Found a Stray Pregnant Dog

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#1
Hey everyone! :rolleyes: I'm new here.

I was walking my dog this morning when I saw a loose beagle. She was a bit shy at first but when I tossed her a treat, she came a bit closer and allowed me to pet her. She was very dirty and covered in fleas and she looked a bit sick. I went home to put my dog back in the yard and then me and my mom rushed the beagle to the vet. Our veterinarian gave her a bath, and checked her for a microchip (none) and since she didn't have a collar, I assume she's a stray even though I'm going to put up posters. The surprising news: this beagle is app. 6-7 weeks pregnant. I never noticed through all the excitement. Her teats, now that I'm looking closer, are pretty big (more in the back and a bit less in the front) and she's got a distinct lump on one side. Right now she's in the house with me, and is actually pretty calm and friendly, although still a bit shy.
I'm guessing maybe she was abandoned because she was pregnant. :mad:

Anyway, any tips would be great. My sister has a pregnant basset hound right now, around 5 weeks pregnant. The beagle (which I decided to name Bella) has already gotten friendly with our basset. They're sharing the same puppy food. I know what to do, but any more advice would be great. ;)
 

Brattina88

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#2
It may be possible that she wondered off. Beagles can be like that lol

I don't have any advice with dogs giving birth, since I've never done it. There are others on here who will have wonderful advice with that. Kudos to you and your mom for taking her in, and getting her to a vet so quickly! She's very lucky she wandered into the lives of such caring people.

You may want to start to thinking ahead about adopting out the pups. Asking for references, a spay/neuter contract, etc would be in there best interest IMHO ;)
 

Lolas Dad

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#3
It may be possible that she wondered off. Beagles can be like that lol
It is also possible that someone dumped her off. When a hunter has a beagle that does not meet up to their standards they usually just leave them. Sad but true. No collar and no tags I would say she's yours if you want her. If your going to keep her you might want to start lining up people that would be willing to take the pups when they are old enough now instead of waiting till they are born. The only thing you do know at this point is they are part beagle. Just make sure if you do that make sure you get reference checks because not only are beagles used as hunting dogs they are also used in medical labs for experimentation.
 

Grab

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#4
. No collar and no tags I would say she's yours if you want her. .

The dog was found this morning..that gives very little time for someone to, say, get home from work and begin looking for their dog. Collars can slip off and, as we learned from a recent thread, not everyone leaves collars on their dogs when unattended. I'd heavily advertise (even with a vague 'female dog found' ad) for at least a week or so before assuming a dog is abandoned or dumped. And not everyone who has a hound hunts with them..and not everyone who hunts with a dog dumps them off at the first opportunity.

Do feed the girl puppy food for the time being. You might also keep her in a room to herself when you are out of the house, so she feels a bit more secure, particularly if you have dogs unfamiliar to her.
 

BullMastiffMama

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#5
I like to think that maybe her nose got the best of her and she wandered off... maybe someone's looking for her. Try posting to CL and maybe putting an ad in a major paper that will be widely distributed... or at least one of the smaller free papers. Sounds like you've got it pretty much together. Good luck.... and if perchance puppies arrive, pictures are a must! :)
 

Lolas Dad

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#6
The OP had already said he was putting up fliers so I suggested that he might consider keeping the dog in case the owner is not found. I was in no way advocating that he keep the dog right away. Sorry for not mentioning that in my original post but I thought that it did not need mentioning because the finder was already talking about putting up fliers.

The only thing I would not do is post any pictures of the dog on line or on the fliers because then anyone can claim it is their dog. Let them send you a photo of the dog if someone does come forward. They should have at least one picture of their dog and in the event that they do not ask the person that's calling to be specific on what the dog looks like. There is usually a feature of what the dog looks like that only the right owner would know like a specific mark in a specific area for example.
 

bubbatd

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#7
Glad that you took the poor gal in . Do hope you find the owner .
 

sammgirl

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It seems that you've already got plenty ideas on how to find the owner. You guys sound like a great family. Sounds like she lucked out. If she doesn't find her owners, at least she'll be in good hands, which is something to be thankful for. It could have ended up much worse for the little beagle.

Since you have two pregnant girls, I'm going to give you some nutrition advice. Sounds like you already have them on puppy food, but you should also supplement with cottage cheese and green cow tripe. You may also want to go to the store and get some doggie vitamins.

Just like pregnant women, pregnant dogs need all of the help they can get. After all, they're probably eating for 8 or 9 LOL. ;)

Here is a link to a canine pregnancy calendar. Canine Pregnancy Calendar

I'm not sure how much it will help since you don't know her breeding date, but it may help you estimate.

Here is another link on pregnancy and birth in canines: Pregnancy & Birth in Dogs - whelping and breeding information

As the others said, start thinking about homes NOW. When the puppies come, you won't have time. Especially since you all will have two litters to take care of, not just the one. My suggestion would be that if you CAN afford it, take them to a low or no cost spay and neuter clinic and have each dog altered before it leaves your custody.

I bet they'll cut you a break if you contact them now and explain the situation. I bet they'll either do it for free or for very little per pup. You'll also want to think about giving vaccines before the puppies leave your care. The spay and neuter clinic may also give shots. Many do.

It is possible for you to get the puppies aborted from the female beagle if you wish to do so and have her spayed at the same time. If you don't want to have to deal with the double litter, you may want to just abort the pups and spay the mom.


However, should you choose to allow the bitch to whelp, you'll need a birthing box, plenty of hot water on hand, and make sure you keep your vet on call, or find a vet that is on call in case there is an emergency while whelping. You may also want some type of lubricant in case you have to physically help the bitch whelp.

Sometimes puppies are born deformed, or they get stuck in the birthing canal and you could lose your dog and the whole litter in one fail swoop. Plus, you don't know if she's ever had a litter. New moms are more prone to have puppy problems because they just don't know what to expect.

I would consider finding someone who has birthed a litter before to assist you, because as you can tell, there is really a whole big lot to birthing a litter. That's why although I may wish to get into performance or showing, I doubt I'll ever be a breeder. Too much to lose.

Good luck!
 

LauraLeigh

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#10
It is also possible that someone dumped her off. When a hunter has a beagle that does not meet up to their standards they usually just leave them. Sad but true. No collar and no tags I would say she's yours if you want her. If your going to keep her you might want to start lining up people that would be willing to take the pups when they are old enough now instead of waiting till they are born. The only thing you do know at this point is they are part beagle. Just make sure if you do that make sure you get reference checks because not only are beagles used as hunting dogs they are also used in medical labs for experimentation.
Whoa..... Nasty stereotype......

That is just not true at least where I come from, they don't keep them... no, but anyone I knew who had a hound that did not work found a pet home for them.... Not one, that I knew, dumped them or left them. I have know dogs to get lost and hunters who camp out waiting for them....

I can only speak of my area, but any time a hound showed up at the pound, people always said ***** Hunters* when they were usually from some byb who does not do anything with their dogs, let alone hunt them, then sells them to someone looking for a quiet lapdog and is taken in by the cute puppy... sigh
 
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#11
Thanks for the great replies! I put up fliers all around the neighborhood only saying: "Lost female." My dad said that since she's so pretty, someone might just show up and insist she's theirs. But if the true owners sees the ad, they'll most likely call. Today my mom is going to put an ad in the paper. :)

Meanwhile, Bella is very skittish so we decided to keep my two little sisters away from her since all they want to do is grab at her tail lol. Basically, the only "person" she likes in the house is our pregnant basset hound, Susie. She will not leave her side and luckily, Susie doesn't mind. So we decided to keep them in a room together so Bella won't have to be too stressed out. Susie already has her whelping box even though she's only 5 weeks, and we put one beside hers for Bella. I don't think Susie really liked that, because now she's not sitting in her nesting box. ??? I'm thinking she wants Bella's farther away.

But boy can Bella howl! Last night all she did was howl. We're wondering maybe if she misses her owner. My dad sat up with her when she started to get loud, and then she finally calmed down. Then this morning she went back to not liking him again :rolleyes:

And yes, BullMastiffMama, I'm thinking maybe her nose got away with her (It's happened to our basset a couple times). We're going to keep up the fliers for a couple weeks. And oh yes, I'll definitely post pictures when the puppies come! ;)

My mom doesn't want to abort the puppies and she said that even if she did, the owner might come and maybe get mad. We're not sure if this was an accidental pregnancy or not..
Thanks for the excellent links! I'm going to go look at them now :) I like the cottage cheese idea, I heard about it but I was never sure.

And if the owner doesn't come by the time the pups are born, we do have at least 3 homes available: my cousin, my best friend, and my sister's friend. My cousin has been wanting a dog for years and her mom finally said OK. And my best friend just lost her dog from old age and is looking for another. My sister's best friend I guess just wants one to add to her pack!

Sorry this was so long btw!
 

JessLough

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#12
My mom doesn't want to abort the puppies and she said that even if she did, the owner might come and maybe get mad. We're not sure if this was an accidental pregnancy or not..
^That. I would have been very cautious about that, as if it is not an accidental pregnancy, they may have spent alot of money for that pregnancy and if you had went right away and had an e-spay, could have ended up with a lawsuit on your hands.

I'm glad that she fell into such caring hands! Wow, you're house is going to be full of puppies soon enough!
 

Izzy's Valkyrie

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#13
Whoa..... Nasty stereotype......

That is just not true at least where I come from, they don't keep them... no, but anyone I knew who had a hound that did not work found a pet home for them.... Not one, that I knew, dumped them or left them. I have know dogs to get lost and hunters who camp out waiting for them....

I can only speak of my area, but any time a hound showed up at the pound, people always said ***** Hunters* when they were usually from some byb who does not do anything with their dogs, let alone hunt them, then sells them to someone looking for a quiet lapdog and is taken in by the cute puppy... sigh

In my area, that nasty stereotype is actually almost nicer than what happens. The hound dogs out in the boondocks NC get shot in the head if they don't work or if they hurt whatever they're after. Often hunters will leave dogs, half starved (so they'll hunt) wandering on the side of the road so they don't have to feed them if they're not going to "earn their keep".

I know it is a hurtful stereotype but some of us have only seen dog so-called hunters abusing dogs rather than using them for their intended purpose.

To the OP: GREAT move on only putting female dog on the fliers! I'd hate for someone else in the area to just pick her up to abuse her or even use her as a puppy mill already knowing she's pregnant.

Even if the two females like each other, I do suggest giving each dog their own room for the whelping box because some mother dogs will get super territorial once the pups hit the ground.
 
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#14
^That. I would have been very cautious about that, as if it is not an accidental pregnancy, they may have spent alot of money for that pregnancy and if you had went right away and had an e-spay, could have ended up with a lawsuit on your hands.

I'm glad that she fell into such caring hands! Wow, you're house is going to be full of puppies soon enough!
Exactly what we were worried about! ;)
Haha yes... our basset hound only has 2 pups and today we're going to the vet to see how many pups Bella has. If this wasn't planned, we're worried the dad might be too big, like the case with our basset. Our basset hound might need a c-section because she got pregnant by a rottie. I'm still mad at my sis for letting them do it! (She thought it would be pretty funny, but then again, she thinks Emily Rose is the funniest movie ever) :nono:
 

sammgirl

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#15
Really?

If a shelter had found the dog, it would have very likely been e spayed unless it was too far along for it to be "healthy."

I guess I don't see the difference between a shelter doing it and some good Samaritans. :)
 
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In my area, that nasty stereotype is actually almost nicer than what happens. The hound dogs out in the boondocks NC get shot in the head if they don't work or if they hurt whatever they're after. Often hunters will leave dogs, half starved (so they'll hunt) wandering on the side of the road so they don't have to feed them if they're not going to "earn their keep".

I know it is a hurtful stereotype but some of us have only seen dog so-called hunters abusing dogs rather than using them for their intended purpose.

To the OP: GREAT move on only putting female dog on the fliers! I'd hate for someone else in the area to just pick her up to abuse her or even use her as a puppy mill already knowing she's pregnant.

Even if the two females like each other, I do suggest giving each dog their own room for the whelping box because some mother dogs will get super territorial once the pups hit the ground.
So should I put their nesting boxes in entirely different rooms? Bella won't leave my dog's side. But then again, Bella is going to have her litter about a week earlier than my dog's, so maybe by the last week she'll begin seeking a new spot...
 

Bailey08

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#17
Really?

If a shelter had found the dog, it would have very likely been e spayed unless it was too far along for it to be "healthy."

I guess I don't see the difference between a shelter doing it and some good Samaritans. :)
Yeah, I don't see the legal issue if you advertise that you have a lost dog and wait a reasonable amount of time for the owners to find her.
 

Izzy's Valkyrie

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#18
Ok so I got some advice from a few breeders I know and it is possible to keep them in the same room IF they get along, Some mothers will clean and nurse another's puppies and basically take turns in each box. Some won't so you'll have to find out if one of your girls will be territorial or not. If they're good with it, you can leave them as is. Since your basset will go first, you'll be able to find out before both litters are on the ground if the basset mom with have issues with miss beagle sniffing around her babies.

Good luck!
 

mom2dogs

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#19
I would be very cautious keeping this bitch near yours, I would hate to have something happen to your bitch and her puppies. What did the vet say regarding her health (you said she appeared sick)?

Hopefully she is missed by a good owner :( But kudos to you for helping her out.

On a side note, maybe I was "raised" differently, but I wouldn't go crazy on the cottage cheese, even though it loses a lot of it's calcium content during the curdling process I was always taught additional calcium is a no-no with pregnancy (during and after whelp, it's a GREAT thing and should be supplemented), but then I have never found there to be a need to switch a bitch to puppy food like a lot of others do. I would let the bitch get their calcium intake through their food, but supplement with additional protein. I did do a quick search to see if there are any articles out there, and found this:
Starsen Chihuahuas
I only looked over the first article briefly, so not sure if it's from a reliable source or not thereafter. It does seem to try and play on fear, so I would research further as well and make up your own mind.
 

sammgirl

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What should I feed my pregnant/nursing dog?
PREGNANCY: If you didn't start a vitamin-plus-mineral supplement before breeding, start it when she is found to be pregnant. Do not over-supplement, as that may be harmful to the developing puppies or bitch. Over-supplementing with calcium during pregnancy, for example, predisposes the bitch to a disease called eclampsia.

The bitch should eat a premium adult food, such as one of the Drs. Foster & Smith Adult Formula Dog Foods prior to pregnancy and for the first few weeks of pregnancy. Starting the fourth week of pregnancy, begin adding Drs. Foster & Smith Puppy Formula Food to her diet. Each week, increase the amount of the puppy food and decrease the amount of adult food, so when she is in her final week of pregnancy, she is eating all puppy food. Increase the frequency of daily meals to three by mid-pregnancy. She may need to eat small meals every 3-4 hours during the last week of pregnancy as the puppies continue to take up more room (remember, most fetal growth occurs in the last two weeks of gestation).


I found this, too. I guess information has changed since I was last around a pregnant bitch and new litter of puppies. :) Thanks for the information.
 

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