Question Concerning YOUNG Puppies...

[Megansmom]

As I stated before, I'm watching a friend's dog, and her "accidental" litter of 12 puppies for four days while her family is out of town....

A bit of info...they are half Golden (mom) and half Cocker Spaniel (dad). Right now they are just shy of 3 weeks, and there are 12!! of them. Mainly, I'm taking care of mom by making sure she's eating enough, getting enough to drink...etc.... Also, I try to make sure that all the pups are getting a good opportunity to nurse as they don't all fit on at once. They are just starting to walk (a little) and their eyes are now open.

I do feel like I'm in a bit over my head...but they were more or less dropped on me. Is there anything else I should be doing? BTW, all pups have been weighed routinely since birth, and are gaining well...6 boys and 6 girls. Only a couple have been spoken for.... I'm tempted to take once since I've been so involved, but the timing with Megan couldn't be worse to take on a puppy.

Thanks for any advice, and maybe I'll post pics later!!

 

[bubbatd]

Just ALOT of TLC !!!!! Make sure their bedding is clean and dry . Where is their whelping pen ??? Luckily their Mom is still cleaning them at this age . Now if you're asked to sit when their 8 weeks old , it will be a whole different story !!! That;s cleaning up over 35 poops a day !!

 

[Megansmom]

Just ALOT of TLC !!!!! Make sure their bedding is clean and dry . Where is their whelping pen ??? Luckily their Mom is still cleaning them at this age . Now if you're asked to sit when their 8 weeks old , it will be a whole different story !!! That;s cleaning up over 35 poops a day !!

We have a finished mudroom off the garage where I'm keeping them. With Megan in the house, I wanted both her and the mom comfortable, so I'm keeping them seperate. It's amazing how much mom eats and still stays so thin, but then I'm used to a 5 pound papillon, and not a nursing mom of 12, lol. She's a really good girl, though, and a good mom. I just wanted to be sure I shouldn't be doing developmental flashcards or anything. :rofl1:

 

[Megansmom]

BTW, I'm out there ALL the time, and so are my boys, so they are getting lots of attention. They are just starting to try to wrestle with each other...too cute!!

 

[bubbatd]

What are they contained in ??

 

[Megansmom]

What are they contained in ??

I'm using a large play-yard type contraption that they came in (bottomless with eight seperate pieces), with bedding on the bottom. I put down some vinyl to protect our floor, and then absorbant bedding on top of that. It snaps appart to let mom in and out, and has enough room for everyone to have enough space. I have to let mom out very often for food and water since the little stinkers are climbing already, and try to climb into the food/water dishes. I didn't want any drownings. :yikes:

 

[SmexyPibble]

How tall is the thing they're kept in? In a week [literally] they'll be up and out of anything the size of a plastic swimming pool. Will they be kept in the garage or put outside when they need more room to run?

In my aunts "accidental" litter, the pups were outside together in their huge kennel at four weeks with their mum, and let out and played with for 3-4 hours a day. At five weeks they were moved into a HUGE play pen with all sorts of play things seperated from their mom and on dog food. They were in that until they found homes. The reason I tell you is that they may start escaping their pen while they're with you. If not, I reckon you advise their owner. Ahh, another thing; make sure the owner knows to seperate the mum from the pups around five-six weeks old and put them in a large, fenced area away from mum so they don't torture her by chasing her and biting her nipples with their now VERY sharp teeth. Don't want a bloody mum dog!

And make sure she gets her dog(s) fixed as soon as they pups are done whelping!

Good luck!

And uh..PICTURES? lol

 

[bubbatd]

Without a roll bar , I'd still worry about crushing with that many pups . I don't blame you , I blame the breeder !

 

[adojrts]

Is mom just eating dog food? If so with 12 pups she needs a lot more, rice and chicken combined with her kibble (should be puppy food or at the very least a high end dog food), nothing less than 6 meals a day basically as much as she will eat day and night. Giving the pups milk replacer at this stage will also help, give mom milk replacer will also help her produce more milk. At 3 wks, she is at her peak lactation and she needs all she can eat. You can also soak puppy food, mash it up and warm it up, feeding in something very flat.(testing on wrist, same as a human baby bottle) and give to the pups, once they get a taste they will eat. But a note of warning, the mother will more than likely stop cleaning them once they start on puppy food, so you will increase your work load in that department. On the other hand she probably needs help feeding all those pups.

I would not recommend weaning the mother at 5 wks of age, let her decide when to wean and even then she should be with the pups to teach them manners etc.

Contact anyone that shows or breeders and see if they will lend you a couple of x-pens, those are the best for keeping the pups contained.

Also the pups should already have been dewormed by this time, if not contact a vet and get some dewormer. Pups should be dewormed nothing less than twice while nursing. The dewormer is cheap also, not a big expense

 

[adojrts]

At five weeks they were moved into a HUGE play pen with all sorts of play things seperated from their mom and on dog food. They were in that until they found homes. The reason I tell you is that they may start escaping their pen while they're with you. If not, I reckon you advise their owner. Ahh, another thing; make sure the owner knows to seperate the mum from the pups around five-six weeks old and put them in a large, fenced area away from mum so they don't torture her by chasing her and biting her nipples with their now VERY sharp teeth. Don't want a bloody mum dog!

This is a critical time for the pups and they shouldn't be seperated from the dam, it is at this time that they learn manners and bite inhibition. The dam wont allow the pups to do this and this is when they learn body language. If they don't learn it from her, who do they learn it from? Her warnings of not to nurse or not to hurt have to be learned. The longer that the pups can stay with their dam the better.

 

[HoundedByHounds]

ALL my litters spend time away from Mom after age 5-6 weeks to dry her up. I have other dogs to teach them manners...and they sleep with Mom at night. They need to be apart at times for Mom's sanity. Not all bitches LIKE puppies when they get old enough to be literally...a pain. There are other hounds here only to happy to sub in for puppy training. In fact I have a couple different intensity levels with regard to that.

If Mom is the only option yes let them spend time...but there is not reason for them to be with her 100% the time at that age. She might want and in some cases NEED a break.Some dams will NOT correct puppies at all and will continue to nurse at a detriment to their health and wellbeing. So know your bitch.

IMO sleeping overnight is fine at that age with play breaks thru the day. Pups teach EACH OTHER plenty about bite inhibition with their games and silliness...so don't discount that. Also male dogs that are well socialized will teach pups much faster that grabbing dangly bits is not acceptable behavior BETTER than most dams IME. lol.

 

[adojrts]

ALL my litters spend time away from Mom after age 5-6 weeks to dry her up. I have other dogs to teach them manners...and they sleep with Mom at night. They need to be apart at times for Mom's sanity. Not all bitches LIKE puppies when they get old enough to be literally...a pain. There are other hounds here only to happy to sub in for puppy training. In fact I have a couple different intensity levels with regard to that.

If Mom is the only option yes let them spend time...but there is not reason for them to be with her 100% the time at that age. She might want and in some cases NEED a break.Some dams will NOT correct puppies at all and will continue to nurse at a detriment to their health and wellbeing. So know your bitch.

IMO sleeping overnight is fine at that age with play breaks thru the day. Pups teach EACH OTHER plenty about bite inhibition with their games and silliness...so don't discount that. Also male dogs that are well socialized will teach pups much faster that grabbing dangly bits is not acceptable behavior BETTER than most dams IME. lol.

Good points and I don't disagree, should have not forgotten to include it.

 

[bubbatd]

Lord !!! These pups are shy of 3 weeks folks !!! And she only is keeping her eye on them for a few days ! She should not change any routine feedings !!

 

[smkie]

I think as long as you rotate the weaker smaller ones and don't let the big hogs get all the milk it wiill be find. I have helped with litters up to 14 puppies and that is what i do. Make sure Mom is getting all the calories she needs to be a magic milk machine. I use to take the smaller pups and let them start first on nursing just to give them an edge then let the big boys and girls finish up. I would do that until all the puppies were more or less the same size.

Make sure their toenails are well trimmed too..by now they should be needle sharp and mom would surely appriciate it if you made sure she isn't being scratched to pieces.

WE always had an area where Mom could go to get some peace, but we never seperated them so Mom didn't have access if she wanted it. My old boss put a shelf above the whelping pen where mom could jump up and lay if she wished and they all did.