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how long does it take for the placenta to come out of a chihuahua when giving birth
HiCustomer-
For general information, each puppy that is passed has a placenta associated with it. Most of the time, each placenta comes out with the puppy. If this doesn't happen, then usually the mama will pass the placenta before the next puppy is passed. Many times the mama dog eats the placenta as it is being passed, so owners do not always notice that the placenta has indeed been passed. So there is no one answer as to how long a placenta will take to pass - if it is not with the puppy, it is usually passed within a couple of hours.
It is possible for one or more placentas to be retained within the uterus. If this is the case, this can be a source for a serious infection. If you think there may be a retained placenta, it may be a good idea to have your vet give an oxytocin injection after all the puppies have been delivered to help "clean her out" as the breeders like to say. This used to be kind of a standard thing to do, but it is not really done routinely any more. However, if you think there may be a retained placenta, it would be a good thing to do. Usually this oxytocin injection is given within about 24 hours or so after the last baby is born.
If you have a more specific question that I did not answer with this information, let me know. If this gives you the information you need, please click Accept.
Experience: I have over 20 years experience in small animal and emergency veterinary medicine
Reply to Dr. B.'s Post: should the placenta look like dark liquid in a sack? would a puppy follow after it is broken/eaten or should we see part of the puppy now?
The placenta is not liquid but it is usually a dark red, mushy tissue. It is attached to the puppy via the umbilical cord. The puppy comes out first and the umbilical cord is attached to the placenta and most of the time the placenta is still attached to the puppy when ti is passed, but it is possible that the umbilical cord could tear between the puppy and the placenta during the birthing process or sometimes mama chews the cord before the placenta is passed but after the baby is out, thus leaving the placenta inside.
How long has the dog been having contractions? Have any puppies been passed?
What has been passed so far?
Reply to Dr. B.'s Post: OK so there was a beige/off white sack had black or what looked like very dark stuff. My dog ate whatever looks like a dark green but sack is still there, believe she was just going into labor when we got in from church around 1150 or 1159. She still seems to be pushing but the sack is now getting darker. I tried calling an emergency vet and they didn't seem to know what to do or whether I should bring her in. no puppies passed yet just looked like some green slimy goo was passed.
HiCustomer
Thanks for the additional information. First of all you should realize that Chihuahuas have a very high incidence of needed a C-section to have babies. This is because of their large heads, so, the odds here are not in favor of her being able to deliver this litter without help.
I believe you are in the central time zone in Oklahoma, so sounds like she has been in labor for about 45 minutes. Let me know if that is not correct.
General rules for when you need to seek vet help during labor is if a dog is having strong contractions and does not produce a puppy within 30 minutes, If a puppy is part way out and is not delivered completely within 10 minutes, or if a dog goes more than 3 - 4 hours between delivering pups, even if there are no contractions.
You said that it seems that she is pushing and the sac is getting darker. Is the sac getting larger? How long has the sack been visible, and has it changed in size since you first noticed it?
Reply to Dr. B.'s Post: it seems the sack is a little bigger when lifting her leg to look at the sack it does seem a little darker but not sure if it is of any more green slimy stuff. No sign of any puppy at all. Yeah it has been about 45 min or so. she is shaking and pushing little at times. she hasn't been yelping much though.
If it has been 45 minutes and she has been having contractions for that long (even if she is not yelping) it is time to seek vet help. There is a good chance that this puppy is too big to pass or is posiitioned incorrect and that she will need a c-section. As I mentioned above, if they do not pass a puppy within 30 minutes when they are having active labor, there is a problem. The longer you wait, the less chance this puppy will survive, so definitely time to take her in to the vet at this point.
she had 3 puppies. one was stuck in the pelvis area which was too small to pass the puppies. She is home with two boys and a girl chi after a few hours in ER. Thanks
Thanks so much for the update - I just love a happy ending!
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