dog foster carer need help with pregnant dog

[apmnally]

i work at an animal welfare org and i also foster care dogs who are to ill injured or have stayed to long at the shelter.
last week i fostered a pregnant red cattle x bearded collie.
The welfare org has given me pamphlets on delivering puppies and she has regular vet check threw the welfare vet but i know there is alot more to know about whelping a healthy litter.
I know that anything green or smelly is bad and means she needs the vet straight away but like human pregnancies and labours there would be much more i needed to know.
This dog has had a very tough time before coming to the shelter and is very nervous and stressed and i need to know of techniques to calm her down
if anyone has any bit of info they can give me it would be very appreciated
the vet has made an estimate of 2 weeks left of her pregnancy and we know that she is have a large litter based on her size and the fact that before 2 weeks ago she was recieved minimal to no food before she was rescued from her owners they have done an ultrasound and would like to do an x ray but i was told this could be harmful and i do not want to put her threw anymore than she has already been through


I have been to numerous message boards and have been abused about cross breading dogs before anybody posts a message
to me like that please remember i DID NOT breed this dog i am just trying to give her and her puppies the best chance
they have if you are still thinking of writing a remark that is still not informative i do not want to hear it it is not
going to help me or the mum to be you are just going to waste what little time i have left until she delivers and anybody who gives
me any helpful advice thankyou very much in advance and if i have time i will write a thankyou to everyone that helps and let you all know how she goes

 

[Whitedobelover]

okay do you ahve questions or did i miss that... i have delivered everything from rabbits to cows.. i could help ya if you need help let me know

 

[Whitedobelover]

abuse isnt tolerated here hun... so dont worry the mods dont allow it

 

[Whitedobelover]

http://www.ehow.com/how_2261_deliver-puppies.html

so far i read alot of things and this is the best ive seen so far.

 

[apmnally]

my main questions are how i can keep her calm she was beaten and starved and she is getting used to me and is actually quite affectionate the last couple of days but i know that that could change when she is in labour and due to the fact that she didnt have the best start to her pregnancy and is from what the vets are guessing could be anywhere over 6 pups it could be a bit of a strain on her and i would have to be nearby to know if she is in trouble so i know to take her to the vets

so main questions would be

how do i know or suspect there is trouble ? (besides from green or smelly disharge)
how do i keep her calm enough with my presence there ?
the obvious signs of labour ?
whats the best way to keep her energy up ?
how do i know she has had all of the pups and there are none stuck ?
where is the best place for her to have them ? (i have a whelping box but she shivers and stresses when i put her near it as she was confined in a very small bathroom at the place she was rescued from) she doesnt want to be anywhere else in the house besides my bed ive been spoiling her and letting her have it her way as not to stress her but i definetly dont want her having puppies on my bed as im sure it is very messy
and how do i know if there is a bad puppie in the litter ?

i have asked the vet these but he kinda treats me like they are dumb questions and gives me very vague answer what he doesnt realise is that this is the first litter i have ever delivered and i was the only foster carer that would take her because i was the only person she didnt bite she is quite affectionate and trusting of me but she still has a long way to go before she completely trusts me and knows i wont hurt her and unfortunetly i only have approx 2 more weeks to gain her complete trust

also i can feel her puppies move is that an indication it could be sooner than 2 weeks ?

is an x ray safe ?

 

[GSDMom]

http://www.ehow.com/how_2261_deliver-puppies.html

so far i read alot of things and this is the best ive seen so far.

EXCELLENT information
everything you need to know is right there !
I do the temperature thing - gives me a heads up on the delivery day

 

[apmnally]

not sure of the exact date we are guessing between the 10th - 20th nov i have been giving from now until a couple of days after she gives birth of work so i can give her my complete undivided attention which i think she is loving i dont think she has ever had this much attention before its going to be so hard saying goodbye to her when she is ready to go up for adoption probably one of the hardest ive ever had to do but until then i have just over 2 months with her

 

[bjolly]

I'm sorry I can't give you any advice, but bless you for taking her in and giving her such love!

 

[epundt]

Check the dog's temp daily. When it drops below 100, keep an eye on her. She should start trying to nest. I had my mini dachshund xrayed to see how many puppies she was carrying so I would know that she had had them all when she delivered. She delivered the same day as the xray. She delivered all 4 puppies without my help. Keep a close eye on the puppies after they are born. If mom was malnourished during her pregnancy the puppies may be affliced with demadex (mange mites). All dogs are born with them but have a natural immunity against them. This may have been compromized in the puppies. This can be cured but is a long drawn out ordeal if you don't get it in a hurry. Feed her puppy chow 3 times a day, she needs the extra vitimines, keep feeding her this way as long as the puppies are nursing. The above mentioned web site is an excellent place to get advice. Print it out for reference when delivery is in progress. If all else fails, you should be able to leave her at the vet's so they can monitor her progress during her delivery.
Good luck.
Eileene

 

[bubbatd]

Get the book " How To Raise A Puppy You Can Live With " Rutherford and Neil for after the pups are whelped too. You can get a used one through Amazon. Good luck !!

 

[Whitedobelover]

still apm... go to that site... it tells you everything you need to know about whelping okay

 

[apmnally]

thankyou all i have printed out all of the pages i am going to need from that site the vet that the organisation sent me to is just down the road from me so if anything doesnt look right i will be able to get her there immediatly
the vet did mention mange mites and has put a product on her that is safe for pregnant and lactating dogs and puppies to prevent and get rid of pest she was infested with fleas when she first came to us but she has had this product on for the last to weeks and there isnt one flea or pest left on her she was eating in that house but it was not them feeding her the neighbours to the house would occasionally throw something to her and when they did let her outside she would eat anything she could find for the last 2 weeks she has science diets puppy food and as much as she wants she is gaining weight (alot of it is just pregnancy weight) yesterday i saw the first signs of milk wich is good news as we were worried that due to the lack of nutritional food that she might not get any and that i would have to bottle feed the pups a
couple of days before she delivers the vet wants to check the quality of her milk and then again the day after they are all born
she started nesting behavour last night but it wasnt anything serious she just pulled the blankets and towels out of the whelping box put them on the bed and went to sleep i am hoping she changes her mind about the whelping box before she goes into labour
she has another vet examination today
i have decided to do the x ray at first i wasnt so sure as people were telling me that it could make her or the puppies sick but it seems that many breeder do it and they have healthy pups and as it is being advised by the vets i will do it

i will let you all know how she goes over the next few days today she has a surprising amount of energy and is trying to play which is showing that she is feeling more and more comfortable with me everyday

 

[apmnally]

i have another question which i will ask the vet today but i will also ask you all seens you have been through this with your own dogs
with dogs a couple of days before they deliver is there colostrum a yellow colour her milk is just a milky colour now but i know with humans that a yellow colour is a good sign to say that delivery is only a few days away is it the same with dogs

 

[Gallien Jacks]

Everyone has given you the best advice, all i can say is you must be a really great person to take on a dog on and give it all the care it needs, well done and I wish there was more people like you around

 

[apmnally]

if you could see her you wouldnt have said no either she has these eyes that just pull you in she is such a sweet girl and i am also a sucker for a mistreated dog it makes me so mad and also make me want to take care of them especially when they have lost there trust because of some cruel hearted person and nice to see them trusting again

 

[Gallien Jacks]

Do you have any pics of her i think she has melted our hearts already

 

[apmnally]

no i dont i will be taking some and when i do i will definetly post some

and i might say i love this board everyone is very nice and helpful i never usually like forums but ill definetly keep visiting this one

 

[bubbatd]

Glad you found us !!!

 

[apmnally]

the poor girl is having a tuff day today it is very hot where i am and she is very big and uncomfortable because of the heat she doesnt want to eat i have been coaxing here to eat with some cold chicken breast but even that she is kinda rejecting i know when their in labour they dont eat but i saw the vet yesterday and he said she still has atleast 10 days to go he said not to worry if she doesnt want to eat because she is very large and it is very hot but i dont think with this dog she should stop eating im worried she might not produce enough milk i have some puppy fomular and the vet said if she cant feed them then to feed them with an eye dropper but i read somewhere on here that its bad to do that because of the air bubbles in the dropper is that true and what would be the best thing i could coax her to eat that has enough calcium in it to help with her milk

 

[bubbatd]

I hope she'll feed them well and you don't have to. As long as the pups gain, leave it up to the Mom. I'd start taking her temp once a day just in case.