracting, painful but nothing dangerous.
The Calcium levels are usually not anything to worry about until the litter is somewhat older, consuming large quantities of milk. But of course you can never be sure, it's always something to consider if a bitch is uncomfortable in any way.
Try giving her something light and tempting to eat. Maybe add some glucose to her water. And give her the food in the whelpingbox, she won't want to leave her pups, not even for eating. All drink and food is served with the bitch laying down with her pups here, I even have to put the lead on to make my girls have a quick toilet break in the garden ;-)
Good luck with the puppies,
Karen

As the others have said, panting is normal; the milk will come in over the next few days as the puppies suckle, so try to avoid supplementing them if you can, because that won't help. If the pups are feeding then sleeping quietly they're getting enough. Give your bitch frequent small easily-digestible meals, and plenty of liquid. Her insides will be very uncomfortable at the moment - not only is her uterus contracting which is quite uncomfortable, but all the gut is getting back to its normal position after being compressed and rearranged by the growing whelps during pregnancy. And make sure she goes out into the garden (even if you have to force her) at least four times a day to relieve herself.