my girl's whelp

Some of these may be at your local library (the TinyUrl links are to Amazon.com):

Harris, Beth J. Finder, Breeding a Litter: The Complete Book of Prenatal and Postnatal Care, 3/1993
http://tinyurl.com/cljnh

Holst, Phyllis, Canine Reproduction: The Breeder's Guide, 11/1999
http://tinyurl.com/4a9zw

Lee, Muriel, The Whelping and Rearing of Puppies: A Complete and Practical Guide, 12/1997
http://tinyurl.com/7x3he

Rangeraire Vision, How to Raise a Litter of Puppies, DVD
http://rangeairevision.com/educational/puppies.php

Savant-Harris, Myra, Canine Reproduction And Whelping: A Dog Breeder's Guide, 1/2006
http://tinyurl.com/34ha4z

Savant-Harris, Myra, Puppy Intensive Care: A Breeder's Guide to Care of Newborn Puppies, 12/2005
http://tinyurl.com/35oe37

Please note that a vet's office is a very dangerous place for new pups.  It is simply not feasible to completely remove the Parvo virus from the office after the first infected pup comes in.  They try hard, but the virus is very hardy and can be spread around the office on the hands, feet, and clothes of the owner's of the sick pups.

When the pups go to the vet, they (and their mom) should touch nothing but the box and towels that you bring from home.  If the box touches something other than your towels, sterilize the box (1:10 bleach solution) when you get home.  Also bleach the towels.

Make sure that the vet and techs wash their hands before touching the pups.

You should try to touch as little as possible while at the vet (doors, chairs, walls, counters, etc.).  Bleach the bottom of your shoes before wearing them in the house (or use shoe covers at the vet).  Change clothes as soon as you get home.

Washing clothes will remove some Parvo, but only a 1:10 bleach solution will sterilize the clothes.  If you ever get Parvo in your house, it can be there for a year unless you bleach everything (carpet, furniture, drapes, etc.).

I'm racing to work but the one thing that no one seems to have covered is this:

A female is "fertile" during her entire heat.  All 3 weeks of it.  A female dog drops about 20 eggs each time they cycle.  They don't just get 'pregnant' like humans do.  They can get pregnant with EACH mounting.  (Go ahead check me on this -- I'm right, unfortunately)

that means he likely impregnated her the first week, the 2d and the 3rd.  That means you have puppies in THREE stages in there and because he's so much larger than she is that could be a huge birthing problem (emphasis on size as well as the size of the problem).

Remember dogs only gestate around 62 days.  That means those that were conceived the 3rd week will wind up getting born the same time the first ones are (typically there is one 'birth' but some CAN get stuck in the birth canal).

Pups are born SO immature they can't see nor hear (that's why the eyes are closed till the 2d week - the eyes aren't mature enough TO see).  So they are already very very immature when they are born.  The pups from the 3rd and likely 2d weeks couplings likely may not survive or be still born.

THAT can be a big problem birthing (aside from the size of the pups) -- if she is alone when she gives birth (if you are asleep and don't know she's in labor) and a big pup gets stuck in the birth canal -- she will reach around and try to pull it out.  That often results not only in the death of the pup but the resulting breakage can cause HER to hemmorhage.  Please get a vet to help you with this -- I'm not over-stating this.  There's no way to say this delicately.

If you doubt my original statement -- go to any rescue and look at litters -- you'll often see litters where siblings look NOTHING like each other -- that's because Dog A sire was one breed B was another and C was another and so on. 

Vet care is going to be so important -- I'd have her x-rayed late in the pregnancy so you know how *many* pups there are -- because you don't want a stillborn one to remain inside (it happens and it's instant pyometra). 

Honestly when folks are telling you to spay her now -- it's from experience.  What I'm describing is horrific.  I'm not being nasty - it just plain is.  I had a friend once who went thru this and she lost her female and all the pups. 

Take care and good luck. 

I am VERY concerned about the size difference between these two dogs.....and having large pups really could kill your female. Honestly, I know you don't want to hear this, but honestly, the best and safest thing to do would be to have her spayed/aborted. As a former breeder and a person who fosters pregnant bitches, whelping is NOT a piece of cake. Maintaining a pregnant bitch, the whelp, the aftercare....none of that is easy. I've had litters who required bottle feeding......that's every TWO HOURS around the clock. You don't get to sleep because by the time you finish feeding the last pup it's time to feed the first again. And then there is the cleanup......not only of the pups, but at a certain point, momma stops eating their poop and you get wall to wall to wall crap to clean up alllllll the time. Yep, newborn pups are sweet, but they are more work than most folks can handle, and more heartache than anyone should have to. When you nurse a pup for 5 days and he suddenly dies, its heartbreaking. You try not to give your heart to them, but you will, and to loose one at birth is hard enough....two, three, five days later....... Give your girl the best chance at a healthy life and spay her now.

glenmar

I am VERY concerned about the size difference between these two dogs..

 

Glenda that's one of my main concerns as well.  I addressed it in my first post.  I have a bad feeling about this particular pregnancy-but the OP is taking classes and therefore knows all of the things that we are telling her. 

Yes, Ed, ahead of all the concerns about no genetic testing, no "proofing", blah, blah, blah, my biggest worry is that she's gonna die trying to whelp those too big pups.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about the testing too.  But you never breed a tiny bitch to a male that's 1.5 times her size.  I don't think her birth canal will handle those one or two pups all that well. 

 

Don't worry Ed, I know that we are both on the same page with this one.

I know a breeder who lost a bitch and all the pups because she bred to a slightly larger male.  Turned out that the male, despite being smallish, came from a larger line than the bitch did and large size was a dominant trait.....so momma and 6 pups dead because of that difference.  I think 3 of the pups did live for a few days, which is even more heartbreaking.

 I responded directly to your blog entry, but I missed the part about the size difference.  At this point the placement of the pups is the least of my worries.  Even the pups that will die in shelters as a result is lower on my list, and thats normally the top for me.  I think you should plan on a C-section, and possibly talk to your vet about scheduling one.  Sadly, I think this is going to be one lesson you and your classmates did not want to learn. 

I agree with what has already been poisted above. There is nothing you will learn that you cannot learn from reading a book or watching a move at your local library. If you really want to see a welping live then you cna ask a local breeder if you can watch one of thier female give birth when thier time comes.

Spay the female and let her live a healthy happy life.

*shakes head in disgust*
All I can say is hope for the best.

 There isn't that big of a difference between my dogs.

I weighed them a few days ago, and theres only a 4 pound difference.

The dogs didn't breed all three weeks of her heat, they are only alone between 10:00am and 2:30 pm, and I only saw breeding within the last week, before that he would just smell her, and try to mount her, and she would just sit her bum right down and ignore him (she was sitting down normally, and he was trying to mount to no avail) or fought him off when he started to get annoying.  I am however, calling the vet Monday morning. They are due May 8th. Sasha just entered her fourth week, and I am starting to add small amounts of extra protein to her diet. (part of a hard boiled egg, and a bit of cottage cheese on alternate days) i might also start adding a spoon of plain (no sugar) yogurt sprinkled on her food as well. Her apetite is increasing.

To those of you who are actually trying to help- thanks.
**content removed, rude**

I think that you are misinterpreting very real concern for the safety of your dog for "put downs".  Four pounds is a HUGE difference when momma is a toy breed.

When I foster mommas to be I increase the protein as early as possible and I feed an excellent quality puppy food while she is in whelp and also after.  Some cottage cheese can be really high in sodium so you might want to avoid that

Never. never, never suppliment a bitch with calcium before she has the litter.  Only after.  Get her off anything extra that has calcium, you can cause HUGE problems. 

 

Lindsay? Do you not put your pregnant bitches on puppy food?

 We NEVER use any puppy food.  The only foods we (mentor and I) feed are "all life stages."  I won't buy anything other than an all life stages food for my dogs.  Rose ate Bil-Jac dry all through pregnancy and nursing.  He is an animal nutritionist and feels that puppy food causes them to grow too quickly and leads to joint issues...even in our small breed.