Hi,

My bitch is due to have her litter this August.

I wanted to know peoples thoughts or knowledge as to understanding when the bitch has finished giving labour? Our bitch was scanned for 12 puppies (but she could reabsorb these or even some may die) so I am unsure if I should call the vet if only 8 pups are delivered and maybe 2hours go by and no more pups have been delivered - is this a sign the labour is over?

Whelping can take place over some time and the bitch can settle down and look like she has finished - and then things start up again a few hours later. Many is the breeder who has gone to sleep thinking all is over, and woken to find some additions to the whelping box overnight.

USUALLY, you will know when it is over because for a prolonged time she seems settled and calm and happy with her pups and not in the pains of labour - and usually you will be right that it is all over at this point.

No, personally I would not go rushing to the vet if she has been scanned for 12 and only 8 appear as long as she seems calm and isn't pushing. Because it's very likely there is a whelping pause and the others will come soon enough.

But if the bitch is contracting and pushing and nothing is coming out for over a certain amount of time, that's a sign to go to the vet. You want to see a puppy within 2 hours of the first visible contraction a bitch has. This clock restarts after each pup is born. And if the contractions are frequent, sustained, visible bearing down contractions, then you want to see a pup in 45mins-1hr.

Sometimes a bitch has several contractions but then takes a break and goes to sleep. This isn't a sustained visible labour so it would be 2hrs.

Thank you for your reply, much apperiacted

My last litter, the final puppy didn't want to come out, and she was a pretty obvious lump in one uterine horn.  I had a good friend who was experienced in whelping litters helping out, as I'd been scheduled to work a night shift, and thankfully she took her to the vet for me and that final puppy made her appearance.  It was a 4 hour gap between, and she was not wanting to make an appearance at all, so it took a shot of oxytocin to get her out.  In the end I gave that puppy to the friend who helped with the litter, and get to see her on a regular basis (lockdown aside).

If you don't have them yet, I highly recommend Myra Savant Harris' books. You can find them on Amazon...

Difficult one for an inexperienced breeder - often with big litters, a bitch will take a rest midway through the whelping making it seem like she's finished, when she hasn't.  

Best I can offer is you do a headcount re what the scan suggested, and when you think she's finished, then get her and her litter to your vet for a check.   Take a friend with you, and the puppies in a box with a heat pad (after allowing them to have a good top up first) and also take your whelping gear with you in case she decides to produce another puppy(ies) en route.   Be prepared to pull over!

With one litter where I'd spent the entire night at my then vet's Practice (this was in Canada and I didn't want to be travelling too and from there) - he had to give her a shot for each delivery and as he lived over his Practice, left he to call him back down if another whelping was delayed.   By morning, he gave her a quick check and said she's empty and sent me home.  I was sorting myself out, leaving hubby to sit with them - panic ....'she's having another'!   Which she was.   That puppy was right up where he couldn't be felt, from 'outside' or inside - even by my experienced vet.   And it had been quite some time since what we thought was the last puppy was whelped.