I have puppy questions..

flower

Well-Known Member
I think my dog is pregnant....I didn't think my male got to her but she was looking fat, and now her it looks like she has milk coming in. I didn't even keep up with the date of her last heat.
I don't know a thing abpout puppies, my mother came from her childhood believing in letting nature take it's course. when puppies are born what do I have to do...what are dew claws and is it something I have to cut off or take the puppies to the vet for...PLEASE advise....
We always had kittens, all mommy needed was a box and some quiet time.
 

meowzer

Moderator
LOL.....most dogs (unless you have a DUMB PUG) can take care of themselves.....Personally I would get a large area for her and make her comfy in it (better then your bed..LOL) dew claws can be removed by you ...BUT I always took my dogs to the vet.....I think they like to do it within a week....not 100% sure....but it is a simple clip and a couple of teeny stitch's.....
HOW EXCITING

REMEMBER 63 DAYS
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///t/387510/i-have-puppy-questions#post_3410237
LOL.....most dogs (unless you have a DUMB PUG) can take care of themselves.....Personally I would get a large area for her and make her comfy in it (better then your bed..LOL) dew claws can be removed by you ...BUT I always took my dogs to the vet.....I think they like to do it within a week....not 100% sure....but it is a simple clip and a couple of teeny stitch's.....
HOW EXCITING

REMEMBER 63 DAYS
OMG...I had no idea she was even pregnant. This is worse than finding baby sea horses. I googled the dew claw thing and the info says they may not need them removed at all, only if they are a problem for the dog....getting caught on things.
The worst thing is that I have no idea when she was in heat last..I didn't watch the date, it could be day 60 for all I know. I don't feel any movement...she just looks fat and since yesterday ..now her sides stick out a little and she has milk coming in, it was not there last night...I rub her tummy all the time...Then today I was rubbing her tummy, I saw that and thought, uh oh.
I have to do things right and make sure they are healthy...should I make a vet appointment?
 

meowzer

Moderator
It wouldn't hurt to take her in to get checked....a vet should be able to "estimate" a time
IF your dog has papers..and you plan on selling the puppies....MOST people will want the dew claws removed....especially in bigger dogs....they just don't look like they belong IMO
SOME animals will have false pregnancies and get milk...I had a dog do that.....BUT if she was close, you would feel or see movement....
go to the vet...LOL
 

bigarn

Active Member
What's the big deal with dew claws? .. I'd leave them alone. Let nature take it's course .. Mom will take care of everything.
 

meowzer

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigarn http:///t/387510/i-have-puppy-questions#post_3410242
What's the big deal with dew claws? .. I'd leave them alone. Let nature take it's course .. Mom will take care of everything.
A lot of people when they buy purebreds do not want the dew claws....I remember that from when I bred pugs in NY...that is why I asked about papers and her selling them
My mom in law had a VERY large lab and the dew claws stuck out like sore thumbs
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///t/387510/i-have-puppy-questions#post_3410241
It wouldn't hurt to take her in to get checked....a vet should be able to "estimate" a time
IF your dog has papers..and you plan on selling the puppies....MOST people will want the dew claws removed....especially in bigger dogs....they just don't look like they belong IMO
SOME animals will have false pregnancies and get milk...I had a dog do that.....BUT if she was close, you would feel or see movement....
go to the vet...LOL
Okay...tomorrow is a going to be a long day...LOL...she hates the vet. Yes they are AKC registered German Shepherds, Atticus and Tamerah Atticus had triple champion bloodline...Tam is AKC but no show dog...just a lover. All the recent pictures are on the big computer that my brother is fixing...these are some older shots..I had in the laptop.
Her ears are all up now, this is her at 7 months

This is Atticus with my mother.
 

meowzer

Moderator
They are beautiful dogs......do either of them have their dew claws? It's not a bad procedure...like I said...a little snip and a stitch (or 2)
ask your vet what he (or she) thinks.....and maybe talk to some other breeders.....get an idea of what "buyers" may want
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///t/387510/i-have-puppy-questions#post_3410250
They are beautiful dogs......do either of them have their dew claws? It's not a bad procedure...like I said...a little snip and a stitch (or 2)
ask your vet what he (or she) thinks.....and maybe talk to some other breeders.....get an idea of what "buyers" may want
DUH...LOL...I should have looked.... Both Atticus and Tamerah have front ones, no back ones. I will ask the vet and see what he has to say.
Shepherd puppies sell from $600.00 to $1200.00 ...Tamerah was $600.00 from a back yard breeder. Atticus is a Covey Tucker puppy.... $1200.00 for a Covey Tucker.
I figure I can get at least $700.00 to $800.00 for each pup. Atticus has champion blood lines, but I never took him for shows, so it's bloodline only.
Getting a female was my mom's idea...I'm afraid of how much work puppies will be. My poor house is going to smell sooo bad.
 

meowzer

Moderator
LOL....they sell doggie play yards.....or you can just gate off an area for them.....don't let them roam the house.....and as soon as they are born advertise them
 

gemmy

Active Member
Good luck! What type of food are you feeding? Depending on how far along she is, you may want to consider feeding her puppy food.
 

meowzer

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gemmy http:///t/387510/i-have-puppy-questions#post_3410307
Good luck! What type of food are you feeding? Depending on how far along she is, you may want to consider feeding her puppy food.
LOL...I bought a book on breeding Pugs when I bred mine....I fed that dog home made liver every day....with cod liver oil....and something else....I forget....LOL
 

teresaq

Active Member
one thing you can do is get a kids plastic pool for a welping box. Just put old blacket in the bottom.
dew claws are usually done by the vet. Just ask them.
I helped deliver my cockers pups. One wasnt breathing and we had to rub her with a wet wash cloth until she was breathing good. She was fine and the one we kept. Just talk to your vet tech about things you can do if there are problems. Just be prepared, most big dogs have 4 to 10 pups. My moms Dobie had 13 her first litter and 8 her second. lol
 

al mc

Active Member
If you are unsure if she is pregnant or having a false pregnancy you can take her to your local vet for a radiograph. They can confirm pregnancy and the number of pups so you know how many to expect. They can also probably give you some idea when they are due based on skeletal detail. While not fool proof, many people will take their dog's temperature 2-3x daily when they think they are getting near whelping...or if they are unsure of the date...When the temperature goes below 100 you have a good chance the pups will be coming within 24-48 hours.
Shepards are usually 'easy whelpers' with their long noses and 'thin' heads (compared to pugs, bull dogs, etc.)
Most Shepard breeders I know do not remove dewclaws. It is a personal preference decision. Most hunting breeds...Spaniels and Retrievers do have them removed as many hunters feel the dewclaws tend to get caught/ripped up on low lying brush.
If you do remove the dewclaws...have the vet do it at 3-5 days of age (less chance of scarring)
I would also suggest a 'clean out' injection (oxytoccin) for mom within 12 hours after whelping.....while not essential, it does help evacuate any placentas that may be retained and increase milk production.
Good luck.
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Wow...Thanks everyone.
I will call the vet tomorrow and take her in. I actually thought about a plastic kiddie pool for a welping box. She loved the pool when the kids were here and after I emptied it she continued to sleep in it out on the porch since puppyhood...she just liked it, so I will let her use that. My porch is gated and I can close it off for puppies to play, I also have a nice fenced yard when they are bigger. I'm worried that winter is just around the corner and if it gets cold they will have to come inside.
I have a gate on the kitchen and can keep them in there but what a pain in the butt...what if she has like 10 of them? We will find out tomorrow I guess. My mother is delighted...LOL...she loves puppies...there is never a dull moment around here.
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Looks like we are having puppies! Due around September 7th. Sept 1st we take her in to see how many she will have....So does that mean I will have grandpuppies now? I'm worried about what to do with puppies and excited about it at the same time.
 

deejeff442

Active Member
i remember going to look at dozer 140 lbs ago

she had i think 6 puppies there and yea her house stunk.but what can you do just clean as best you can.i knew i wanted a male and was for sure getting him fixed.so she had 3 males.trying to pick one is hell.but playing with them for a half hour seems the one that will be your family just knows and will keep coming to you.i still cant believe i could cradle him like a newborn .
oh yea my donkey is about to burst with another little one .ugggg
cant wait to see the little ones
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///t/387510/i-have-puppy-questions#post_3410478
i remember going to look at dozer 140 lbs ago

she had i think 6 puppies there and yea her house stunk.but what can you do just clean as best you can.i knew i wanted a male and was for sure getting him fixed.so she had 3 males.trying to pick one is hell.but playing with them for a half hour seems the one that will be your family just knows and will keep coming to you.i still cant believe i could cradle him like a newborn .
oh yea my donkey is about to burst with another little one .ugggg
cant wait to see the little ones
A baby donkey is so cool. Tamerah weighed in at 90.4....LOL..at 9 weeks she weighed 29 pounds. She is going to be one spoiled dog...vet told my mother to cook her some chicken and give her puppy food....It's really great to see my mother so happy, she was wiping away happy tears when the vet said she was 110% sure she had puppies.
My mother moved in with me when my father died, she had a pure bred male Golden retriever she had just purchased. Her dog and mine were fine for a while..then they started fighting....My mother got in the middle and tried to break it up and got hurt. We couldn't re-home Atticus because he was so mean to everyone but family. My mom's dog was a sweet heart to everyone, even strangers and it was much easier to find a home for him. He now is a working dog at nursing homes..bringing joy to all the old folks...he is in heaven on earth.
I told her if she wanted another dog it would have to be a female puppy, so Atticus wouldn't fight with it, and a German Shepherd so if they got together we would have nice pure bred dogs.. She saw an ad in the paper a year later and wanted to go see them....Tamerah came and sat next to me, and just looked up and never left my side the whole time we visited the brood, so my mom picked her.

 

darthtang aw

Active Member
Double her feeding intake.
pregnant bitches require more nurtrition.
add solid golds seameal to her food will help also.
Make a whelping box for the puppies. Doesn't have to be pretty...standard osb plywood would work.
When she gets close she will want to den. We let our dan use our walk in closet under the stairs.
Be on hand for delivery and just catch them as they come out......then move to teet to feed.
As she gets closer she will want to be near you non stop and panting......
Will post more as I remember...been quite a few years since I have dealt with this.
You can de dewclaw them yourself using babyn ail clips and liquid stittches if you feel you must.
 
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