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puppies due soon ! OMG advice please

30 replies

kittycat68 · 24/07/2012 11:28

we had our puppy booked in to be spayed, but unfortunately the vets had to cancel, so we booked her in to be spayed after our holiday as she needed to go into kennels and didnt want her to have stiches in when she went. Just before we were due to go she had her first season. I contacted the kennels and they said it would be fine no problem. Imagine my supprise last week when i took her to the vets cos she hadnt been eating hardly but looked bloated! Puppies!!!! now due in 1-2 weeks, contacted the kennels and they said that it didnt happen there! but she didnt mate when she was with me i am absolutely sure of this.
Anyway as never had puppies before am a bit scared and worried about what to do, how to raise them etc also dont know what the dad is either, although my mine is a little jack russell/westie cross the vet did say that it must have been a small dog as the scans indicate at least three puppies. ( am very upset this has happened shes only 9 months old and i burst into tears at the vets) she will be spayed sap after the puppies are born!!

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ChickensHaveNoLips · 24/07/2012 11:49

Gawd, I'd be furious with the kennels Angry Did the vet say if she's likely to struggle at that age? I have no experience of whelping, I'm afraid, but hopefully someone will be along soon to give you some practical advice.

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pimmsgalore · 24/07/2012 11:59

That is not good I would be Angry too.

Hope you find good homes for them all.

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D0oinMeCleanin · 24/07/2012 14:10

I'd be contacting the kennels and demanding that they pay for the care of the pups and make a massive donation towards the rescue that you chose for help in rehoming them. I'd also be seeking legal advise.

Your vet should have talked you through what the pups need? They should be flea'd, wormed and have their first vax when they go to their new homes.

I'd definitely contact a rescue to help with homing the pups. The kind of responsible buyer you would want your puppies to go to are not going to be interested in an accidental litter. They're to be looking at rescues and reputable breeders.

You'll need to keep a credit card handy and the emergency number for the vet, just in case things don't go to plan with the birth.

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TangoSierra · 24/07/2012 14:14

Bloody hell! What a nightmare situation. No personal advice as mine are boys, but I am sure there will be plenty of experienced people on here to help advise.

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Scuttlebutter · 24/07/2012 14:28

Please contact a local, all breed rescue as soon as possible and let them know of your circumstances, and ask for help in rehoming the pups. Pups are usually quite easy to home for rescues.

It may also be worth asking if they have an experienced foster home where your bitch could go for the birth? Obviously you'll still be liable for bills and so on, but it's much safer for her to have an experienced home where she will be watched carefully and danger signs can be picked up swiftly. I'm really not being rude, but if you only noticed her pregnancy with two weeks to go, it sounds like you are not very experienced. With such a young bitch, she will need a great deal of care at this time. Sad

Are you absolutely, categorically sure that mating could only have taken place at the kennels? You will have a much better idea of dates once pups are born. Can you definitely say that your bitch was not walked, not let off lead, kept in a secure environment away from entire males except for her time at the kennels? It's a huge accusation to make about a business - if you are positive,
I would also report it to the Licensing Dept of the local Council as they license boarding kennels, and this is a huge red flag for their lack of care.

To be honest, if this was me, and I was sure, I would also be seeking legal advice - you might find this is covered by your dog's insurance.

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kittycat68 · 24/07/2012 14:43

i am absolutely sure that this could only have happened at the kennels. but to be honest dont want to make to much of a fuss its not me, just concerned about my dog and want to do the best for her. i am not an experianced dog owner my other dog ( female and spayed) is 18 months old they are both much loved family pets, but i have had one lot of kittens before many years ago!!
the vet didnt seem to concerned said to call them if i got concerned whilst she was having them, mind you i was in a bit of a state at the time perhaps he was trying reasurre me .
i will contact local rescue centres to see about rehoming them.
i will google about puppies and rearing them but any advice would be appreicated from someone whos been through this would be great!

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JaxTellerIsMyFriend · 24/07/2012 14:59

your puppy is having puppies! Dear god I would be furious with the kennels...

Ok - so lets get practical. As your dog is still young, it could be that she doesnt have much inclination to look after her pups. You will have to be vigilant so that she doesnt squash them. Get yourself a whelping pen or make one for her - google is your friend.

Maybe have some puppy milk (available online or vets) to supplement feed the puppies, contact local rescue as has been suggested.

Your dog will probably do most of the work herself, make sure you feed, worm and look after her well and same for pups when born. Wormed and flea treated when old enough. Weighed etc.

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Ephiny · 24/07/2012 15:52

If you really are 100% sure it happened in the kennels, I think you should make a fuss tbh. It's seriously negligent of them, and they need to ensure it doesn't happen again.

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RedwingS · 24/07/2012 16:42

I think you should make a fuss too. If it happened to your puppy, it could happen to someone else's as well.

I don't know much about puppies but just want to echo what Jax said about being vigilant. I know of someone who got their bitch pregnant, and went to bed the night she gave birth, only to wake up and find that she had already squashed and killed two of the puppies by morning. So you will have to keep a close eye on her and help her out if she needs it. A first-time mum can need a bit of help learning what to do.

I agree with Scuttle that contacting a rescue is a good idea, and they might well have someone who can help with the birth.

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kittycat68 · 24/07/2012 17:42

I really am not happy with them, my little dog only went out for walks with me and only on the lead. i am sure to that no dog got into our garden as we are rural and have six foot fencing and there are no dogs that live anywhere near me. however it has hapended and im more focused on my dog right now and her well being than taking any legal action against the kennels, they made it clear it was not going to be there fault.

I am more than prepared to stay up with her all night if necessary if she has them at night, and phone the vets if i need to, but i will contact the rescue centre too see what they say and suggest.

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Aquelven · 24/07/2012 18:31

That's dreadful of the kennels, they are obviously trying to wriggle out of all responsibility.
You will have to think about homing the m, of course, but that comes later.
Now your big priority is to help her have a safe whelping. She is very, very young but there it is, it can't be helped so now it's a matter of getting her safely through the birth & raising the puppies.

Has the vet given you any advice?
You have one to two weeks to go so time to prepare.
I've raised lots of litters over the years, Cairns are my breed, so very similar in size to your little one, though of course they were older when they had their first, usually the third season at nearly two.

You will be able to tell when she is getting ready to go into labour, though being so young she will be confused. They usually stop eating 24-48 hours before the onset of labour.
You need to get together the things she will need in plenty of time. She may start early bring young.
You need a whelping box. Doesn't need to be fancy but needs to be big enough for her to lie down in full length on her side. Something cleanable. Lots of newspapers & a bit of old bedding or vet bed. She will dig & try to make a nest when the contractions first begin. Put it somewhere out of the way, quiet, away from family traffic & let her get used to feeling safe there from now, especially good if she can sleep there.
You'll need food for her after the birth, even during it if she takes a long time, they often like something tempting like custard. Lactol is good to have to hand.
Think that's something for you to think about for now,ask anything, I'll help all I can.

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wriggletto · 24/07/2012 18:35

Kittycat If you're 100% sure it couldn't have happened while your dog was with you, then you should definitely be looking into legal advice about suing the kennels for the cost of the vet care and rehoming of the puppies. Apart from anything else, if I were another client of this kennels, I'd want to know about their appalling lapses in security with a dog in season! Can the vet pinpoint the dates your dog was actually fertile - that might narrow down the window of conception?

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kittycat68 · 24/07/2012 18:55

aquelven thanks very much for the info very helpful . can i just ask should i be concerned about my other bitch will she be alright with the puppies, i have bought a very large crate just in case in case of saftey and im hopeing my dog will have her pups in there although im sure she probably choose somewhere else! trouble is we are all open plan in our house so dont have a room i can shut off so have put the crate in the corner of the kitchen! my other dog seems to like it very much!! should i stop the older one going in it or will this enourage mum to go into it?

The vet has said she was at her fertile point whilst we were away so the odds are stacked up that it happened at the kennels.
If a strange dog had gotten into my garden my other dog would have gone nuts! and im a stay at home mum so was here too.

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Aquelven · 24/07/2012 19:02

Some more things.
Don't worm her now!!!
It's too close to whelping & will harm the puppies.
Don't bath her now either. If she gets mucky wipe her with baby wipes & make sure she's dried off.
Start to give her as much food as she wants from now on, she's building reserves for whelping & lactation. Start to add some cooked red meat to her meals, mince will do, & give her two egg yolks a week. It's the quality of food that needs to be upped, more protein. Don't increase starches.
In these last two weeks she should be having some extra vitamins, cod liver oil. She may need extra calcium now, ask you vet, Stress is useful. But anyway keep some to hand for after the birth incase of eclampsia. Divide her meals up, smaller ones more often as her tummy swells. Make sure she drinks plenty of water.

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kittycat68 · 24/07/2012 19:30

thanks aqeleven ! will take all your advice on board!

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Aquelven · 24/07/2012 19:50

Sorry, we must have posted at the same time.
The crate is good but you'll need to put something to pad the lower sides when the puppies are born, cardboard boxes cut I to strips will do, to stop mum lying against the bars & accidentally trapping a puppy on the bars & squashing it. It could be accidentally killed like that. My whelping box has solid sides with a bar a few inches off the floor that stops mum lying hard up against the side & gives a tiny pup an escape under the bar.

I wouldn't let your other dog get used to going in the crate. She might get territorial about it & cause problems when your little one needs it. You really need to find somewhere away from your other for when whelping begins. Could she go in a bedroom for the first week at least? Even yours, I've done that with difficult births, though I usually use the spare bedroom. 99.9% of the time they give birth during the night, natures way when they feel safest & believe me it's good to have somewhere comfy to sit or lie rather than a utility room or kitchen floor, puppies can come at long intervals & it's often all night of a job.

Once the puppies are a week or so old you could let your other one visit them. You need to be careful though. Bitches can react very differently. Some can be aggressive, or just not know how to treat puppies. Others can be wonderful. Some of mine even began to make milk for others puppies but a friend of mine who shows Scotties & Westies had one of her Scottie bitches kill a whole litter of Westie puppies when she turned her back for just half an hour.
What breed is your other one? Has she mothered the little one at all when she was younger?

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daisydotandgertie · 24/07/2012 19:50

I would also get some glucose powder in stock to help your bitch during her labour. Have a read of this which will give you some very practical advice on how to care for her now and during.

Find a few old towels and cut them into squares to receive each puppy, clean them up and rub them down. Vet bed for the floor of the whelping box because it's easy to keep hygienic, quick to wash and dry and so on. I wouldn't use a crate because it can be hard to reach to the back of it if you need to.

Buy a copy of 'The Book of the Bitch' and read it from cover to cover.

You also NEED to take it up with the kennels. Your young dog is in the middle of a very high risk pregnancy and it is a direct result of their negligence. It seems as though there is no doubt at all about when it happened and there may well be some serious vets bills to pay. Make sure your vet knows when she has gone into labour - the book I've mentioned will help you with the signs and process.

You'll also need to sleep with her when she is having the puppies, and for the next night or so, depending on how she is site her pups.

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messtins · 24/07/2012 20:00

sorry to disagree, but you ought to be giving her a daily dose of panacur from 6-9 weeks of pregnancy to prevent her passing on roundworms to the pups. you can then use the same wormer to treat the puppies at 2,5 and 8 weeks old. For the last 3 weeks of her pregnancy I'd swap her to puppy food if she isn't already on it, and she needs to stay on this whilst she's feeding the pups. Trying to formulate a suitable diet when you are inexperienced is a bad idea and you are more likely to end up with problems with eclampsia, especially in an immature bitch. Make sure you are familiar with your vet's out of hours arrangements, particularly if they share cover with another practice or use an emergency service. most bitches of a sensible body conformation will whelp ok, but you don't know how big the father was. Three puppies is a sensible size litter for a young bitch, you don't have the worry of a massive single pup. She may be restless for some time in first stage of labour but once you see straining she should have produced a pup within half an hour, if not call the vet. The puppies are often born with the membranes still round them and you need to break them and make sure the nose and mouth are clear so they can breathe. The umbilical cord may break or the bitch may bite it, if you need to do it leave at least an inch of stump,and tie it off with cotton thread. If puppies are born apparently lifeless it is worth persevering with rubbing them with a towel, holding them head tilted down to allow fluids to drain, for quite some time and they will sometimes rally. Each puppy should be followed by a separate placenta, which often has dark green pigment. Having a supply of powdered puppy milk and a bottle and teat is a good idea but often the bitch can be persuaded to let them feed if you lie her on her side and soothe her whilst the puppies latch on. You feeding them should be a last resort because hand rearing them is soul destroying. Hopefully she'll be a natural mum...
If you really think this happened at the kennels I'd be kicking off massively particularly if you do end up with a big bill. A Csection in the middle of the night could be heading for a thousand pounds and you are not going to recoup much selling crossbreed pups.
Good luck, hope it all goes smoothly.

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Aquelven · 24/07/2012 20:05

There's some good info on that link but, personally, I wouldn't use Nutrilac, which was developed for piglets. I use Lactol.

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kittycat68 · 24/07/2012 20:11

great many thanks will look into the whelping box as you both seem to think its best. have spare towels so that ones taken care of.

i dont usually allow the dogs upstairs mainly cos of my fur allergies!! but i do see the sense in it taking her up with me at night may be the best option.
my other dog is half jack russell and half cocker spaniel.
When we first got her my other dog was so good with her allowing her to eat first etc and to be honest she had started doing this again recently too, maybe she knows? she can be a bit jelous of the little dog mainly with affection TBH, but i still worry would never forgive myself if she killed any of the puppies.
will read up on the suggestions too

i may take it up with the kennels again afterwards but just want to focus on mum at the moment want the best for her and the little ones too

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Aquelven · 24/07/2012 20:15

Sorry, messtins, but we'll just have to disagree re worming.
I don't like Panacur due to too many problems in the past both mine & friends'. I use Drontal but not during late pregnancy. My vet is in agreement & does not recommend Panacur's policy on this.

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gregssausageroll · 26/07/2012 13:35

My whelping box is made of wood and about half way up each side it has a little wooden shelf that goes all the way round so pups will slide under there are not be crushed.

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kittycat68 · 26/07/2012 18:42

went back to the vets today and they too were very helpful. gave me the emergency number and checked they had every thing in stock like puppy milk etc just in case! have read the article suggest which i found helpful and have gootten a copy of the book suggested too which i will start reading tonight!

thanks everyone for your help!!

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ChickensHaveNoLips · 26/07/2012 18:44

Good luck, kittycat :)

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kittycat68 · 06/08/2012 09:36

an update !! after a a week of little and no sleep and being so stressed out my dog has had her pupupies!! a large litter of seven!! she is doing really well and coping with the puppies ok Thanks to everyone for the information you gave and the book recommended was invaluable although a little scary.

Can i just ask one question is it okay to give my dog a bath, she had the puppies yesterday and is absolutely filthy and smelly!!

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