| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Aunt T |
Posted - Mar 25 2008 : 09:59:42 AM
Has anyone ever experienced a mother dog killing her puppies? My best friends lab had tooooo many visitors the next day and killed three of her pups. We are bottle feeding one and taking the rest out every four hours to feed off the mother. I was not at their house when they decided to let approximately 20 people in to see her newborns. I feel sad. I thought they would have known better to let people in where the mother and puppies were. This is their first litter of pups and the mother dogs too! I feel like I have lost my own children.
Wish It, Dream It, Do It! |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Aunt B |
Posted - Mar 29 2008 : 6:07:21 PM
I heard of this with dogs and cats. Sometimes, I think the Momma Dog or Cat knows something is wrong with her babies, that they may have been born too early or have another defect, and sometimes they die, so the Momma eats them.
Aunt B
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| EnchantedWoodsGirl |
Posted - Mar 27 2008 : 6:43:22 PM
It is too sad - I have strict rules regarding my mother dogs and their puppies no matter if it is a first litter or not no one comes in my house to see them until they are old enough to go to new homes, even then pictures are sent out first and there is not a lot of handling of the puppies. That poor mother dog must have been terrified someone was going to hurt or take her puppies - it really upsets me to even read this.....perhaps they will spay the dog. Dog breeding is not anything to be taken lightly, it is a big responsibility - as is each of those tiny little lives entrusted to us. Please reason with your friend on this one - it is too heartbreaking.
Kathy of the Enchanted Wood
Farmgirl Sister #59
http://enchantedwoodmusings.blogspot.com/
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| doglady |
Posted - Mar 27 2008 : 6:03:44 PM
Tricia, all I can say is that these people have some really great friends to do the feedings for them. Newborns usually eat every 2-3 hours so the mother would need at least a 25% increase in her food. I would try to get the one puppy that you are bottle feeding to nurse (with you standing right over it, of course) on one of the smaller nipples at the front. This puppy really needs any mothers milk that it can get for the antibodies. When the time comes, before you introduce the puppy back into the litter, you will need to rub the puppy on the mother's tushy so that some of her discharge will put her smell on the puppy coming back into the litter. This usually works and they settle right down with the new one and are none the wiser. You are probably doing all that you can in feeding - Esbilac powder formula is the best as you can mix it as you need it. I'm sure that you are keeping the baby warm too.
Your biggest problem will be to get this puppy so that it can nurse on its own and be left with the litter. If this isn't going to be possible, then just raise the baby by hand and you should be able to wean the baby starting at about 4 weeks of age. At 4 weeks of age I usually make a gruel of Esbilac & rice baby cereal to start them (mushy but not too watery) and give them a chance on this first along with regular feedings of formula afterwards if they are still hungry - much like you do a human baby. I hope everything goes well and I would remind them about spaying the mother until they do it. The mother must wait about 6 weeks after the puppies have been weaned. I hope this info helps and I wish you much success.
Tina
You can tell your dog all of your secrets and they'll never say a word!
www.kennelcreations.com |
| Aunt T |
Posted - Mar 27 2008 : 07:58:39 AM
Thank you Tina for your reply. You were not being blunt with what you said. I totally agree with every word you wrote. Since I am their best friend, I feel like I have had to take on a lot of responsibility after the mess. I feel so hurt and helpless with the entire situation. I would rather step in and help now then to let them do more harm. We are still bottle feeding one pup and taking the other three that are left out for feedings with the mother. However, with their work schedules other people have come in to help with the feedings of the mother and three pups. They have already decided to have the mother fixed thank God! I would love to tell them how stupid they have been, but I have to refrain. It is just so sad! No common sense at all! The one pup we are bottle feeding is getting better with the sucking, but is not quite ready for feeding with the mother. Any other suggestions?
Tricia
Wish It, Dream It, Do It! |
| doglady |
Posted - Mar 27 2008 : 06:30:00 AM
As a Schnauzer breeder for 28 years, I've have heard of this several times. The mother dog is usually in a frenzy state of mind from just having the litter and this usually happens when there is a large litter or a litter delivered too fast. A deficient diet can cause many problems. Mothers usually do this very soon after they have delivered a litter of puppies. This dog's owners are clueless as to what they should be doing. The mother should be taken to a vet at this point and they can give her something to calm her down for a few days. Absolutely no visiters except for the family member who takes care of her should be allowed around any new mother dog and her pups for the first 4 weeks and even that person should not be touching them unless needed (no one touches my puppies until the pups have had their first shots). The puppies should still be allowed to nurse on the mother "as long as someone sits with the mother to insure that no harm is done". Mom's milk is always best. The mother should be fixed after this litter to protect her against her owners. Sorry I'm being blunt, but I feel really strong about people doing dumb things to dogs.
Tina
You can tell your dog all of your secrets and they'll never say a word!
www.kennelcreations.com |
| mommom |
Posted - Mar 25 2008 : 6:54:48 PM
When I was a teenager we had a beagle mother try to eat all her babies as she was giving birth to them. When we realized what was happening we took them from her as fast as we could, cut the cords, and bottle fed all of them. She had seven pups that we knew of. I never understood it. She was all alone in the corncrib. We never let her have another litter after that. So sorry to hear of this happening to people you know. Susan |
| Aunt T |
Posted - Mar 25 2008 : 6:32:26 PM
I agree with everyone! Another injured pup died late last night. My husband came home this morning after feeding the pups and told me. I went to school crying and depressed. I am so sad. I just thought they would of known better!?!!
Wish It, Dream It, Do It! |
| Tina Michelle |
Posted - Mar 25 2008 : 6:06:54 PM
poor girl.
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| KYgurlsrbest |
Posted - Mar 25 2008 : 11:08:49 AM
I'm in agreement with Marybeth. It's very normal. A good read for all dog guardians is the Secret Life of Dogs. Goes into this in depth with her siberian huskys.
Poor thing, for sure--I would imagine they're going to have a LOT of work on their hands to repair the (emotional) damage.
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
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| Marybeth |
Posted - Mar 25 2008 : 11:05:46 AM
New mom-first litter---what were these people thinking. Traumatized the poor thing. I hope the others will be ok and she accepts them. MB
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"Life may not be the party we hoped for...but while we are here we might as well dance!" |
