# Length of Time During Whelping



## Greg Leavitt (Aug 31, 2006)

Just a quick question. What would be the longest you would let a female go during whelping without having a puppy before you became concerned? She is not having active contraction but is more or less calm and resting nursing the already born pups. Its the dams 2nd litter first was 9 and easy and quick. Thoughts???


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

I was told not to let them go more than 3 hours between puppies.


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## Greg Leavitt (Aug 31, 2006)

3 hours 20 min later one more then 1 more 5 mons later.


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## Selena van Leeuwen (Mar 29, 2006)

as long there are no contractions, I'm not worried.


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## Greg Leavitt (Aug 31, 2006)

well at just over 13 hours since the first birth i think shes done with 10


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## Michelle Kutelis (Sep 28, 2006)

Selena van Leeuwen said:


> as long there are no contractions, I'm not worried.


Same here. 

If there are solid contractions, then no more than 30-40 min.


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## Mike Schoonbrood (Mar 27, 2006)

Congrats Greg! Big litter! 10 seems to be a magic number... I hear often of 10 pup litters, but rarely 9 or 11


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Greg Leavitt said:


> well at just over 13 hours since the first birth i think shes done with 10


Congrats.


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## Will Kline (Jan 10, 2008)

Congrats on your new additions as well as your marathon oversight! ;-) 
As always, periodic pictoral updates will be expected


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## Trish Campbell (Nov 28, 2006)

Now that they are all here safe and sound, congrats!

For the future, I usually wait no more than 3.5 hrs..I get them up and moving, have even run them up and down stairs to try to get the contractions going. Sometimes with big litters, they can get uterine inertia and just quit. I had a female who had 1 pup, then stopped, I knew there were 8 more in there from the x-ray...ended up having to do a c-section.


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## Selena van Leeuwen (Mar 29, 2006)

Michelle Kutelis said:


> Same here.
> 
> If there are solid contractions, then no more than 30-40 min.


dito


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## Jack Martin (Feb 12, 2008)

Selena van Leeuwen said:


> dito


Is this where most people give a shot of oxytocin? I have a litter coming up and I always get the jitters going into it.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Jack Martin said:


> Is this where most people give a shot of oxytocin? I have a litter coming up and I always get the jitters going into it.



Yes


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## Selena van Leeuwen (Mar 29, 2006)

Jack Martin said:


> Is this where most people give a shot of oxytocin? I have a litter coming up and I always get the jitters going into it.


Not without contacting a vet. I hate oxytocin, you force nature with such force it could ruin your female. Oxytocin will be produced by the dam herself when her first puppies are drinking with her.
I like to let mother nature do her work....when I'm not trusting it, I'll visit the vet.


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## Greg Leavitt (Aug 31, 2006)

Ya I consulted my vet throught the whole process(my Vet tech as well) and had an appointment scheduled for 6 pm which would have been 4 hours. I usually only wait 3 as well but wanted other opinions also due to the fact that I was bored and waiting and restless. The pup taht took so long was the largest and born placenta first and breach first. Had to clear her lungs and worked on her for several minutes to get her breathing good. We auctually lost one the smallest sable female two nights ago she had been weak for a few hours and we tried several thing but eventually decided that if she was going to make it she would have to do it on her own with some help from mom. She was about 1/3 the weight of the next smallest pup.


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