[nimblykimbly]

Hello everyone,

I'm sorry, I'm not a breeder, but we recently rescued a late pregnancy dog from the shelter. We've never done 'the puppy thing' before, but I just couldn't bear the thought of her having her puppies on a cement floor. I have no idea how many weeks she is; she was picked up as a stray, pregnant, bone thin and never claimed.

I thought I'd ask you breeders for some advice, and maybe if you think she is going to have her puppies soon? Any advice would be great. She has seemed to settle in our home nicely, done a little bit of nesting. Today, she hasn't eaten all day, and seems 'blah' but restless. She keeps wanting to go out, but all she does is nibble on grass every time. I've taken her temp several times over the last few days, and it's always been around 99.6. One reading this morning was 98.8, but then back to 99.6 recently. It's really hot outside, could that affect her temp.? She doesn't seem to be in any distress or pain, just very hang-dog and moping about, and she has thrown up a little. No milk leaking, no obvious discharge. Do you think she is going to have puppies soon, or simply feels bad?

Also, the vet told us she would most likely be fine having her puppies, to just be there (which we plan to do anyway!) just in case there are complications. I've been researching pregnancy and delivery exhaustingly but any more advice would be great! I have bought and washed towels and washcloths, gotten a small kiddie pool for whelping, and kept our house quiet for her. Anything else I need to know besides the obvious?

THanks so much, and it's great to meet you all!
Kim

[Marc]

PIG RAIL PIG RAIL PIG RAIL. A pig rail is a rail that the mother can lean against without suffocating her puppies. It is elevated enough that a newborn puppy can easily slide under while the mother who leans against it is supported from laying on the puppy. An Internet search will show you many ways to build one of these inexpensively. I lost a couple puppies before I knew what these were and it was horrible.

Whelping box or kennel. I think wooden boxes are the best and easiest to build a pig rail for, but there are a lot of boxes and kennels that will work.

Deworm young. As soon as the vet says to or as soon as the directions say on an OTC dewormer.

Shots start at 6 weeks and every 3 weeks until 16 weeks. There's a little leeway depending on the breed.

NO KIDS. Mother dogs are usually protective and can bite people she doesn't trust, especially kids. If kids are going to be a factor, wait until the pups are at least 4-6 weeks old (it'll probably be okay if someone's holding the kid and they are only looking).

On the other side of the coin, socialize the pups. If the mother trusts you, hold them daily as soon as their eyes are open. Also, let them explore outside of the box daily when their eyes open.

I know I've left stuff out - others will fill in the blanks.

[Yogi]

Actually the pig rail is not that important. Whelping box and lying down with room has been sufficient for years.
Deworming starts at 2 weeks of age and is done every 2 weeks up through the 10th week.
Vaccines are not started at 6 weeks but are started at approx 1 week after the pup is no longer nursing and then every 2 to 3 weeks for the full 3 vaccinations.
It makes no sense to give a vaccine to a pup that may still be nursing when it is in vain as while nursing, the dams milk is providing the necessary supplements to the pups immune system.
Marc is on when it comes to children and handling. Pups should not be handled by anyone but you or who is ever going to be tending to the dam and her litter.
Allow 24 hours before handling but note, if no reason to than do not handle them.
Being present to monitor in case of still born or difficulty with labor is essential.
Monitoring her actions ie: nesting and heavy labored breathing is a sign she is getting ready. If she appears to have any difficulty delivering than emergency vet is required. Smaller breeds often require c-sections and can hold true even in medium size dogs if only one pup and it grows to large.
The temp thing is though common, most do not go by this but more so by her actions. Watch for the nesting and the breathing. They will be very apparent. Good Luck.
I remember my first litter some 50 years ago. Each time since is like the first, nerve racking but with mother nature doing her part, usually everything turns out fine.

[nimblykimbly]

Thank you Marc, I do have a pig rail in the kennel, and the sides boxed in so no little ones can end up in (or out of) the wire bars. It's the largest size kennel there is, and she is a smaller (30lb) girl, so it seems plenty of room for her and pups. Thanks for those tips; I'll take note!

Kim

Thank you, Yogi. So should I leave the pig rail, or take it out? She has enough room in the kennel to stretch out completely without touching any sides.

No kids - gotcha!

[nimblykimbly]

Well, she is still pregnant! lol, I guess she just had a really upset tummy. I decided to go ahead and leave the pigrail since it's already there. It can't hurt, right?

I must say, it's REALLY nerve-racking not knowing at all when she is going to have her puppies! Even to be able to kinda narrow it down would have been nice... but I don't know if it'll be tomorrow or two weeks from now!

Thanks again, everyone - Kim

[Yogi]

Have you checked her teets for milk. This is usually a fair indicator that she is very near ready.

[nimblykimbly]

Yogi, yes, I have. I just give them a gentle pinch - that's all the pressure I need, right? No colostrum. I have noticed her puppies moving more now, and her appetite has decreased. She spends a lot of time eating grass and sleeping.

[nimblykimbly]

Well, I just brought her out to go to the bathroom, and noticed she has clear, snotty discharge leak. It's not dripping, but definitely there.

[Yogi]

The indicators are there, she is very near. Watch her for nesting.

[Lunareclipse]

Did she have them yet? We want to see pics as soon as she has them.

[nimblykimbly]

Nope, STILL pregnant! lol Her puppies are super active, though.. I've heard that's another indicator...? She also tore up part of a cardboard panel I had put up as a guard in her crate. She tore it up into little bitty pieces, then left it. Darn! I will be sure to post photos and let you know when they arrive! I'm hoping it's soon!
-Kim

[nimblykimbly]

Just wanted to update... STILL no puppies yet! lol They are taking their time, for sure! She has started nesting more, tearing up newspapers in her whelping area for the last couple of days and colostrum can be gently squeezed from her nipples, starting the day before yesterday. I don't know how much bigger she can get! I haven't been taking her temp., as it was low (99.6) when we adopted her... just keeping an eye out for signals... Sitting on pins and needles over here!

[nimblykimbly]

Just thought I'd update, Bella had her puppies yesterday.

[cigwyllt]

Wonderful news - so what did she have? Boys? Girls? How many? How long did it take?

[nimblykimbly]

She had 5 boys and 4 girls, and was in labor for 3 and a half hours, roughly... She did wonderfully and is SUCH a great momma! All of the pups are doing well, including the runt (who was NOT doing well starting his life out) he has started sucking and staying on the nipple after a night of bottle feeding and trying in vain to get him to latch on to mom. We are still having to put his mouth to her nipple, but at least he's got it from there!

[cookie]

Awesome! Congrats and good luck with your bunch! Sounds like you are doing great so far....they are beautiful, as is the mother.

[cigwyllt]

9 puppies???? Wow - what a handful. So lovely that she has been able to have her pups with you rather than in a shelter, so much better for the puppies as well. They all look gorgeous but I like the one with all the white best. It's ok for me to fall in love with them because I'm too far away to do anything about it!

So how are you going to find homes for them? Do you have to advertise yourself or will the shelter help you? You really are a hero for taking Bella on.

[nimblykimbly]

my favorite is the boy with all the white on him, also... unfortunately, I am NOT allowed to fall in love with them toooo much, since I'm going to have to tear myself away from them and send them off to their new homes... :P

Thank you Cig The shelter we rescued her from has VERY limited resources and no means of advertisement... we knew that taking her in... I have been in contact with a couple rescue agencies for the puppies, that can hopefully get them the vet care they need, spayed/neutered, and adopted out into good homes. I am keeping my fingers crossed that something great will work through for these little ones!

[cigwyllt]

Ah - sad that you can't keep one. You have done an amazing thing to take her in. Coming from a loving home, rather than a shelter, they will have a much better start in life. Well done.

[Lunareclipse]

Soooo, when do I get my new puppy?