Help - a Lovely but heavily pregnant Lurcher turned up at my door today

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

I know it's late & I know there's a thread for pointy hound lovers, but I seem to have acquired a heavily pregnant Lurcher, she was lurking round my house all day - very rural no near neighbours, every time I looked out the door she was there, very underfed but sweet & extremely sociable, after about three hours I crumbled & fed her, at which point I noticed she was HEAVILY pregnant & rather skinny.

I've taken her to the Vets', no chip, no report, so she's come back here, she had a show of mucus at the vets' and has been intermittently been panting very heavily, I've phoned the vet again (who luckily are personal friends) who told me how to do an internal, couldn't feel anything yet, so I guess it's just a waiting game.

I've had dogs in the past, but DOGS, never bitches & I've never whelped a pup in me life.

Help & hand-holds would be lovely.

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

Here she is, quite relaxed.

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

& yes - IT IS LATE - but I can't go to bed & leave her can I ? (Or can I ?).

[GoldfishSpy]

Oh, how exciting :)

I think you can leave her as she looks comfy enough. Save your energy for the morning when the action starts....

Where are you based? There are lots of greyhound rescue places that also take lurchers and I think pups are quite easy to home.

[TheWholeOfTheSpook]

I have no advice at all but am shamelessly place marking for the newborn puppy photos! Good luck!

[butterfliesinmytummy]

She is beautiful! No experience or advice here but she must have been looking for someone to help her. Agree that you should try to sleep - tomorrow could be busy!

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

Hi & Thanks Goldfish - I thought I was on my own there, I'm in Herefordshire, I will keep her if no owner turns up ( & to be honest I don't think one will, she's not chipped, obviously not spayed & the vet thinks she's been dumped because she was with pups, & so do I , the way she was so happy & pleased to see someone help her today, she leaped into our car with the window open & bedded down after I fed her).

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

I think she was, it makes me so sad though that someone could have dumped her, she's sooo good natured, she's been to the vet's & been scanned, I've given her an internal on the advice of the vet's & she's met the children, all in good & very gentle grace. She's huffing & labouring on a pile of old duvets & all my sofa cushions now.

[GoldfishSpy]

Oooooh lucky you

Our greyhound girl is 11 now, she's such a super dog.

Hope the midwifery goes well - keep us posted!

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

Cross posts with the others there - I will keep you informed...

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

My sister has always had rescue greyhounds & they are such lovely dogs, I think this little Lurcher is a Greyhound/Lab mix, but who knows what her pups will be, all the vet could tell me was that there were 'some' in there, too late in the day to say how many....eeek!

[ArsenicChaseScream]

Oh good luck. Exciting.

Are you feeling ok?

[SwearySwearyQuiteContrary]

Good luck. It's late morning here in Oz so I can keep you company if you need it. I know nothing about lurchers or whelping so I'm not much use, though.

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

I am & yes, we could, bizarrely we were only speaking at the weekend about getting a dog & I said I'd like a Lurcher if we did...I think someone was listening...

[ArsenicChaseScream]

And she found you. Just in time.

[SwearySwearyQuiteContrary]

But did you specify how many you'd like?

[ArsenicChaseScream]

[ArsenicChaseScream]

(but even that litter was only about a dozen )

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

I think I said one, not six. HOWEVER, my daughter who is dog-crazed always comes to me & says, 'Mummy, if we found a lost dog & it had puppies, could we keep them?' & I always say YES, because that would NEVER HAPPEN, would it?

[ArsenicChaseScream]

What's her memory like?

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

It's as good as the girl who wished on a Genie's lamp yesterday & it all came true. She saw the dog before me when we were going to school yesterday - it leapt on her with kisses as we were leaving the house. It's all her dreams come true at once.

[Cataline]

Your daughter is very wise!

[vvviola]

Hi HoundoftheBaskervilles I can't give you any advice I'm afraid and my source of knowledge of all things puppy, my Mum, who is veteran of about 5 Labrador litters over the past 30-odd years, just left for the airport but I'm just posting to say I'm in NZ right now, so I'm happy to keep you company on night time vigils (in exchange for puppy pictures )

[nooka]

She looks absolutely beautiful. I'm so glad she found you to help her, she does look very thin (I can see her knobbly spine in the picture) so it's great that your family will be there to support her with her babies.

[Cataline]

Any sign of pups yet?