after my bullmasitiff had 5

kwelling · New member Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 2

after my bullmasitiff had 5 pups the vet gave a injection 6 hours after she had another pup 5 hours after that she had one more 3 days after that she had one more all dead.did the injection cause death Sad

of pups.

please reply.

charmedagain · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 2248 Location: uk

I am so sorry, This is a common problem with some breeds.

No its is very unlikely that the injection caused there death.
The injection that was givin is oxytocin which helps the contractions progress again.

If the dog is under 2years old, is over weight, not in the best of health, older than 6yrs old, Large litter size, small litter size, large or small puppies, then these can result in problems during whelping.

If the vet gave the shot because there was still puppies in there and she stopped whelping then this can indicate she has a deficiency as the muscles have weakend and she was too tired to carry on.

Its not uncommon for some bitches to give birth to half the litter then stop for 24-48hours and start again.

Bullmastifs are known for being slow whelpers and some need to have a C-Section.
Have you had the live pups checked over by the vet as mastiffs are also prone to yellow eyes and cleft palate..

If you would like to know why the others died then you can ask your vet to do an autopsy to try and determine the cause....

DeLaUK · Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 11:56 am Post subject:

Sorry for your loss.

In my personal experience once a shot of oxy (assuming it was oxytocin)has been given, if the dog hasnt produced a pup or isnt well on the way to doing so after 2 hours it needs to be back with the vet. Depending on the vets exam they can either have up to 2 more shots of oxy although a lot of the times they will do a c-section.

I agree with Mike in that some breeds can take a little longer to deliver but they should still be monitored by a professional at the very least.

kwelling · New member Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 2

Jamiya · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 5593

I have a question about this. I would imagine it is dangerous for the mother to have gone 3 days with an unborn pup. Is this true? Shouldn't she be checked to make sure there are no more? Wouldn't there be an afterbirth when she is done, or....? I don't know much about this topic.

DeLaUK · Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:18 pm Post subject:

Ive had different experiences than Mike with this, every dog Ive ever worked with that has had a retained puppy for this length of time has had to be treated in the hospital and some of them havent pulled through...the puppy has been dead in every case and if there are more pups inside they have also been dead.

I know that cats can hold off on labour and giving birth but Ive never heard of dogs doing that, not saying that they dont but just that Ive never heard of it.

The usual procedure is once a dog goes into active labour dont let it go more than 4 hours, after the first pup it doesnt go more than 2 hours....if it does it needs a vet, its not always a problem but it not worth taking a chance. I would never let a dog go 5 or 6 hours inbetween without it being under the strict supervision of a vet.

Samsintentions · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 4297 Location: Texas

Personally from what I've researched in any mastiff whelping, there are common problems. Some require c-sections, others take a bit longer to whelp, but NOT 3 days...

Honestly, if it takes longer than 2-3 hrs after the first pup is born, the female is going straight to the vets.... if she starts active labor, and no pups arrive within a few hours. In any case, you should have taken your dog, well, you did, but the VET should have sonogramed or ultrasounded to see what was left or what the hold up was.
None the less, the female should have been ultrasounded before her due date to check the status.

Mastiffs and giant breeds, but mastiffs especially are known for having "water babies" In other words, the pups retain too much fluid and will get stuck in the birth canal. This could easily be detected and prevented... they can administer a diuretic (sp?) or c-section.

Any pups retained usually have a very low chance of making it. Mom either...

charmedagain · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 2248 Location: uk

When my dogs whelped the mothers and tehre babies were taken to the vet the following day for a check over, My vet always gives a small oxytocin injection just to expell anything that maybe left over which is usually nothing..

Usually most vets that give oxy if they suspect there is still whelps or afterbirths in the uterus and birth canal usually do an ultrasound or take xrays to see how many pups are still in there and determine if one is blocking the birth canal.

Afterbirths sometimes do not follow each Whelp and some share the same placenta, I always count each one born to how many afterbirths are delivered if i suspect there is any left inside when they go see the vet i tell her but my dogs always have an oxy shot just to be on the safe side.

I would never let a dog go more that 2hours of active labour without producing a pup, One of my girls started whelping at 9pm stopped at 2am and delivered her last one at 10:30am the following morning.

If during labour or birth the female gets stressed or feels like there is a danger to her babies she will halt her labour until she feels safe again this usually results in dead babies.

In this case it sounds like there is something wrong with the female giving birth 3days after the last and in my opinion should not be bred from again.

This problem can and most likely will be passed to her offspring.

Just my opinion on the matter.

Mike