How do I know if my dog has a retained placenta?
The most telling sign that there is still placenta retained in the mother is the presence of greenish or dark discharge from the vaginal canal that continues for 24 hours or more after giving birth. … Other symptoms may include:
Is it Normal for a Dog to Bleed After Whelping?
It is normal for a dog to bleed after whelping. Your dogs body is trying to get back to what it was like before it was pregnant, and there is a lot of leftover blood and discharge that was not released during their pregnancy that now needs to get out of your dogs body.
Your dog will release a mixture of blood and discharge after whelping. This is perfectly normal unless the discharge starts to smell bad.
Luckily, nursing puppies help reduce the amount of bleeding that your dog will experience after they give birth. Nursing puppies increase your dogs hormone levels, including oxytocin, that cause your dogs blood vessels and uterus to contract, limiting the amount of bleeding that your dog experiences.
Abnormal Dog Bleeding After Giving Birth
See your vet if your dog has abnormal discharge.
Things start getting problematic when the dogs bleeding after giving birth is prolonged or gets heavier and/or there are other abnormalities occurring at the same time.
It is therefore wise to have mother dog seen by a veterinarian if you notice prolonged postpartum bleeding or any other changes in the discharge and/or dogs personality. These warrant investigation by a veterinarian as they may be indicative of underlying problems that need addressed such as subinvolution of placental sites outlined below.
If you notice heavy bleeding in your dog after giving birth, keep an eye on her gums and see your vet at once should you notice them becoming very light pink or even white or your dog becoming weaker. These can be signs of anemia and internal bleeding associated with a postpartum hemorrhage (due to poor blood clotting) and warrant an emergency vet visit at once.
Other things to be watchful for are the presence of a discharge with a strong odor, the discharge becoming cloudy or murky, and thus, resembling pus, and changes to mother dogs demeanor such as exhibiting vomiting, diarrhea, appetite loss or lethargy.
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These changes are worthy of investigation as they may signal metritis (an infection of the uterus) which can be commonly found in dogs after a difficult birth (dystocia), retention of a puppy or a placenta, or prolonged delivery.
Testing a sample of the discharge can help differentiate a case of SIPS from metritis.
How do you tell if your dog has a retained placenta?
In some cases, bleeding may last for weeks or months after the whelping before it resolves naturally. Oxytocin and antibiotics are of no assistance in these cases. Affected bitches usually appear normal with no signs of illness or weakness unless the bleeding is so marked that anaemia results.