Please excuse the gross question but do you all allow moms to eat all the placentas, no matter what the size of the litter is??

Thanks in advance.

My vet has advised me that the mother can eat 2 or 3 plancentas and no more, because if she eats more she can have bad diarreah.

It's not a gross question. It's part of whelping.

I let my bitches eat every other one until 4 of 8. Then I grab all the rest if the litter is larger then 8 pups. I do find it increases milk production even faster.

Check with your vet or repro vet to be sure.

I let my bitches eat all of the placentas no matter the size of the litter. Yes, they get the runs for a day but the nutrional value they get from it outweighs the runs by far. Most of the time they snarf them up well before I have time to get them away from them anyhow. Wolves/Dogs have done it forever, there is a reason they do. My bitches milk comes in immediately and I will swear it is because of the placents. My vets also say it keeps their labor going. You have to do what you are comfortable doing.

I've always let my girls eat the placentas up to a certain point. I find my girls will quickly grab the placentas before I can get to it. I'm more interested in grabbing my puppies so I can tear off their sac and suction etc. My girl's milk has always come in right away, fairly easy whelping as well. Yes, the nasty blackish runs for a few days after eating the placentas is horrible but the benefits to the dam and her puppiess are worth it.

Absolutely- mine ate all 10 last week - I couldn't have grabbed them if I had wanted to. She had diarrhea only 3 times and then back to normal - the diarrhea is good - you certainly don't want constipation after a recent whelp! I think it also helps them clot quicker and have minimal post whelping blood loss/drainage. Immediate milk is also a great benefit. I've let them eat all of them for 8 years now and will continue to do so.

I'm in this group but my bitch didn't have what I would call diarrhea just a couple of soft stools on 8 placentas. I could take them up but I don't, its natural and beneficial.

We do some, but not all. Never had a problem with milk production or labor.

I let my girls eat some,but not all.She's got enough to worry about without adding diarrhea to the mix.

If you do get prolonged diarrhea, pumpkin will solve it.

There is no reason to overdo it. I've tested my girls with and without. The diarrhea is 2 to 3 days with placental consumption up to 5. Friends have girls that go longer. A friend has a girl that consumes all that only has 36 hours of diarrhea but I've never heard of loose stool less than that. The placentas I can scoop up before she consumes, I will. So the girls usually get 4 to 5 maximum for a litter of 10. Usually milk with colostrum has come in before or during whelping. No doubt the placentas keep the milk coming and makes it richer but too rich will only give the pups diarrhea.

I always toss the spongey, gray at the top placentas that I can see were beginning detachment or aging earlier.

What do those of you with a bitch that has a c-section do? Do you have your vet save a few or give her none when she awakens? That's when they really need placentas because anesthesia slows down milk production usually.

Yes, I do let my girls eat a fairly high percentage of placentas. It is part of nature and there is a purpose for their desire to eat the placentas. Yes, I get loose stools but rather have loose than constipation after whelping.

In regards to a c-section and milk production, one of my girls leaked so much milk as soon as she was put under, they had to mop it up off her belly before starting the c-section. We also collected colostrum from her while she was still out and donated it to the vet clinic to store in their freezer and use in the next 6 months on any puppies that would need it. She still had plenty of colostrum for her 8 puppies and she whelped those premmie pups at day 57. Her plentiful milk/colostrum just dripped out and allowed those wee ones an easy time of it.

No, I did not save any placentas after a c-section - my belief is that it is great during delivery and gives them the nutrients needed to continue whelping but not necessary after a c-section.