Annie's thread- Five puppies! LOTS of PICS on page 10!

[sourland]

Remember to put a bumper guard around the perimeter of the whelping box so that she does not inadvertantly crush a pup between her back and the wall of the box. Just remember that if it becomes necessary to cut an umbilical cord use something dull so that it actually crushes the cord--just as Redyre has indicated. The minimum size whelping box that I use for my beagles is2' by 3.5'. I also provide heat from beneath and above.

 

[bossynbella]

would this be a good deal? I would still probably use a box inside of it, but is it a good idea for when they are up and running around? I think $37 seems pretty cheap, but our gate is no taller then 2' and she stays in the kitchen all night with it up.
http://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Zinc-...2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1305679329&sr=1-2

 

[SourRoses]

Yep! What a nice baby bump! Yey!

What you linked to in your last post is just what I was going to suggest! Seems a really great price! We just got one for $80 last month for a temp place for chickies before the coop was done. We used those exercise pens for our litters and it worked out really well, especially when they were older and trying to get into everything!

I'm not sure about the dog house idea... really every dog is different for the actual birthing part... but our Rosie-posie did not like any of her usual spots when it came 'time'... then she wanted to be on our laps! And she is not a very lappy dog usually. I can imagine your Annie might be the same.
The best solution for us was in a corner of a quiet room.. we put down layers upon layers of newspaper.. or you can use whatever is handy.. and that way we could both sit there with her.. (for hours) and easily be able to reach her and whatnot.

Maybe some like to leave their animals to take care of everything.. but our own dogs are so dependent upon us for so many things, I wouldnt be able to leave them on their own for such a big event

We got the clamp things you were talking about... if you are having trouble finding one.. do you want us to just mail you ours? Its a little old but we have no use for it. You can also find them sometimes at pet stores and places like that. Let me know!

We did find we needed the clamp! One of us would hold the puppy while the other tied the cord off with dental floss.. it was a little more nerve racking than you would think! A few times we needed the aid of a clamp.. and I cant imagine not having one or trying to use my fingernails with a wriggly puppy and another on popping out! The problem with Rosie.. and I think some other dogs like her... she wouldn't stay laying down! So most of the pups were born with her standing up.. and if we hadn't been there to hold the puppies up until the afterbirth was out... it would have hung from its cord or broken it.. and thats not a pleasant scenario!

She had one, the last one, in her first litter.. that came out bent sideways! Poor little thing! We had to rub and rub on it.. and mom kept saying the little thing must be dying.. but I kept rubbing him and we cleared his throat.. and he was drinking with his 8 siblings in no time!

A human heating pad set low and covered in several blankets works great for warmth .. in whatever final bed you make for her and the pups.

Rosies 3rd litter.. things were not progessing well. She had 2 or 3 pups.. and then 4 hours went by without any sign of the others (there were more in there).. so we rushed her off to the emergency vet. I was in the backseat with Rosie on the seat next to me and the pups in a box.. and Rosie starts panting and pushing again! Out pops another puppy... and gee that was fun.. trying to hold the puppy close to Rosies bum since most of the cord was still inside.. and hold rosie still by the collar because she wanted to be anywhere but standing still on the backseat

 

[SourRoses]

To help you get excited....

Puppy pictures!!

Oooopsie! I better stop with the pictures now! There are just too many cute ones!
Wish we had some cute puppies right now

*sniff* I loved raising the cute widdol ones

 

[bossynbella]

Thanks squishy that helped alot, I will check a few more places for the clamp things first but its nice to know if I need to you will let me borrow them. I work at Wal-mart in the garden center, I had been eyeing up the $10 pools figuring I could use it for annie then for the ducks when the pups out grew it, I had planned to get one last night, halfway through my shift my manager called me on the walkie to say the two remaining $10 pools had holes in them and needed to be defected out, I asked if I could buy one anyway and they sold it to me for half price! WOOO HOOO, so I brought home a blue swimming pool (they where out of pink ones darn it) and put it under the table, added carpet squares her blanket and pillow and she has been sleepiing in there. Closer to the time I think I will remove all that, add newspapers etc, then once pups are born I can pull the papers and replace with the rugs (got them for $0.50 last fall ) so if they get dirty I don't care and they are softer then paper, but have hard backing so the pups cant get under them. I think I will go ahead and get the exersize pen and put it around the pool and to the door of the kitchen, so she can get to the kitchen and her pool but not the rest of the living room as she has been having accidents almost every other night this week, and its much easier to clean up off of tile then rug! We have a pee pad thingy my SIL gave us but she won't use it, I am hoping to be able to train the pups to use it. Who would love to get a puppy that is trained to use a pad instead of the floor!

Well off to work again 11:30-8 today then tomorrow off, I think me and Annie will go see gramma.

 

[awesomefowl]

Quote:
They're So cute!!!

 

[bossynbella]

So what do we do about fleas and ticks with pregnant girls? I usually use a topical but it says not for use on pregnant or nursing dogs, I don't see any fleas or ticks on her, but I found a tick on me today, and I sure don't want her bringing them into the house to give to my two inside cats. I found a flea collar at wal-mart that says if used on pregnant dogs do not change until pups are 6 weeks old. I bought it but I don't want to put it on till I hear from someone about it.

Thanks in advance for the advice.
Melissa

 

[bluebeagle]

sorry cant remember how to put the pics on.....i uploaded them....just cant get them from there to hear

 

[carolinagirl58]

I have raised litters ranging from Chihuahuas to Bouvier Des Flanders. I always used large carpet squares under the whelping box. My whelping box was made of 2x4's standing up on their edge, and then I screwed another 2x4 horizontally to the top edge to make a rail that pups could go under to keep mother from squishing them. I just set the box down on top of the carpet square. I kept a heating pad under the carpet in one corner of the box so if a pup needed additional heat, they could crawl over there to get it. This box worked so well! I don't like using blankets in a whelping box because it's too easy for a pup to become entangled in the blanket and either smother or get squished. Carpet squares are cheap and can be replaced every couple of days or as often as needed to keep the box clean and safe.

 

[SourRoses]

That set up sounds like it will be fabulous Bella!!

LOL! My puppy will only run around with those pee pads and chew them to bits

I got him one of those fake grass mats from the pet store, with the cleanable trays underneath... for his late night accidents... but nope! It only keeps him from going on the area I put it

He likes to keep his toys on it though!

You can PM me at any time.. if you don't find yourself some newer clampy things... and I will stick these old ones in a bubblemailer for you.. no worries!
I will only demand TONS of puppy pictures in return!

We had quite some sucess with draggin that same exercise pen outside.. carrying the pups in a box... and set them up in the pen for an hour or a few each day. They had a lot of fun! And since we started it at an earlier age, they seemed to understand what grass was all about more easily and weren't so confused by potty training. At least not with those we kept for ourselves. Also, if they go only on newspaper, or the puppy pads or some such, they will become 'trained' to the newspaper, and you can tell the new owners to drag the newspaper outside for them at first to teach them that outside is for potty.

The carpet idea sounds great.. softer and safer! But I would still put something else in the 'potty area' (farther spot from the bed, most likely) so that they don't become accustomed to carpet for potties!

I would be sacred of using the topicals and scared of the collars too, even. I have no idea if either is safe? Perhaps if you ask your vet or ask in a new thread you might get some knowledgeable advice? I don't think we ever used more than mild flea shampoo with Rosie during her pregnancies... but then we didn't have to worry much about ticks down here

If you feel up to it.. you can also try them with some little bones and such... it's great fun to see them grring at eachother in their little puppy voices

But that entirely depends on what you feel like....