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Old 03-06-2010, 09:48 PM
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Default Re: How to take care of new born puppies and their mother

Quote:
Originally Posted by Divas View Post
Caring for a mother and her puppies can be very demanding. I'm sure many people have stories of very easy whelping and first couple of months of puppies lives, however in order to ensure the safety of both mother and puppies there is a whole list of things that need to be done. There is a reason why most pet professionals will strongly recommend spaying/neutering for pets.

Firstly the mother needs a safe place to have the puppies, most breeders will use a whelping box ( http://www.petbitsforyou.com/whelpbox.html ) to ensure the safety of pups and mum, kept in a quiet room away from other dogs and people. This ensures the mum and pups can stay calm and also away from bacteria and viruses that could cause major problems for a fresh litter and a breastfeeding mother.
The owner should be in the room with the mother for the few days around the time she is due to deliver in order to make sure the delivery goes smoothly. There are a number of things that can go wrong during whelping including breached puppies which need assistance to be safely whelped. It is also necessary to have a vet who knows your mother is due who you should call as soon as her contractions start, that way if for any reason you need to rush into the vet they are prepared for you.

Once a puppy is born the mother should immediately start removing the sack it is born in and start cleaning it up and encouraging it to feed, if this does not happen you will need to step in, carefully remove the save and ensure the puppy is breathing. If the puppy still has fluid in its lungs you will need remove the fluid and get the breathing quickly, there are a couple of techniques for this that are described on a number of websites.

Once the puppies are all born, (you need to ensure they have all be born, if a still born or even live puppy stays inside the mother it will cause huge risk to the mother) you will need to keep a close eye on the mother and pups in order to make sure all the puppies are feeding properly and do not have any signs of deformity or illness. It is sometimes also possible that the mother will accidentally (or purposefully) kill the puppies by sitting on, stepping on or even sometimes biting or eating them, if this begins to happen you have a choice, either allow it to happen and be prepared to loose all the puppies or separate them from the mother and be prepared to hand rear the pups yourself as well as help relieve the mothers discomfort from swollen teats. For the first couple of weeks the puppies should not be allowed to leave a small confined area and the mother should also only be allowed short excursions. The area needs to be kept clean and hygienic during the whelping and afterward.

I think your friend should have time to read up on further care for after 2 weeks after whelping and i would strongly recommend she does so asap in order to be prepared for weaning, vet care (first vaccinations and checkups), socialization, beginning of training and adopting/selling the puppies.
I also strongly suggest she gets her female fixed as soon as the puppies are fully independent to prevent this from happening again (i'm really hoping this was an accidental pregnancy). If you need any more info or a more detailed description of the whelping process, everything that can (and often does) happen and what to do after (up to 2 months old when they are safe to be separated from the mother) let me know and i will type it up for you and send it to your email or something...

I really hope this reply isn't too late as i have only just joined the forum.
I would also like to apologize for the bluntness of this post, but i am quite tired of hearing about inexperienced people having litters whether accidentally or on purpose, without taking into consideration their ability to take care of the puppies or mother or what will happen to the puppies afterward. There are far to many unwanted and unloved dogs in this world as it is and its so simple to prevent... why wouldn't you choose a (max) 2 hour operation costing a couple of hundred RM over at least a week of sleepless nights and at least a few thousand RM in care?

no offence taken. ever since she bought her two poodles, male and female, i've been advising her relentlessly to spay her dogs but she said it will hurt them.....ok parents aside...since the puppies are now out i've told her to spay her puppies to genetic diseases if they bred among themselves..she just said i'll be gone from my house then its not my problem...WTH then why did she get those dogs in the first place????she doesnt even take care of them only her maids..spoiled.
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