Problems with Mother dog after having a liter of 6 puppies

by Christine
(Venezuela)

My friends dog gave birth to puppies on March 17. The mother had six pups 3 male first and then 3 females and I noticed on the 5th pup that the placenta didn't come out. Should she be concerned about that?

I heard that liters of even numbers are rare and there could be another one that didn't get born. Is this true or a wife's tale?

Also, one of the female puppies died yesterday the 21st and now we are worried about the other puppies. I gave another one I thought looked a little weak some dilluted evaporated milk this morning just to make sure he doesn't get dehydrated until we can get to the store on Monday to buy the correct milk.

They seem to be nursing but so did the one that died. I checked and milk does come out from the mom's tit. Should we be worried?

The mom is eating ok but has diarhea - is that normal since it has been 5 days since the birth?

I just started giving the mom a special vitamin supplement yesterday and today so far and it says to continue another 8 days. We just took the father dog out of the area this morning because she has been so nervous with him around.

My friend lives out in the country over an hour to the vet so could you give me some suggestions on what she should look for? She can't really afford a vet.



Hi Christine
Normally with puppies the placenta is delivered after the last puppy, only the sac and umbilical cord are with each puppy. A retained placenta or puppy is cause for serious concern, as it can lead to fatal infections. However, it's been five days since the birth and if the momma seems fine and healthy I don't think you need worry about any retentions.

The 'even number' litter theory is an old wives tale, the number of puppies is just dependent on the breed, genetic predisposition and mother nature!

In many litters a puppy (or several) can be lost. Sometimes one is born dead, or dies shortly after birth. A puppy dying after several days could be cause for concern unless it has seemed weak or 'sickly' from the beginning, or the mom actually killed it by lying on it (very common) and unless you actually see it happening it's difficult to tell. Larger breeds are more likely to do this, and some momma dogs seem totally unaware when it happens, even seeming not to hear the puppy squealing!

Be very careful about supplement feeding any puppies. Firstly, the incorrect milk can do more harm than good, and secondly even with the correct formula, it's quite possible for a puppy to inhale the milk into it's lungs (especially if the flow is too fast, or it's weak). This leads to pneumonia and death.

If the puppies seem to be feeding well, are gaining weight and the mom has milk, let her feed them and don't worry too much about it. Puppies that get sufficient milk are almost always either feeding or sleeping, if they're not getting enough they will pretty much cry constantly - that's when you need to worry.

It's a good idea to remove the dad from the whelping area. Most moms don't like having him around, and if she's nervous and jumpy it will affect her milk, and her tension will transmit to the puppies. She should be more relaxed now.

It's pretty normal for the mom to have diarrhea for several days after the birth, usually it's a very dark brown/black color and that's due to the fact that she eats the sacs the puppies come in and the placenta. However, after a few days her stools should gradually start to return to normal. Make sure she's getting plenty to eat, and to drink, she needs a lot of fluids and nutrition to feed her pups and keep herself healthy.


Giving her vitamins or supplements doesn't hurt, and it may do some good. However a high quality food is usually enough.

Whelping and taking care of puppies is a very natural process for dogs, and unless the mom shows signs of being unwell, or the puppies fail to thrive, there's not much you or your friend need to do until the mom begins to wean the puppies at around 3 - 4 weeks of age.

If you have any other questions, feel free to let me know, I'm always happy to help. It sounds as though all is going okay for now, best of luck!