Having a Litter of Puppies

[Kayteigh]

Hi

I just wanted to know if anyone has gone through having a litter of puppies as Jazmyn my dog is due to have her only litter between the 6th and 16th of november and I have no idea what to do. I have only had my own dogs for 2 years and have no idea on the whole labour process so any info would be greatly welcome.

Thanks Katie

[AquaDevil78]

My advice dont interfere unless you have too, but keep an eye on her and the puppies as they are born, just make sure none are distressed, mum or pups and that all the pups are breathing, and dont have any mucous left on there faces , over nose, mouth. If god forbid any puppies are found to not be breathing, grab a tea towel, pick it up, lay it on its back in the towel and using the towel gently rub its chest and back and you can also do gentle breaths , mouth to nose. If needed. That should be enough to get it breathing again. Once you have done that it can be reunited with mum for feeding:thumbsup: . Good luck

[Kayteigh]

Thanks for that AquaDevil78 we are having her x-rayed next week on the advice of our vet so we will know how many she is having, so if she gets into trouble having them we will know straight away

Katie

[Yasmeena]

Kayteigh - are you a registered breeder?

[EskimoMumma]

Hey, i am by no means qualified in the dog world but i have experienced one of my dogs (whoo my mum bred with another dog of the same) and we just gave her a dog bed in a quiet place where she could have privacy and some peace, but of course after she pushed af ew pups out and licked em clean (which i thought was gross, come on, i was 8!) you just really watch and make sure shes having no problems, they know what to do alot better then us hehe.

[DjF]

We have gone through this many times - both with cats and dogs.
You will find maybe a day before she gives birth she will find somewhere to do it - you might have the best intentions and provide her a bed but she may not use it. Some dogs also become very affectionate and cuddly or quiet.. Also she may shred stuff, esp if its foam or cloth - let her she is providing a nest and is her way of preparing. We sat with ours the whole time and also checked her constantly - i slept beside her! If you have a close bond with her she shouldnt mind you being close and will welcome the support and company. Make sure you have plenty of water for her nearby too - she wont get up but if you hold some in a dish she will prob have some! Maybe some little chewy doggy treats too. Most often it doesnt take a long time to birth bit in between pups can last a few minutes or an hour or 2. We always knew how many she was having - from feeling her, we never had xrays for any of our dogs. Count how many come out too so you know all are present and accounted for!
Dogs also dont bleed so if she starts to, or is straining hard, have the vet number handy in case of emergency. Dogs/cats dont strain just pant a lot or seem to hold their breath slightly!

So - theres an essay for you!:D Good luck, i love watching animals give birth its so exciting!

[Kayteigh]

Kayteigh - are you a registered breeder?


No I am not a registered breeder as I have Moodles (maltese cross poodles) and have no intentions of breeding from Jazmyn again as some of the money will be going to get Jazmyn fixed.

Katie

[SairBear]

we had a litter of pups once.. our cairn terrier "chelsea" had 8 pups. We found her in labour hiding down the bottom of our yard . She was struggling etc and we ended up having to take her to the vet for an emergency c/s. She was quite sick from the c/s and her milk didnt come thru so we ( my mum , my bro and myself ) ended up having to tube feed these 8 lil puppies for 8 wks. Talk about round the clock feeding!!! It was an amazing experience and the 2 hrly feeds were exhausting. But we got thru it. unfortunatly 5 of the pups died ( one had cleft palate, the rest from snail bait :crying: )
We still have 1 of the pups whos now 6 yrs old. As a bit of a special act She can blow bubbles thru her nose under water lol from the tube feeding.:laughing:

Good luck with it all and always be prepared for the unexpected like we had :)

[Mum2Tyla]

Hi,
I am a vet nurse and usually only see dogs when they are having difficulty giving birth, anywhere up to an hour between puppies is normal, if it is more than an hour and she seems to be straining you need to get her to a vet but over an hour with no signs of straiing or distress is fine, most dogs are happier if you leave them be but do check on her regularly if she is happy for you to be there that is fine but don't have too many pople around her as it may stress her out, make sure the puppies feed as soon as possible and it is quite normal for at least 1 puppy to not make it.
Kelly:wave:

[Lizzie0808]

And definitely have an emergency vet number handy - if anything goes wrong you don't want to have to panic trying to find the number!