Our girl is due to have puppies on the 12th of January. She is 5 years old and this is her second litter. Her first litter was 12 puppies born via c-section as she never got to the pushing stage and was nesting and panting for 2 days straight. When our vet did the c-section she suspected uterine inertia. We are having an x-ray in 6 days to see how many are in there. My question is what are the chances she will be able to whelp on her own or will she need another c-section?

I have a bitch that had a litter of 8, perfect natural whelp. She had a 2nd litter and there were only 2 pups so we did a C section. 1 1/2 years later I bred her again and she delivered 6 pups naturally and easily.

Another bitch who is now retired had a litter of 14, shut down as yours did and we had to get 7 out via C Section. A year later, she shut down again and again we had to do a C section.

No whelp is ever the same, even for the same bitch. My suggestion would be to allow this girl to try to whelp on her own pending how many pups, what your vet says and most importantly how she does. If the litter is a smaller size, you probably have a better chance of a whelp. If it's another large litter... perhaps plan. Bottom line, having 1 C section does not mean its automatic the next time. Good Luck

The bigger question is WHY OH WHY would you allow her to be in labor for two days the first time ?
Plan a Csection and use a Vet that has experience in canine reproduction! Twelve puppies the first time is a huge litter for a Labrador, and at five years of age for this litter, you just added more negative obstacles to her plate.
There are very conflicting views on C sections, but with this gal's age, past history, and the fact that either you or your VET don't have a ton of experience, I would opt for the C section , and save both the litter and the bitch.

I have to agree with breeder/Ohio. I don't know why everyone thinks a C-section is death to a bitch. IF, and I say IF you have an EXPERIENCED vet that you trust, a c-section could very well save the bitches life. Bottom line is most people will try a natural delivery first, but be prepared for a c-section. Maybe you would feel better using a service like Whelpwise to help you make a decision when the time comes.

If you have a c-section this time and you are considering one more, be sure to ask the vet the condition of the uterus while he/she is taking the pups. After 2 c-setions the uterine wall may not take another litter, especially at a more advanced age.

We have had this happen several times with different bitches. We bred our very special girl a couple of years ago - and uterine inertia with 7 pups inside. We just made it to the vets to save them all (via c-section) and I was on the phone with them all afternoon - waiting to get the signs that she needed help. No waiting around next time - c-section for sure - don't want to lose one pup. The vet said uterine enertia tends to repeat

Do you find bitch lines where grandma, mom, aunts, siblings all ended up with at least one litter c-sect.?
My mentor told me this can run in lines, just like any other "issue".
And lastly-do you ever see a correlation between girls that need sections who happened to have inverted vulvas as pups?
Curious as to what long time breeders have observed.
Thanks

The first time I was in constant contact with my vet during her labor. She was not straining or pushing, so we just let her labor. It is not uncommom for the whole process from start to finish to last a couple of days. Most of us aren't even aware our bitches are in early labor which could have been 12-18 hours previous to the active pushing stage. We are going to x-ray this Thursday and if there are a lot of pups as last time my vet will most likely do a section. If it is a normal litter size I wondered if I could let her try to whelp naturally? I want the very best for our girl and would not put her or her pups in any kind of danger. I was only asking advice from others that may have had a similar experience.

I have a bitch here that when I got her I did not know about her mother till we had our first litter and ended up a ER doing c-section as she just would not push hard enough well come to fine out I was told later by the breeder 'Oh her mother was lazy when she went to whelp too, she just would not push them out" she had a least 3 litters that I know about and ended up with less live ones than dead as the breeder would not put money out for the C-section. So maybe this is true good question>

Okay, in anwser to your question, BEEN THERE DONE THIS, schedule a section 63 days from ovulation. If you want what is best for your girl, regardless how many puppies show up on xray.

We have gone through a period with alot of c-sections - for one reason or another. We do c-sec. if there are only 2 pups; we have had situations where the bitch has had the uterus flip and the next time we also do a c-sec. without letting her try. Vet said uterus flips can happen again with same bitch. We have also had primary inertia - which did happen in the Mom and her daughter. I would say it runs in lines - from my experience.

Sounds to me like your bitch had too many pups in there the first litter so stretched the uterus out. If she has a normal amount this time (I would say up to 8 or 9 I would let her try to have a normal whelping, I think it is insane to automatically do a c section without good reason. And I think you did right the first litter by letting her labor for two days if she wasn't straining. Just had a bitch do the same and once she did start pushing she free whelped all the puppies without a problem. Don't let anyone tell you to jump the gun and do a c section, if you can avoid it AVOID IT,it is NOT good for the bitch no matter what anyone tells you!

I would do like others said and go on and plan a C.
Why take a chance. Just have a good vet that knows what he or she is doing and go for it. Best thing I ever did with one of mine that had a hard time twice before. Last litter saved all the pups. Best of luck.

go for a c-section