She whelped two days ago. Now she’s pacing, panting and nesting again.
- MATTER
- Whelping & the litter
- JURISDICTION
- Any country
- BASED ON
- Illustrative scenario
- LAST REVIEWED
- November 2026
A day or two after whelping, a dam starts leaving the whelping box, pacing, panting and trying to dig a new nest, just as she did before labor. She seems otherwise well. Is this afterpains, another puppy, or something serious?
This is an illustrative scenario: it combines details from several real situations breeders have faced. No single person or event is described.
The short answer
Restlessness can be part of normal recovery. It is also the first sign of several problems that can’t wait.[1][2]
You can’t tell them apart from the outside, so don’t guess. Check her, call your vet, and know the signs that mean you go now.
What to do now
Go to the vet now if she:
- trembles, twitches, walks stiffly or seems confused. This can be eclampsia (low blood calcium), which is an emergency. Keep the puppies off her and call the vet on the way. Don’t give calcium by mouth to a trembling dog.[3]
- strains or pushes as if she’s in labor
- has a temperature above 103 °F (39.5 °C), or a low temperature and seems weak
- has a foul-smelling discharge, or more discharge instead of less
- has a hot, hard or painful mammary gland, stops eating or seems dull
- is getting more unsettled rather than calmer
What it might be
| What | Typical timing | What you might see | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal recovery | First days | Unsettled, some panting, heavy dark red to black discharge that doesn’t smell | Watch, keep checking, call if anything on the list above appears |
| A retained puppy | Right after whelping | Straining, an uncertain puppy count, a dam who seems to be “still in labor” | Same-day vet check with ultrasound or X-ray |
| Eclampsia | Most often 1–4 weeks after whelping, but can come earlier | Restlessness, panting and stiff movement at first, later spasms and seizures | Emergency: keep the puppies off her and go to the vet |
| Uterine infection (metritis) | Often after a difficult birth | Straining, abnormal discharge, fever, a dull dam | Vet the same day |
| Mastitis | During nursing | Hot, hard or painful gland, fever, dam off her food | Vet the same day |
| Too hot or disturbed | Any time | Panting that settles when she’s moved somewhere cooler and quieter | Offer a cooler, calm spot right next to the box |
Eclampsia is the one to take most seriously. It’s most common when the puppies are one to four weeks old and milk production is at its peak, but it can also come before whelping. The first signs are subtle: restlessness, panting and stiff movement. They can then progress to an inability to walk, muscle spasms and seizures. Small breeds and very attentive mothers are at higher risk, as are dams fed an unbalanced diet or given calcium during pregnancy.[3][5]
A retained puppy has to be confirmed. Ultrasound, X-ray or palpation can check that every puppy has been delivered, and palpation is the least reliable.[2]
Metritis can follow a difficult whelping. It shows as straining as if in labor, abnormal discharge, and fever and lethargy as the infection develops. It can be serious but usually responds well to treatment.[2]
Mastitis can occur together with metritis and can lead to a blood infection.[2]
Step by step
- Take her temperature and write down the time. Do it again in a few hours, so you can see whether it’s changing.
- Look at her: discharge (color, amount, smell), each mammary gland, gait, trembling, gums.
- Count: puppies born against puppies expected, and placentas against puppies if you managed to keep track. A missing placenta has almost always been eaten. That’s not harmful but often gives her diarrhea.[4]
- Call your vet, or the emergency clinic out of hours. If you’ve already called and been told it’s probably nothing, and she gets worse, call again. You don’t need to be sure something is wrong before you call.
- Keep the puppies nursing if she’s otherwise well. Offer a cooler, quiet spot next to the box and stay close so she doesn’t lie on a puppy.
- Weigh the puppies every day. Contented puppies that gain weight every day after the first 24 hours are the best sign that she’s producing enough milk.
How to prevent it next time
- Ask your vet for an X-ray in late pregnancy, so you know how many puppies to expect.
- Keep a whelping log: the time of each puppy and each placenta.
- Feed a complete, balanced diet for pregnancy and nursing, without extra calcium during pregnancy.[6] See our myth check: Does extra calcium during pregnancy prevent eclampsia?
- Agree a plan with your vet before whelping: a check-up afterwards, and whether this dam needs calcium during nursing (for example, if she’s had eclampsia before).
- Have the emergency clinic’s number on the fridge before the due date.
- For big litters, start supplementing the puppies with milk replacer early and move them to solid food from three to four weeks. This takes some of the pressure off her.
What we can’t tell you
We can’t tell from a description what is wrong with a particular dog. Only an examination, sometimes with ultrasound or X-ray, can. If you’re unsure, call.
The evidence · What the veterinary sources say
Normal recovery, a retained puppy, eclampsia, metritis and mastitis can all start with a restless, panting dam.
Only an examination can tell them apart, and eclampsia is an emergency. The sources advise against routine calcium during pregnancy.
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum Care in Bitches and Queens. merckvetmanual.com
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Periparturient Problems in Bitches and Queens. merckvetmanual.com
- VCA Animal Hospitals, Eclampsia in Dogs. vcahospitals.com
- Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center, The Normal Whelping Process. vet.cornell.edu
- PDSA, Whelping: a guide to your dog giving birth. pdsa.org.uk
- Root Kustritz, M. (2008), Do not institute calcium supplementation during canine pregnancy, dvm360. dvm360.com
Related
Breeder’s Library: Postpartum complications: mastitis, metritis and eclampsia → Breeder’s Library: The dam’s first 24 hours after whelping → Breeder’s Library: When to call the vet → Breeder’s Library: Lactation and milk production →General information, not a substitute for examination by a veterinarian. Where evidence is limited, recommendations rest on established practice and expert judgment, and may be updated as knowledge develops.