This 9 day old pup has an abscess on his back leg. You can see the hole in the back of the leg. It was most likely caused by the mother trying to pick up the puppy to move them or adjust them in the box.
The rear right leg and thigh are two times bigger than the other leg. Before draining it was five times bigger.
This is a medical emergency and the owner was advised to take this pup to the vet where they lanced the inside of the leg and drained out a lot of pus.
This is the hole after it had been drained by the vet. The pup has to be tube fed every two hours to bring up its strength and needs to be on oral antibiotics. The puppy was very lethargic, but seems to be doing much better in the last hour. The wound needs to be drained two more times tonight and once tomorrow and then left to heal.
This is the hole the vet made on the inside of the leg to help the puncture wound drain.
Courtesy of MistyTrails Havanese - Mid-Woof
Although this section is based on a whelping of an English Mastiff, it also contains good general whelping information on large-breed dogs. You can find more whelping information in the links above. The links below tell the story of Sassy, an English Mastiff. Sassy has a wonderful temperament. She loves humans and adores children. An all-around mild mannered, wonderful Mastiff, Sassy, however, is not the best mother toward her puppies. She is not rejecting them; she will nurse them when a human places them on her to feed, however she will not clean the pups or pay any attention to them. It is as if they are not her puppies. This litter is getting mom’s milk with major human interaction, manually giving each and every pup what they need. In return, the pups will be super socialized and will make remarkable pets, however the work involved is astounding. It takes one dedicated breeder to keep this situation healthy. Thankfully this litter has just that. Read the links below to get the full story. The pages within include a wealth of information that everyone can appreciate and benefit from.