Boxer just whelped puppies...

Question
My boxer had puppies on Saturday night in to Sunday morning...the last was born at 7:30 am.  Today, Tuesday, momma is eating and drinking well, she will leave the whelping box to go to the bathroom and i have been massaging her belly whenever she is up with puppies off to avoid mastitis.  We definitely got 2 afterbirths out of her.  One after the 4th puppy and one about 2 hours after she delivered the last puppy.  She is panting really hard.  She has not exerted herself at all, so I am a little concerned.  The panting will occur for a short while and then cease.  It recurs every few hours.  I think I am worried for nothing, and I have an appt with the vet in the morning...so I just wanted to run it by someone who knows more than I do.  This is my first (and last) litter!

Answer
Hi Ann. The panting could be because the whelping room is too warm, what temp is the room kept at? One way to tell is if the pups are scattered across the whelping box. This means they too are pretty warm. Or, it could be because she may still have a placenta inside of her. This can be pretty dangerous if one is left in there. The vet will most likely give her a shot of oxytocin to clean her out, this will also help with milk production. You may also want to consider having an  x-ray after the shot to make sure everything's out. Good luck, and let me know how it goes.