Whelping/birthing

Question
I just had the worst whelping experience of my life. I will try to make it brief. 4 yr old healthy, boxer.First litter:
Bred Oct 14,16,18 Due dates calculated Dec 16,18,20
Xrays taken at 50 days 4 for sure,maybe 5-6 puppies (technique was crappy)
Raya's temp dropped 12/20 to 99'
12/21 didn't eat breakfast
12/22 2:20am water broke
12/22 4:37am 1st puppy born(alive and well)
12/22 5:00am 2nd puppy born breach, tried to revive, bubbles in nose, not successful
12/22 5:28am 3rd puppy born breach,dead (white puppy, black tongue, not blue)
12/22 6:20am 4th puppy born breach,dead,looked like intestines ruptured?at umbilical skin sloughing around mouth,yellow tongue
12/22 8:00am gave oxitocin for clean out shot
12/23 8:00am found dead puppy in whelping box, 5th puppy born sometime between 12am-8am ear looked slightly decomposed, and same sloughing around mouth..
12/23 9:00 am called Dr Blevin, said to give 2nd oxitocin inj
12/23 9:15 am  6th dead puppy born breach ( we should be done now...right???)
12/23 10:00am 7th puppy born dead
12/23 5:00 pm 8th puppy born dead,abdomen looked mooshy, red, skin sloughing around abdominal hairline
What in the world happened. When her temp dropped on the 21st, was she in the beginning stages of labor. Is that when the puppies died? Why all 7 puppies dead, but the first puppy and possibly the second one born alive. Yet others appeared to be decomposing? The little girl that is still alive seems small, but for eight puppies out of Raya, I wouldn't expect the puppies to be huge. She obviously carried them alive full term.
The breeder would like me to repeat the breeding, and she and her partner, say to rebreed on her next season, and they think it was just one of those freaky things.
I want to take her to a reproduction specialist and get her opinion. Dr Miller is in Snohomish, and has a good rep.
Now the average Joe questions:
-Is there a way to see what the condition of her uterus is?
-I was reading that good old reproduction book you gave me, and from whatI understand,it said to determine the due date more accurately you need to follow the cycle and when she is in diestrus. Is that done through a vaginal cytology or blood or ????
-IF I  decided to rebreed her, everyone shutters when I say xray....so I will undoubtedly ultra sound, and possibly up to her due date to insure the puppies are moving. And, I suppose plan on csection if she goes past her due date again.
I'm sure these are all questions the specialist can answer.
At nine days old,she had her last poop and nursing at 10:30AM. Her little body just seemed to shut down, and she was having breathing problems as the night went on. I'm devastated, and can't imagine how Raya is feeling. I think she knew, as she backed off on her mothering. Her little eyes were just starting to open yesterday, she gained 5 oz since she was born, I thought she was well on her way to a normal life.
Like I said, I do plan on going to a reprodustion specialist, but wondered if you could give me some ideas what has happened, and if I can prevent this from happening if I do breed her again. I'm just devastated.http://hometown.aol.com/lykmynboxers/lykmynboxers.html
Sadly,Laura


Answer
The breeder would like me to repeat the breeding---I WOULD NOT CHANCE IT....I WOULD HAVE HER SPAYED.  MAYBE NEXT TIME YOU END UP LOSING HER.

Say to rebreed on her next season---I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND BREEDING AGAIN, BUT IF YOU DO, YOU SHOULD LET HER HAVE ONE HEAT IN BETWEEN AND NOT BREED RIGHT AWAY NEXT CYCLE TO GIVE HER BODY A BREAK.


-Is there a way to see what the condition of her uterus is?    NOT REALLY, BUT I WOULD RECOMMEND A UTERINE CULTURE...SHE MAY HAVE HAD AN INFECTION THAT CAUSED THE PUPPIES TO DIE.  I KNOW MANY BREEDERS WILL PUT DOG ON ANTIBIOTICS (CEPHALEXIN) DURING THE MATING PROCESS AND THEN AGAIN BEFORE WHELPING.

-I was reading that good old reproduction book you gave me, and from whatI understand,it said to determine the due date more accurately you need to follow the cycle and when she is in diestrus. Is that done through a vaginal cytology or blood or ?    GESTATION IN A DOG IS 63 DAYS PLUS OR MINUS 5 DAYS.  THE DOG SHOULD WHELP WITHIN 24 HOURS OF TEMP DROPPING BELOW 100.   ONCE LABOR SETS IN PUPS SHOULD BE DELIVERED EVERY 10-20 MINUTES.  IF IT IS LONGER IN BETWEEN, THE FETUSES GET STRESSED.  I WOULD NOT HAVE EXPECTED PUP 5, 6, 7 or 8 TO BE ALIVE ANYWAY AND 4th WOULD HAVE BEEN QUESTIONABLE DUE TO PROLONGED TIME.

VAGINAL CYTOLOGY CAN TELL WHEN THE BITCH IS IN HEAT AND CERTAINLY INDICATE OTHER ASPECTS OF THE CYCLE, BUT SINCE I AM NOT A REPRODUCTION SPECIALIST I CAN NOT GIVE YOU SPECIFICS.   A RELAXIN HORMONE TEST CAN TELL AT 3 WEEKS OF PREGNANCY AND MAY BE ABLE TO GIVE MORE ACCURACY.

-IF I decided to rebreed her, everyone shutters when I say xray....so I will undoubtedly ultra sound, and possibly up to her due date to insure the puppies are moving. And, I suppose plan on csection if she goes past her due date again.   AN X-RAY CAN BE DONE AT 42 DAYS.  IF YOU DO REBREED, I WOULD PROBABLY SCHEDULE A C-SECTION AND THEN HAVE HER SPAYED AFTER THE PUPS ARE REMOVED.  

GOOD LUCK!@!