black discharge

Question
QUESTION: hi today our staffy bitch finally gave birth.The first pup was breach and i had to help her unfortunate it was already dead .The second and third pups came out with no problems forth pup was also breach and already dead fifth pup had also no problem several hours later there is black bloody discharge no sign of any pain or contractions .She is walking around ok and feeding the pups good just concerned is this normal or maybe she might have another pup to come it has been four hours since the last pup.

ANSWER: You may want to take her to the vet for a 'clean out' shot. This will make sure that there are no more puppies or placentas inside of her. I would really recommend this because of the dead puppies. Sometimes, when a dog has one or more dead puppies inside of her, it can slow down (or stop) labor. Call you vet, tell them what happened, and that you would like to bring your dog in for the clean out shot. it's not expensive. Good luck with the puppies!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Do you have any advice on what to feed my bitch after whelping yesterday to put the condition back on her?

Answer
If you have a picky eater, feed her anything she wants at this point. She has to be able to produce milk for the puppies. Even if it's table scraps. If she'll eat her dog food, try putting some gravy over it. Since she just whelped, she'll probably look rough for awhile. Now is the time to let her eat as much as she wants to.