Guest Anonymous Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 Hello, I have 2 dogs, and the female is due to have puppies in the next few days. The female is a lab/springer spaniel mix, and the male is a black lab/australian sheperd mix. We got both of them the same time about 9 months ago as puppies themselves and since then they have been inseperable. They have always stayed in the same room at the house, or been in the same kennel. They won't go for walks alone. They won't go outside alone. If they are seperated, they bark and whine constantly until they are together again. Now, my first question, is should they be seperated when she has the puppies? I am assuming they should, and they are seperated now, but they are going nuts without each other. I have been told by one vet that they should be seperated, another said that it probably wouldn't matter. Thoughts? And if they should be seperated, how long before it's safe to introduce the male to the new puppies? Next question, how warm does it need to be for the puppies? Someone said the room needs to be kept at least 85-90 degrees, but that will make the whole place miserable to live in. Is a normal room temp of about 70 ok? Will the mother's body temperature keep them warm enough? John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 [quote name='stryke23x']Hello, I have 2 dogs, and the female is due to have puppies in the next few days. The female is a lab/springer spaniel mix, and the male is a black lab/australian sheperd mix. We got both of them the same time about 9 months ago as puppies themselves and since then they have been inseperable. They have always stayed in the same room at the house, or been in the same kennel. They won't go for walks alone. They won't go outside alone. If they are seperated, they bark and whine constantly until they are together again. Now, my first question, is should they be seperated when she has the puppies? I am assuming they should, and they are seperated now, but they are going nuts without each other. I have been told by one vet that they should be seperated, another said that it probably wouldn't matter. Thoughts? And if they should be seperated, how long before it's safe to introduce the male to the new puppies? Next question, how warm does it need to be for the puppies? Someone said the room needs to be kept at least 85-90 degrees, but that will make the whole place miserable to live in. Is a normal room temp of about 70 ok? Will the mother's body temperature keep them warm enough? John[/quote] Most pet supply places and many bookstores will have a copy of The Dog Owners Home Veterinary Handbook by Carlsen and Giffin - I highly suggest getting a copy and reading whelping and puppy care chapters (save the rest to read later!) Yes pups need to be kept warm for the first week in the temps listed but a dog bed heater strip or a heat lamp (provide shade if you use one) will work Pups cannot regulate their temperatures when first born and if chilled may well die of herpes (this virus in dogs likes ones with low temps) or just from an inability to eat when chilled Yes the sire should not be near her as he may well eat the pups or she might eat them with him being too near. He should not be anywhere near the pups until 8 weeks. The mother will likely attack him for approaching them at any rate. What a shame you did not get the pups from someone or somewhere responsible enough to do early spay neuter. :cry: The poor dam is WAY too young to be gestating and raising a litter and the breeds you list have such a variety of health problems and difference in temperaments the pups may well have issues ahead of them if they survive. :cry: You've already pointed out both parents have severe seperation anxiety which the pups may well develop too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 Oh, my gosh, a 9 mo. old having a litter of pups is a real danger in itself. I really don't mean to be nasty, but what were you thinking of in not having these dogs spayed and neutered. There are so many unwanted litters because of careless breeding, and you are contributing to the shelter/euthanasia explosion by not having your dogs fixed. There is no reason to breed a dog unless it is to better the breed and your dog meets the breed standards. That having been said, you must watch your female closely when it comes time for her labor, and definitely keep the male away from her and the litter. You must also keep a close eye on her with her litter, as being a baby herself, she may be quite rough and sit on the pups causing death and/or injuries. Heat wise, it depends on your climate. Certainly, the pups should not be kept in an airconditioned room. Get yourself some good books on delivering and raising a healthy litter. I wish you good luck and please spay and neuter your dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peng1zrule Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 you will probably want to take the male out when she whelps...this is because she can become aggressive toward him. there's also less stress on her if she's left alone for the most part and allowed to be quiet and rest as she needs to. you will need to monitor her and be aware of all the signs that she is having trouble whelping. Locate an emergency vet or a vet who gives his or her home number in case of emergencies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 One more suggestion is being she is young you may want to be around when she whelps to keep a check on her and make sure everything goes okay!! (with mom and pups)!! Definately get the book suggested in the first post! :D Good Luck with your pups!! Another suggestion...if you find homes for these pups..write a spay/neuter contract for new homes to sign before taking pups home... :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 I have helped a 9 month old bitch welp. She'll be more comfortable with you there. She needs her mom to talk to her, coaking her the whole way. And yes, do take the other dogs out and keep them out until the pups are few weeks old. If the dogs are let in too soon she way eat her pups because she is so nervous. The bitch that i helped welped I barely knew. She should be ok with you in the room with you since you are her owner. Once the pups are born it is critical to keep diseases away. Take your shoes off outside and spray your hands with bleach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 She is actually about a year old. He is younger. We just got them about 9 months ago though. The vets we talked to said that she should have no problem whelping, but just to be safe I should try to be around during the process. I would have had them spayed and neutered, but did not for several reasons. First, I just went through a 6 month ordeal in closing a loan on the new shop for my business. Problems due to the sellers inability to produce a clean title for the property almost had me fileing for bankruptcy. I received quotes from several local vets here for spaying and neutering, but could just not afford it. I did not realize things were so expensive. I took them in to get their first shots, and ended up gettting a bill for over $200. The booster shots were another $150. The quotes for neutering were another $120, and spaying was another $150. This was money I just did not have to spend in the current situation. The other reason for letting them have the puppies was that my girlfriend's father had a similar black lab mix to Buddy. He is very old and recently passed away. He also had a german shepherd that was very old and had health problems so he had to be put down. One or two of the puppies will be going to him, and several others are going to friends. There are reasons to let dogs breed other than just to make money off of the puppies. As far as the comments about seperation anxiety, this is nothing out of the ordinary. Put any two dogs together every minute of every day from the time they are little and they will be this way. They are used to being with each other, and that's all they know. They are very good dogs though, and very well behaved. They are great around people and other animals. They even like to play with our ferret. They love company from people, and other dogs. He is a very good watch dog, and she just loves to cuddle. Thanks for the advise on helping her whelp, seperating the male, and the temperature of the room. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest roo Posted June 23, 2002 Share Posted June 23, 2002 John, The best book i have ever read on this subject is called THE BOOK OF THE BITCH I can't find it at the moment to tell you who its by,or who the printers are, the book covers everything, what happens thru the stages, what you need, what to do, how to deliver a pup, how to help it come round if you need to. All the best of luck, and you will definately need to be with her THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WHELPING PROCESS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 23, 2002 Share Posted June 23, 2002 i was more than happy to help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 23, 2002 Share Posted June 23, 2002 [quote name='stryke23x']snip a long list of excuses[/quote] You only had to neuter or spay one OR keep them apart during her heat season. She is too young to be bred - you have likely shortened your pet's life through your carelessness. I don't care how many 'friends' you think will take pups good chances are that 7 out of every 10 pups born will end up losing its first home - are you ready to take all the pups back and pay for their care if you need to? Doesn't sound like you were capable of being responsible for even two dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 24, 2002 Share Posted June 24, 2002 There are several other things to look at with pups..Are you prepared to pay for a c-section if a puppy gets stuck or the mother gets in trouble and cannot have the pups. You can lose the mother in the labor process all together. If she doesn't have milk are you willing to get up every 2-3 hours 24/7 for up to 3-4 weeks to feed the pups. There are shots, wormings, and vet visits for the puppies. Puppies die for reasons unknown to us and then again there is parvo, distemper, heart problems, not to mention dysplasias that they can get at older ages. Puppies are not a light task for even a breeder to take on and if done correctly not a money producer for a purebreed breeder. Many problems can occur but there are positive things also. You just never know which one you will get. I have seen in my own personal experience I have seen a 2 litters of Field Trial English Setters die and a mother dog push pups to the front for reason you never know and a mother with no milk. It is a thing you never take lightly and carelessly. You think of pros and cons...what you could lose and what you could gain....You never do it for money or the experience of pups, because people want a puppy, my female would be a good mom, or just because..... :wink: This is just based on my opinion. I have seen alot. I realize your pups are on the way.. Find them good homes with spay/neuter contracts..Therefore they do not have pups...Are you willing to take them back if there homes do not work out?... I wish you the best of luck.. Check around with different vets on the spay/neuter price!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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