It could mean that your dog went into premature labor and delivered one set of puppies eariler. I raise AKC Maltese. My Lady Bug went into premature labor and delivered 3 puppies all of which died at birth due to being too early. On this day I had rushed her to the vet. She had to be crated as a way to keep her calm so that the remaining puppies inside her could development more. Five days later she went into labor again and delivered 2 more puppies, one of which died, and one Kallisti survived. Lost 4 and gained only one. It is always very important that if your dog doesn't have a normal labor process to have her seen by a vet. Sometimes the vet can just feel if there are any more puppies inside, or if there is a retained still born puppy inside. It is important to rule out infection which has the potential to kill your dog. Sometimes the vet may need to x-ray and/or ultrasound her to tell what is going on on the inside. Hope this helps. Joyfulnurse.
