Hi all, had a litter of 7 pups, 2 born dead, now 6 days old, the rest, big, healthy, doing all the right things, feeding, crawling, mom has milk to spare, went to the whelping box this morning and the biggest boy was dead. Any thoughts????? Mom is healthy and its a no problem by the book litter untill this...
This is why I sleep with one eye open right next to the whelping box for at least the first week, depending on the mother, and usually longer. If mom moves, I am up and counting.
I'm so sorry for your loss. If you have any doubts about the health of the rest of the litter you miht want to have a necropsy done of the puppy. It's pricey but might be worth it for peace of mind
So sorry for your loss.
If the puppy were flattened, it is likely that the mother laid on top of him. However, it is anyone's guess as to the cause of death without a necropsy. It could also be cardiac related, but even with a necropsy it is often impossible to determine whether or not TVD was involved.
If another puppy suddenly dies, start the mom on antibiotic and feed them formula for a few days. It is not uncommon for puppies get intoxicated because the mother has (an otherwise asymptomatic) metritis or mastitis. Then the puppies just get terrible gases and can be dead in a matter of a couple of hours.
This is why I sleep with one eye open right next to the whelping box for at least the first week, depending on the mother, and usually longer. If mom moves, I am up and counting.
I sleep next to whelping box first two nights, then have baby monitor on next to my bed for 3 weeks. I have run downstairs full tilt to a little squeal to find pup stuck under mom.
Forgot to say, so sorry for your loss! I work so hard trying to revive those born dead and cry over them. At this stage it must be even worse. Hope you really enjoy the remaining ones and have no more mishaps.
