Some Important Points to My dog gave birth to a dead puppy:

You will be sad to know, but it is quite common that a dog can give birth to a dead puppy, and even a stillborn puppy can also be dead shortly after its birth. Sometimes it also happens that Mother dog died after giving birth, which is even more tragic. It is important as an owner to prepare themselves to face such situations. You should know the right process to dispose of the dead puppies and also how to take care of the health of the remaining ones, including the mother dog. Here are some of the essential steps that you can consider-

because there are chances of infections that can affect the health of the mother dog as well as the remaining live puppies. The disposal of the body should be your next step after this. Removing the dead puppies before she knows they are dead can make her aggressive, and even she can bite you.

So it is important to let her examine the puppy. Sometimes it is also possible that some immature mother dogs tend to eat their dead puppy, but it may happen. But you should not allow her to do so as it may further lead to a serious problem.

So as soon as you see the mother has started to bite the puppy, take it away from her. Apart from this, several experienced mothers bury their dead puppies or push the dead puppy far from its bed as soon as she recognizes they are dead. It is advisable to let her do it as it will be helpful to you too. After that, you can secretly take that puppy away from her for disposal. 

Removal of Dead Pups:

There are plenty of reasons due to which puppies are born dead. Therefore it is risky to touch the puppy with bare hands as it may be infectious. So while removing a dead puppy, it is good that you use disposable gloves and put the body of the puppy in a sealable freezer bag, and again place the bag in another sealable bag. Make sure to dispose of the gloves in the garbage soon you performed this activity.

Also, make sure all the things related to a dead puppy, including bedding, body, and gloves, should be removed from the home as soon as possible as your dog may get a scent of smell oof its puppy, and she may attempt to search for it with curiosity. You can now take the body or placenta to the vet, and if not possible, then put it in the refrigerator away from the food items meanwhile.

Freezing the body makes the diagnosis process easy, and your vet can easily understand the reason for the death of the puppy. Also, remember to sanitize the refrigerator area after you have removed the puppy from it.

It is necessary to consult the vet to know the reason behind the death of the puppy. In case the death of the puppy is due to some infectious disease, it is necessary to save the mother dog and the remaining pups from it. Your vet will perform the necessary examination of the body to know the reason behind its death and can guide you accordingly. The examination will include-

• Checking of the Remaining Puppies: It is essential for the knowledge of the vet that the remaining puppies are not present in the uterus and birth canal of the mother dog. It can be done by palpation of the vagina and abdomen of the dog. Other times in larger breeds of dogs, it can be done by radiography for confirmation.
• Mastitis Signs: Mastitis refers to pain and inflammation of the mammary tissue in females, and it generally occurs due to infections. The tissue may be visible as swollen, red, or hot. The condition is quite painful for the female dogs and needs help from the vet to resolve it. Any dog can get such Mastitis, but mother dogs who have delivered most of the dead puppies have higher chances of developing Mastitis as she is developing the milk, which will never be consumed. Your vet may follow some procedures to decrease the production of the milk to cure Mastitis.

Ways to Choose a Pet Urn for a Dead Puppy:

Budget and size are some of the necessities that you should consider before buying an urn for your dead pup. You should also be aware that there are both biodegradable and non-biodegradable types of urn are present in the market. The non-biodegradable urn is those whose owners prefer to keep the ashes of their pup at home. The budget of the urn may vary from around $300 to $30. 

For considering the size of the urn the general rule is one cubic inch of space plus 10 cubic inches extra. For example, if your puppy weighs 3 ounces or 85 grams, you will need an urn that is 5 cubic inches or 82 cms or larger than this. These urns are available in a variety of quality and designs, such as pet figurine urns, pet photo urns, metal pet urns, wooden pet urns, etc.

Dystocia:

It is a term that means difficult to take birth. It includes breech presentation and mal-positioning of the fetus. Too much narrowness of the pelvis is also the reason behind this. The larger size of the puppies is also the main reason behind Dystocia. A larger breed of the male mating with small breeds of females consequently results in the development of the larger size of pups. A mother dog finds it difficult to give birth to such pups.

Sometimes the puppy is stuck for a long time in the birth canal of a dog. In such cases also there is a probability of death of puppies. All the above conditions are extremely painful for mothers. A dead puppy in the birth canal starts to decay, creating pain, swell, and spread of infections to the mother dog. All such delicate cases are to be handled by a vet as soon as possible as there is a danger to the mother’s life as well. 

Symptoms that Indicates Problems in Labor:

1. If you note that the labor has not started within 24 hours of the dropping of rectal temperature below 100 degrees.
2. A puppy is visible in the birth canal but is not passing by.
3. The condition of the mother is getting worse, and she is in pain or experiencing weakness.
4. There are more than 4 hours of gap between the deliveries of puppies.
5. Contractions are continued without the delivery of the puppy.

Deficiency in Nutrition:

Like humans, every female should be strong, healthy, and nutritious both at the time of conceiving a child and delivering it. There should be an adequate reserve of proteins and vitamins for the dog. The dog should be provided with high-quality food throughout the duration of pregnancy to avoid complications. There should also be a physical examination of the vet as well and perform the deworming process if needed. A malnourished dog looks like-

• Poor quality dull hair coat
• Decrease in immunity
• Excessive shedding of coat
• Lethargic

Wrong Medications:

Several medications can cause the puppies to born dead below is the list of such medicines-

• Antifungals, antimicrobials, steroids
• Analgesics, antiparasitics, anti-cancer drugs
• Anesthetics, cardiovascular medications, etc.

It is better to consult the vet to learn more.

So if you are all set with how to deal with dead pups, your work is not over yet. It is necessary now to take care of the mother dog and the remaining live puppies as well. At first, remove all the bedding material from the place that was used for pregnancy. Replace them with clean, fresh, and soft ones. Remember that never give your dog a full bath. Clean her with a soft towel instead with the help of warm water. Be gentle and calm towards her as she has overcome a difficult situation and is exhausted. If everything is fine, let them get examined by a vet for under 24 hours to check for any complications.

Your vet will check some important parameters like the puppy remaining inside the birth canal or uterus, milk production of the female dog, chances of Mastitis, and overall health of the dog and puppies. He may also write you some important supplements and power boosters that need to be fed to the mother. 

Soon after the puppies are born, keep them in an open but confined area where they can easily move, take fresh air, and exercise. Keep a check that the mother dog is providing them milk, cleaning them, and taking care of them. The mother dog, too, should be able to stretch and relax in the place that you have assigned to them. Make sure that space should be sufficient enough, as in a limited place, there are chances that your dog may accidentally crush the puppies. If the place is much larger, your puppy may slide far from her that will cause problems if it’s a winter season or unable to detect her nipples and maybe starve. 

Mother dog also needs some break from the puppies to exercise, move around, and fill its stomach. So make sure you arrange for that. The complete family needs to rest in a warm, cozy, and quiet area for the better development of the puppies. Make sure the kids or any unknown person should not be entertained as the mother dog is very protective towards her babies. Keep the pets closely and spend ample time with the mother dog as well as the puppies as such happiness does not come as often. It is better to take the contact number of your vet to clear your queries at every stage of the puppies.

We all know that every owner is excited to meet the newborn puppies of their pal. But is the truth that everything does not go as planned. It is not uncommon that puppies and stillborn puppies die soon after their birth. It is the way by which you handle such a situation that makes the moment better. Make sure that you work jointly with the vet to make the mother and remaining puppies lead a happy life ahead. So I hope that now you have quite satisfying answers to my dog gave birth to a dead puppy.