Not even born puppys had their destiny to be drowned-but i stepped in and HOPE to save them

[mustangrooster]

Long story short.My Friends dog is pregnant again. The father is a mixed breed which equals to mixed puppys so the husband is going to drown them as soon as they are born. Why? He absolutely hates mixed breeds. But before I knew what I was a going to say I said 'I'll take them a day after they are born' I could not help thinking about poor tiny innocent puppy's being drowned just because they are mixed.

The dogs last litter was a total off 11, Who all found homes. So I do not know how many pups there could be this time so I will have my hands full.

I know a lot about caring for newborn pupys, what they need,what setup they need etc, But I want to hear from you folks what I should really be doing and what my timetable should be like. And Anything that will be useful for the pups care. I hope I made the right decision, But anything is better than puppies being shoved under water until they cant breath then die,right??


Cheers,

-Mustang

 

[Peaches Lee]

The only advice I can offer is to get the female spayed. ASAP. If the person hates mixed breeds so much, then they should have been proactive (responsible) and got their dog spayed before any puppies came along. While I think it is downright heroic of you to offer to take these pups, I don't know if it would be physically possible. Feeding a possible total of eleven puppies every 2 hours...I imagine there would be a lot of heartbreak involved. Unless you can find other people to help split the litter to raise them. Good luck to you.

 

[farmchick897]

Maybe you can get them to let you take the female for just a few weeks? Then the momma can at least raise them until eyes are open, not ideal but better than trying to bottle raise.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Maybe a call to your local humane society might be a better option. Tell them what you heard. Perhaps they will step in. Drowning pups is considered inhumane these days and could be considered a crime depending on where you live. I personally wouldn't want to be friends with people who would do that.

 

[dainerra]

I second the opinion that they simply take the female in for a spay/abort. Also, if they refuse to get her spayed because they hope to breed her, I would suggest to them that they do a bit more research on responsible breeding practices.
For example, they could have taken her in right after the breeding for a mis-mate shot that would have aborted the litter then vs having her go through the trauma of having a litter and the babies all disappearing. It can cause some serious behavioral issues with the female. Not to mention all of the normal dangers of whelping and then having her milk dry up without nursing.

 

[drumstick diva]

I've tube fed many litters _ up to 8 puppies, but, I wasn't working full time. For the first ten days I would feed them every 3 hours around the clock.
Tube feeding is fast if you know how to do it right. But, after having a few nights of the "blind staggers," from lack of sleep it is easy to make mistakes and take short cuts -not checking that tube is in properly and inadvertently causing the death of some.

At day 11, I would cut out the 3 am feeding, so I got a little more sleep. As I said the feeding is fast. BUT, without the mother you have to clean them off after each feeding - every puppy. If you use a moistened cotton ball on their anus, and some Vaseline you can get a bm out of them and generally they will pee also. You have to make sure they do not get constipated - like pasty butt, they will die if they don't pass stool. By now, it is almost time to feed again.

I used to make my own incubator/brooder - used a big electro kennel heating pad with rheostat to control temps. If they needed to be separated because they try to nurse off each other, I would cut the bottom and top off big cardboard box and make dividers to make separate compartments for each pup. Each pup also got a folded washcloth they could cuddle up with.

When their eyes open they start to become little dogs instead of hungry lumps. Personalities start to shine and . Once they start trying to walk, the activity will help them potty on their own. Then they get the puppy barkies where they decide they don't like each other's looks and feel they have to bark to express that. I really enjoyed that and of course the puppy breath. At 3 weeks they can learn to lap formula from a muffin tin. Fun and very messy- each pup needs to be wiped off and dried. I haven't had a litter since 1979 so I don't recall if I added pablum to the formula or ???

It is a lot of work - gradually you cut down the number of feedings because they can eat more at each meal.

IF you have the mother raise them, it will be easy peasy BUT, what will you do with pups looking for homes? Attractive pups aren't too hard to place but, a lot aren't cute and meanwhile they need shots, worming etc. The older the pups get, the less appealing to pet people - some don't want males, some don't want females - expect to get stuck with some no one wants. Think about this - do you have the time, ability and $$$$ to raise and care for puppies until they find a home.

I know you have the very best intentions BUT.... can you handle all of this? Realize too, that if you raise the puppies, they will still let the mother get pregnant again, and husband will say he is drowning the next batch. After too many consecutive breedings momma will be worn out and her poor condition will affect the puppies, who will have health problems added to rearing them. This will just continue until momma dies...

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I think I'd contact your local SPCA to see if they have room for the litter and if they'd be willing to take them after they're born. Then I'd promptly call animal control, tell them you know of a pregnant dog who's owner is planning on drowning the litter after they're born and then I'd dump those "friends." Disgusting. If you do take them and raise them, be prepared to get called for every subsequent oops litter after.

 

[dainerra]

In the grand scheme of things, there are much much worse things that could happen to these puppies than being euthanized at birth. The chances of an inexperienced person managing to hand raise a litter of pups successfully is slim. Then there is the problem of finding good homes for them. And making sure that they will stay in those homes for their entire lives.

The best thing for all involved would be to have a spay/abort procedure done.

 

[mustangrooster]

Okay, I appreciate everyone's advice. But I think I need to clear a few things up. The mother dog is a service dog, bred and trained to help kids no matter the problem. The litters were not expected. They were keeping her away from all males , But some still found a root in. They do plan on breeding her with a Golden Lab. So that the pups will be purebred and they can add more Service dogs to their family, Other than that they WILL NOT overbred her! People make mistakes guys, this happened to be a mistake with their dog that they learned from. May I state this dog (s) are VERY happy. The did not even know that the dog was pregnant until now, so apart from keeping her away from males. There was nothing they could really do.

I have experience with puppys and litters, I have the time, money and patience to raise them so I don't think theres a problem in that area.. And like @dainerre stated, There could be ALOT of horrible things done to these pups. They could be raised in a irrelevant home where they wont get spayed, vaccinated etc.They could get run over from the litter being a handful and finding their way onto the roads.. If I hadn't of stepped in they would be drowned to save any unnecessary pain, So its a two way street *shrugs* I love dogs guys, love them to bits. Own 4 out on the farm here. But trust me, I have seen some HORRIBLE storys and facts about dogs and puppys who died a slow and painful death so I felt like the pups deserved to live..


The kids, and mother do not want the pups drowned but the father rules the roost so he makes the decisions. But These guys aren't really my friends. The husbands not.. I was pet sitting their dogs and the children came over and told me about what was going on with their pregnant dog. And that's where I stepped in to say to them "I'll take them". I have contacted the RSPCA and with a lot of people around im sure the litter will find lots of people who want to care for them!

Really appreciate everyone's advice. I think I got a little debate started up! LOL

 

[dainerra]

there is no such thing as a "golden lab" there are yellow labs and there are golden retrievers. If the female is a "golden lab" that means that she is a mixed breed. Therefore, it's impossible for her to have purebred puppies. if they left a female in heat out of their sight for even a second, they likely don't know enough to be responsible breeders. I've seen the things females will do to get out to a male and that males will do to get in.
I have a friend who's female yorkie scaled TWO 6' chain link fences to get to the male who was kenneled in another part of the building. I've seen males who have eaten through walls to get to the female.
if the father feels this way about mixed breed pups, they are unlikely to spend the money to breed responsibly. On the female alone they will need several hundred dollars worth of tests (hips/elbows alone start at $200+ and go up from there depending on prices in your area). Then there are eyes, hearts, and other tests. Then you have to insure that all those tests are done on the male they intend to use, not to mention the stud fee which is likely to be several hundred dollars.
HINT: most responsible stud owners have no desire to take a PIL (pick of litter) puppy unless the female is something exceptional. They want cash and they want it up front. Some are willing to work with you and only take 1/2 up front, rest due when the b****h is confirmed pregnant. But they are often unwilling to do that with any owner like the ones you describe.