When my dog delivers puppies.....*New Questions about Nursing*

[Egg_newton]

I would love to have a doberman with natural ears and tail! They don't look nearly as menacing but I'm ok with that. It is illegal to dock dogs in England.

 

[lockedhearts]

Quote:
She could still have a couple days, my females nest up to a week before delivering. You can track temp with a simple thermometer from the dollar store. I bought a digital for my dogs at Fred's for about $7

 

[PunkinPeep]

OOh! OOh!

She's panting. It's definitely not hot in here.

I think this is it. I'm so not going to sleep.

 

[Penturner]

Unless you are going to put her in a garage, run or otherwise pen her up. you will have no idea where she will go to whelp. it most often is not anywhere you see her go not even her favorites. Be careful about this because they often have a spot picked out where they cannot be found. if this is her first litter the whole thing can frighten her at first and she may get pretty frantic. just try to reassure her and get her to settle down. other than that nature will simply take its course and she will know what to do. I will warn you that often the first pup is born still born. don't panic over this. I don't really understand why it is but I do know that it happens more often than I care to see. This is part of the reason we did not like to have females that had more than 7 pups per litter. It will be a long process and they can go an hour or two between pups. I have had some deliver one pup and then nothing for four hours or more and then start having them left and right so there is not set rule about it all. I have been told and from what I can see the female can sort of hold back if they are stressed and do not feel safe. expect at least 12 hours from first pup to last and probably more. low noise, low light and not a lot of moving around. no strangers for any reason, her behavior cannot be trusted not even toward you. if she gets aggressive toward anyone just leave her alone. she will get over it and return to normal when all the bad things stop happening to her. but it can cause an otherwise gentle dog to even bite. Of literally hundreds of dog i have had whelp I have never had one that knows and trusts me become aggressive though. just be aware that it can happen and just be calm and move slow around her. Otherwise if she trusts you she probably feels better with you nearby. also keep in mind that in nature the females expect their pups to be killed by the Alpha Female. so be careful the first time you try to pick up one of the pups. she may think she needs to protect it from you. also be sensative to what she is thinking and show her you do not intend to kill the puppies. bringing her food is the best way to do that because in wild packs they will not feed a female that had a litter. just touch the puppies with your finger tips like you are grooming them and careing for them. all of this tells her that they are being accepted and are not in danger.
if she does have a pup that she simply cannot birth. you only need one thing, a vet.
By the way an overly stressed dog may abandon her litter. It is not uncommon for them to leave the pups for periods of time. but if she will not return to them at all you need to move her to a place where she is all alone with the babies. usually reducing the activity and helping her shed the stress will cause her to go back to nursing the pups. you DO NOT want to have to hand feed a litter of puppies. As far as handling the babies and all that. basically you can handle them all you want to as long as you watch the momma for signs she is getting worked up about it. if she thinks you are handling them to much she will attempt to hide them from you. I have had a dog or two try that but if you put the pups back and leave her and them alone for a couple of hours she will usually be fine. and you can go back to playing with them. it is actually unusual for the female to get worried about the family handleing the pups though. in the dogs world this is a sign that the pack is accepting them and will care for them. So bringing her bits of food and showing her no one will harm the babies is actually a stress reliever for her

 

[PunkinPeep]

I just want to thank everyone for the benefit of your experience.

Jelly delivered her first puppy at 3:15 this morning and #8 between 6:45 and 7:00. All were born alive and noisy, and Jelly seems to be catching on to the mommy thing nice and quick.

If anyone wants to give me tips on how to keep my Jelly healthy while she's nursing this pack, i'm always open to advice.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[texasgal]

Awwww ... she did a quick nice job!! and they look so fat and healthy.

Feed. She will need a quality PUPPY food. She's feeding herself and 8 puppies now.. and she's going to eat A LOT .. don't wait until she starts dropping weight to do that ..it'll be harder to bring the weight back up than it will to keep it on her.

congratulations!!

 

[TinaK]

Congratulations on some beautiful babies!! You must be very proud!! Make sure mum spends time to eat and drink and ensure she maintains a nice intake of calcium and she should be fine (some suggest crushed eggs hells... never tried it personally!) .

 

[babymakes6]

CONGRATULATIONS!!! She looks like she will be a wonderful Mommy! I agree-a good quality PUPPY FOOD is the most important, but you should also worm her and the puppies. She can be wormed right now, and the puppies should be wormed at 2, 3, 4, and 6 weeks with Pyrantel. Don't be freaked out if you see long white worms in the puppies poop as they get older-it is normal, even though it is gross!

 

[helmstead]

 

[Penturner]

Fine looking litter and looks like she came through just fine. as for nutrition. top quality dog food and just keep an eye on her weight. she will look a little thin or bony for a while but you want to see her shape come back. good food and plenty of it should take care of it. if not it is a sign other things are wrong like infections and she will need a vet. another thing I have never had happen but it is possible. Glad you dodged the 7 plus pup curse. Keep in mind that 7 pups is also the limit we would allow our females to nurse but we had lots of options for swapping pups to females that had small litters also. just watch the puppies that they are all getting enough to eat. one or two tend to be a bit stronger and get to more of the milk. so make sure the weaker ones get a good meal once in a while. if you need to help by hand heeding, feed the largest and stronger ones yourself they are able to put up with it better. Puppies are supposed to be roly poly with fat little tummies. if they are not it is time to think about helping momma out. I have had females that did just fine nursing 14 pups, but she had very sad eyes. mainly just watch and you will know if things are not right.
Big congratulations.