A scan on my girl last friday showed at 4 weeks + 2 days gone she was reabsorbing a fair sized litter.

The scan was done by a sheep scanner so more acurate than a vets.

It shows lots of broken down sacs but also a pup still in a sac that was starting to break down.

Today she started bleeding + passing small clots similar to when we do, picked up with tissue sticky jelly like + dark red like old blood.

She is booked in the vets tomorrow morning to get a course of anti biotics as i dont want any left over remains causing an infection.

My question for others having experianced this is -

Is it worth checking again if theres a live pup inside her still maybe carried higher up in her ribs while i am there?

Her rear end is still very swollen as are her nipples as if she was still pregnant + i'm not sure how long this would take to go back down once the pregnancy has ended.

If they are all gone also should i watch for a phantom?

Thanks in advance.

I have only ever had experience of this happening to one of my girls when she was in pup.

The scan showed 5 pups with heartbeats albeit one pup was larger than the other four.
She went on to have one good sized healthy pup with no other problems.

There was no discharge before she had the pup but after he was born she did pass some
not very nice yeuch stuff for which the vet prescribed antibiotics.

Though she still showed symptoms of pregnancy there was no visible movement from the pup
and putting your hand on her abdomen left you with the is she or isn't she question. 

I didn't have her scanned a second time but decided to be around for the due date just in case.

She did have another litter 2 years later with no poblems at all.

Joan

I had a bitch scanned (by a sheep scanner), they said that one of the seven sacs looked like it was being reabsorbed.  Went back two weeks later and they said the pup was dead.  When my girl had her babies (by c-section) I told my vet that there were 6 live pups but a 7th one was dead.  He delivered 7 live pups but number 7 was deformed (had a curved spine).  We had to make the hard decision to let him go there and then.  He would never have survived a normal delivery. 

I did think if there was a "fair sized litter" already broken down shown in fragments along the bottom of the scan screen, then the 1 puppy in a sac she saw was there but the sac looked to be breaking down also, then surely the last pup must have died later on as it wasn't fragmented yet???

I would presume it was this slightly older pup that is causing the clots as it passes where the others were reabsorbed.

My breed carries alot in its ribs + i just wondered if they didn't all go at 1 time if its possible + i should check incase there is maybe a surviving pup in there also.

I also realise this could just be wishful thinking as this litter was carefully planned + much wanted.

I am so sorry to hear this, how heartbreaking for you. I will keep fingers crossed for a good outcome

If it was me i would have another scan done just to check otherwise you will spend the next few weeks wondering. I have my fingers crossed that there will be a live one tucked up some where for you xx

Fingers crossed in case theres a little one hanging on in there. Keep us posted xx

the vet said at that stage in pregnancy there wasnt much chance of her having any pups left.

he palped her tum + took her temp - no sign of infection.

she has a weeks course of anti biotics incase + im to keep a close eye on her incase pyo develops.

she will also be put on the anti biotics for a week when her season starts before mating her again.

jo x

Hope the outcome turns out to be a good one for you

Hello Jo

Even though we convince ourselves that these things happen it is still so
disappointing.  I hope your girls health keeps good and any future matings
will be more successful

All the best for the future.

Joan x

Did the sheep scanner tell you whether or not there were still any live pups and advise whether or not it was possible to treat the bitch to prevent any futher absorbtion of the litter

she said it wasnt likely there were any more pups there at the stage she absorbed + advised getting a course of anti biotics at the start of the season we mated her on next.