Has anyones dog had puppies - help!

[rosylizzie]

We have long planned to have a litter from our 2 yo springer spaniel and had her mated last week. now I need help! Top tips on feeding care/what I need and can anyone recommend a good book on the subject please

have you tried your local library. ours has a good selection of dog care type books

Think you should talk to your vet too, you need to involve them early I believe.

yes speak to your vet straight away. they may be able to scan her to confirm pregnancy etc and give you lots of advice on feeding etc. good luck!

Yes, we've done it and it was fantastic. The best book we had was the Collins book 'Labrador' (just larger than A5 size). I presume they have a 'Springer Spaniel' version too.

With PD we didn't notice any huge difference with her until weeks 6+. Then its pretty much the same as a human pregnancy regarding care i.e. good food, not too long walks.

If a pedigree, get the pedigree information sorted out now - contact KC for form to complete with bitch and dog's details.

Think about the birth - I took the day off work (it took a full 24 hours to start labour and have all 8)

Good Luck

I also have let my dog have 2 litters . I was amazing. The best advise i can give you is make sure you are preperd and spend lots of time with your dog so she trust you and then she will be great when she delivers the pups.
The fisrt time my dog had pups it was quit a shock as we thought she wasnt due for another week. My husband had got up as normal about 6.30 and the next thing i new he was in the bedroom shouting the dog the dog when i jumped up and asked what was wrong he said she is haveing her pups and there all over the couch when i ran down she had already had 4 pups so i picked her up and put her in her welping box with the pups. My husband was a wast of space he just stood in the kitchen asking if she was ok. she went on to have another 5 pups. The second time i new when she was ready as she was mopeing around and when i let her go out in the garden she went into her kennel with our other dog and wouldnt come out ( i had to take the frount off to get her out). when i got her into the kitchen her waters went again she had a litter of 9 but this time ther were a few probs after the first 4 were born she started to struggel when she was pushing so i had to help by getting hold of the pup and help them out. All the pups were fine but my dog was really wipe out. Dont be afraid to help your dog if she need you have a towel ready and be preperd . Its amazing .

Good luck . keep us posted

our vet gave us really good information sheets. Its worth asking for their advice.

My advice is to go back to your dogs? breeder; any reputable breeder will want to help you through the process, as things can go wrong. You really should have someone there that knows what to look for e.g., when to seek vet help ? it will also help put your mind at rest if you don?t know what to expect. If your breeder is unable to help then the stud dogs owner should be able to help you out - the litter is also their responsibility and good stud owners will take a lifetime interest in any pups that their dogs produce. The stud dog owner will also have to sign the forms for the KC to say that they witnessed the mating.

Make sure that you have all the health test documentation for dam and sire (PRA, hip scores and glaucoma results) to show the new owners when they visit the pups. Get all the documentation ready now as it will be far easier than chasing it up when you have 8 little rascals running round you ankles .

Have a well written contract for the new owners to sign when they collect the pups, make sure that you state that all pups must be returned to you if the owners can no longer look after them (at any time in their life), as it is awful to find a dog that you have reared ending up in rescue, or worse sold on to a puppyfarm for breeding purposes . I?m sure someone will give you a copy of their contract so that you can be sure you cover all the necessary points.

The Book of the Bitch is essential reading. Also (and I don?t want to worry you) have a contingency fund of about £1000 available just in case the bitch needs a c-section or the pups need a lot of after care ? it will probably not happen but it will put your mind at rest that the money is there if needed.

Also, keep all your receipt of any purchases, vet bills, food costs etc you accrue while rearing the litter ? you can then write these off against the tax you will pay on any income from the litter.

If you are going to dock the litter contact the Council of Docked Breeds to get the names of vets who will carry out the procedure ? your own vet may not dock.

I hope everything goes well for you, mum and the pups. Keep us updated.

Sorry very long post

thanks everyone
ive ordred a couple of books inc the book of the bitch
will let you know how it goes

rosylizzie, please cd i add a very heartfelt plea - have a gd think about not docking your puppies.when i ask clients about whether they wanted a docked puppy they all say no.i had one client who advertised her non docked springers as 'organic and welfare friendly' - they got fantastic homes.

'hear hear' , docking is barbaric. I went to a breeder who didn't dock when i got my pup. it is only ness if the dog is going to be ' worked'. As majority go to family homes, don't dock.

just to agree re the docking- horrible thing to do, and never, ever let a breeder do it- that is illegal.
vets shouldn't do it, the governing body frons aupon it, but then never disciplines anyone for it-

The piece of advice I would give is that you seriously vet (sorry) the buyers before you let your puppies go. Springers are a handfull at the best of times (I have 2, both of whom are insane!), so you need to know that they will get proper training and good exercise. Sending a springer to a small flat with no outside space, for example, would just be dreadful.
Re: docking. I do understand that some of you think this is a barbaric practice, but believe me, if any of these springers are going to be gun dogs I couldn't recommend it more. One of ours was docked and the other wasn't, and her tail at the end of a long day of running in and out of brambles IS barbaric, blood everywhere and leaving her in a lot of pain. It is very unpleasant. Quite often what happens is that because of all the controversy surrounding the issue, a vet will only touch the tail once it is ripped to shreds in this way - far more traumatic than having the procedure done when the puppy is no more than a few days old.
So my advice is to try to find out, if you can, whether your buyers want the docking, and then find a vet who will do it (not many, and usually only country vets).

Boing Boing, not meaning to be controversial but having your tail cut off without anaesthetic at a few days old is just as bad prob worse than having it done under anaesthetic in a sterile environment ie operating theatre. i work in a city so dont see working springers but do see a huge no. of 'pet' ones that wd do much better in the park with their happy tails. IMO springers need hours of exercise/work to stay happy.

My FIL bred springers for many years, if you need any advice specific to springers I can ask him? I second what boingboing posted re potential owners of your puppies.

Bottomburp, I agree - if all your springer is going to do is bounce around happily in a park and never see brambles etc, there is absolutely no need for docking.
However, I don't know where you get the idea from of removing tails without anaesthetic at a few days old. It's almost certainly illegal, as it can only be done by a vet, and no vet would ever do anything so cruel - a farmer was recently prosecuted for biting them off new-borns, which is horrific.

Boing, i work in a big city where no vets will dock and we see docked dogs every day.breeders ARE chopping off tails with kitchen knives and teeth

Bottomburp, I would wholeheartedly agree that this practice is disgraceful (not to mention illegal and barbaric). Unfortunately, there's not a great deal that can be done about this unless these breeders are reported to the RSPCA or one of the other animal charities, or to the police.
I guess the only way of ensuring that when you buy a docked dog it has been treated humanely, is to insist on seeing all vet certificates, bills etc and then double checking with that vet. You are always going to get people who disregard the law, but it's for the buyers to report any abuses and to refuse to do business with these breeders. As long as people are willing to give them money, this situation will continue.
NB I would also re-iterate that a docked dog is only necessary if you are intending to work it. Otherwise, leave them their waggy tails and screw the Kennel Club.

here here BB

I am very (sometimes!) proud owner of an undocked springer.
He is walked in very rough country with brambles,hawthorns etc and has never(touch wood) had any problem with his tail being injured