UPDATE:
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Scotts http:///t/387739/puppies-there-are-being-born-right-now/60#post_3415006
Somehow I sniffed out puppies being born.
Congrats and have fun. Just remember that dogs have been doing this for thousands of years without us getting involved and they know what to do. Just make sure that mom has food and water available at all times and she will be good. Like Al said, feed her puppy food and remember she is eating for 11 so she will eat a lot. As with people, all dog moms are different. Some will never leave their pups and some will only go in there to feed them and then leave.
Since this is your first batch I would recommend you go to Target and get a digital kitchen scale should be no more than $20. You should weigh them once a day and keep track. Keep a sheet of paper and identify them. You can say like "all black" "black with white paw".... You need to make sure that they are gaining weight a little bit each day. On one batch we had one that was not gaining weight even though he was nursing like all the others. We looked at him and he had a hairlip, so while it looked like he was nursing he could not in fact get a good seal and was not actually getting any food. We had to feed him from a bottle.
10 is a lot of puppies. Anything over 5 and we get nervous. One batch had 7 and all were doing well. Then around 2 1/2 weeks two of them were not doing well. Turns out that these two were being forced out by their siblings and were not eating. Even when we gave them alone time with mom they had learned not to eat from here. We had to bottle feed these two also. Remember this is nature and it is survival of the fittest.
If you don't want to get a scale you need to at least pick them up once a day and feel their bellies. You can definitely tell when they have full bellies.
Have fun!
Scott
Oh forgive me. I got you mixed up with Scott T....I saw Scott and never thought there were two Scotts until just now. Scott T must have thought something odd when I called him the puppy master with all the rescues he has done.....oops
Anyway update: ..LOL...all the pups are alike, all are eating well. Mom feeds 5 and lets 5 rest...one sneaks in for double time every once in a while, and he is huge compared to the others. All have round little tummies and seem well fed. Mom is getting 4 small meals a day of puppy chow and chicken and some cottage cheese...Scott, I already have a scale...puppies wiggle and Mom is nervous...they look bigger everyday.
Today she started barking..we opened the gate and she ran to Atticus for a sniff. They are getting along fine. She barks at him from the box, he won't go in the kitchen but she left the pups and went to her favorite place behind the chair. Then she came and half got in my lap for almost 5 minutes for some pets and hugs, she never did that before, her whole front end was on my lap.
We didn't go to the vet for dew claws removed...too stressful for pups, mom and me.... Al Mc said it wasn't really needed. Also the animal hospital where I take my pets could have a sick dog with parvo in there, and that would be the end of my puppies since they can't get shots yet. I will wait and take them in for the puppy shots when it's time. I already made the appointment, and they will give me a reminder the day before that I'm sure I will need by Oct 17th