birth of yorkies

Question
about six months ago I bred one of my 5 year old female yorkies by artificial insemination like I had her mother by a breeder. She gave birth to 5 puppies. One died the first day, two the next , then another one the following day and the last which was a female and the largest one lasted almost 2 weeks. I bottle fed her because they did not seem to feed well. Mom had milk but they did not seem to be able to grasp the nipple well. What could have happened? the last one I was told was dehydrated. I was bottle feeding it. Usually you don't get a very straight answer. At this point I am hoping her sister is pregnant, " the regular way" tied twice. Am hoping she did get pregnant, four weeks. Am little nervous about it. She is also 5 1/2 years old. Healthy, eats well up to now. She weighs abut six lbs. and the male about three. Thanks for your answers. Sara yaker

Answer
Hi Sara

Females that have pups after around 5 have a great risk of fading puppies.  This is true regardless of the breed. Is it because a female is born with all the eggs she is ever going to produce and the age of the eggs?  I'm not certain.    

Were the pups born naturally?  Were they early?  

In case like this, personally, I would give the female a low dose of antibiotics prior to breeding to ensure that there were no tiny infection that could cause complications in the the litter.  

If a pup is dehydrated or fading, you can give them lactating ringer just under the skin to keep them hydrated and get them on their way.  

Because there are so may possibilities, there are a number of different reasons that you're losing pups.  If this is a line you want to continue, I would take a pup in for an autopsy so your vet can better determine the cause of the high morality rate and for your own peace of mind.

Good luck.