Jack Russell Pregnancy

Question
My jack russell just had 5 puppies, but only one was alive. The four that did not live looked fine but were not breathing when they were delivered. This is her first litter and she is 1 year old. She had the puppies in a plastic pool with soft blankets, but am at a loss as to what happen to the four that died. How can I find out what happened?

Answer
Hi Darlene,
I'm so sorry about the puppies, you must be heartbroken! It's hard to say exactly what went wrong, sometimes it just happens. :(
You say they were not breathing when they were born - my question is, were the sacks broken before or after they were born? Usually each puppy is born in it's own sack and the mother dog rips it open and licks the puppy very vigorously to get it breathing. Usually we humans have to help remove some of the liquid from their mouths with a baby syringe bulb and there are also techniques to help the puppies get breathing by rubbing them very vigorously and holding them over your head and thrusting gently downward to help expel the fluids from the lungs. Did you know she was pregnant? It usually isn't recommended that a dog has puppies until after their first heat cycle. She is still young and you could try again in the future, but make sure you give her time off (don't breed next cycle) wait until the one after that. Pregnancy takes a toll on the momma dogs and they should never be bred during every heat cycle.
Did you plan the breeding? Were both male and female parents tested for brucellosis (which is a venereal disease in dogs) that can cause death to the puppies. What is the history of your mother dog's parents? Are they of good sound stock? Maybe there is something in the genes? So many questions and answers, sometimes it's just natures way. Again, I'm sorry this happened to your dog and to you. :(
Very very sad. Try not to blame yourself even though we always do! I'm sure you read books, saw videos, researched and planned and did everything you were supposed to do, sometimes it just happens.
Take care, best of luck to all of you.