Labrador Retriever 54 days pregnant and vet said all are breech

Question
Today we took our 3 year old yellow lab for an x-ray to determine how many puppies she will have - 5 to 6 (small litter). All the puppies appear to be breech (none of them are head down). The vet said normally they will not turn. I am concerned about this and have never experience puppies being delivered breech. This is her first litter and it has been easy so far (no complications to date). Can you offer any insight on what the vet said and helping a first time 'mom' deliver breech puppies.

Any insight would be helpful.

Answer
Hi Shannon. Breach isn't as scary as it sounds. :-) It's not like it is with humans. The most important thing, is to make sure the puppy is in a normal delivery position. You can do a vaginal exam. Make sure your hands are clean, and put one or two finger inside of her vaginia, see what you feel. If you feel paw pads up, the pup is breach. As long as you can feel both back legs, you can help her deliver it if you have to. If you can only feel one leg, you can try to push the puppy back up until you can feel the second leg, and pull it forward. Then the pup should be in the normal breach delivery position. If you ever feel the belly or the back, take her straight to the vet. Usually, mom delivers breach pups with no problems or with any help from us. However, if she's straining with a contraction and doesn't seem to be able to produce a puppy, do a vaginal exam to see what you feel. Call your vet as soon as she starts labor just in case a section is needed. I have some really good web sites that shows you how to deliver puppies. I'll list them at the bottom. If I can help with anything else, let me know!

http://www.debbiejensen.com/

http://hometown.aol.com/mayassites/whelping.html