Accepted Answer

Hi Jennie,

Here are things to look for in a mother post whelping. If your dog has intense abdominal pain, pale gums and tongue, sudden drop in temperature or collapse she needs to be seen as soon as possible as she may have uterine torsion.
If your dog has a Green, smelly discharge from her vulva, fever, loss of appetite and listlessness, it is possible she has a uterine infection due to bacteria or a retained placenta and needs to be seen immediately. It is likely she has metritis which is a uterine infection.
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/metritis-in-dogs/page1.aspx

If your dog is experiences muscle weakness, muscle spasms, tremors or seizures, limb paralyses, she needs to be seen now as it is possible she has eclampsia. Calcium supplements, Tums, cottage cheese or goat’s milk may help, but it might not reverse the symptoms quickly enough.
Here is a site with more information on this.
http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/ec.html

Look for breast infections (mastitis) on a regular basis. Mastitis is generally first noticed as a swelling and inflammation of the breast. While it is easy to treat, it can be deadly if not treated quickly. Mastitis is caused by bacteria entering the nipple and gaining the upper hand leading to infection which often can enter the blood stream and thus infect other parts of your female as her immune system is already under the stress of having pups and nursing. You may notice these additional symptoms depending on how far the infection has spread. They are a rectal temperature higher than 103F, poor appetite, low energy level and dying puppies (due to bacteria in the milk). Of course, other conditions can cause these same symptoms, but mastitis in the most likely cause in a nursing dog.

Puppies should be taken away from the mother immediately and not allowed to nurse, as the milk is bacteria filled and can kill the puppies. Your female should be taken to the Vet immediately for treatment.

Here is a site on Mastitis:
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/breeding/mastitis.htm

You can try milking the teat. Warm compresses will help with milking the teat. That is one recommend home treatment. You can also use a cool compress to reduce the swell and heat in the infected teat until you can see the vet tomorrow. It is important to get her seen as mastitis can be serious. You would want to feed the pups a milk replacement formula. Usually a dab of pancake syrup on the nipple will convince them to start drinking.

There are many reasons your puppies may be dying that include serious worm infestation, flea infestation causing anemia, herpes virus, and bad milk from mom or congenital health issues. It is sometimes referred to as fading puppy syndrome.
This site has information on fading puppy syndrome.
http://www.hydeparkvet.co.uk/pethealth/dogdisease1.asp?disease=Fading+Puppy+Syndrome
You can read about herpes here:
http://www.2ndchance.info/herpesvirusdog.htm

This site goes over ways of helping save fading puppies.
http://showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/breedvet/fading.html

You should get at least one of the puppies checked to determine the cause.

Expert:	Jane Lefler
Pos. Feedback:	99.6 %
Accepts:	9369
Answered:	4/5/2008

Breeder Behaviorist, See Qual.

Rottweiler Breeder 15+ years Dog trainer / behaviorist, Former Vol.Vet Asst.