**Super_Dogs**

Congratulations TinaJ I cannot believe all this puppies in such a short time At least there was not a lot of waiting around :) I was interested to read the weight of your babies. When ours labrador babies arrived via c section the vet commented on how big they were. They were the same size as our last litter and we are new to breeding we did not think anything of it. But now reading your weights I realize what they were saying. Our puppies ranged from 450-500g.

My girls last 2 pregnancies there was no drop. I was taking her temp twice daily. So unless the drop was so quick I missed it! The sign for me is nesting. She will start whelping within 24 hours.

We had the same problem, so I got a bulk lot of big 'foam' tiles that interlock - a bit like the stuff yoga mats are made of - it is fantastic as the pups find their feet really easily as the tiles have the tiniest bit of give in them and the surface is slightly textured. You see them at camping shops, sometimes with holes in them, but we got solid and at a bulk place. These tiles were fantastic, best puppy surface we have had. Great idea. Thanks.

Without aircon, which I don't have, it is hard to get a good temp for the babies. The fan is not over the top of the whelping box, So it just helps keeping air moving. The good thing about the towel is if they are cold they can move off it. It is amazing though, I put them on the towel and crying stops instantly.

Thanks hilaryo. Thanks for the tip about months open - I thought that was a bit odd. Wen you toilet them do you use a wet cotton wool ball?

Wow. 10 babies. I hope whelping goes well for you :D

I am hoping I have solved the problem. Just in case.........how much do you put in her food?

I just wet the towel and ring it, so it is wet, but not dripping. So probably really it is more than damp. Last litter we just rewet it a few times a day. My whelping box is not small and I have covered one corner to keep in warmer, in case the pups get cold. So fingers crossed no more crying. Thanks again :D

I think it would have been slightly hotter than 23 degrees however it is not the temp that is the issue it is the humity at over 90%. Earlier when they were crying I was just standing next to the whelping box and I had a sweaty brow. The damp towel has worked a treat. Quiet puppies and mum also staying with her babies asleep on the towel.

Thanks everyone. It really worries me listening to the poor babies crying. So far so good. I turned on the ceiling fan to low, to get some air circulation, and just some babies crying after the feed on the damp towel and they went straight to sleep. And guess what I just see. Mum panting and now also asleep on the towel! Currently there is silence!! It is lovely. I just checked the weather and it is pretty warm tonight. So hopefully problem solved.

Yes mum did have a ceasar. I also thought maybe they where hungry, but there weight gain is normal and consistent, with not change today. I would have thought this would indicate her milk is fine? I am thinking hot. The pups are sleeping spread out.

The temperature at ground level is 23 degrees. I used an app on my IPad so it is likely this is a few degrees off. Mum is not panting. My understanding is this temp is fine. I have to say though I do feel a little warm in the room where they are. The pups have just woken again and having a feed- quietly. So I will see how they are when finished. I am going to put a damp towel down. We did this last year to help the pups when it was hot. If they all attract to it this will tell me they must be hot. When the stopped crying earlier and slept they were lying on there side, As normal. How would they lie if they had a sore belly?

I was actually just thinking this so checked. Temp is fine. Also the temperature has not changed much the last few days so I figure if this was a problem there would have been crying before today. Puppies have finally stopped crying. :) I am still keen to hear about how long puppies should cry for

I am still pretty new to breeding so I am still learning. How much should puppies cry? And for how long? I have a litter that are 5 days old. Pretty much the whole litter have been crying for the last 2 hours, very loudly. First I thought they may be hungry as some of the puppies were opening their mouth and sticking thier tonge out, so i encouraged mum to feed. Which they all did. Then i thought maybe mum has no milk, So I weighted a couple. The ones I weighed have put on 50 and 80 grams, which is consistent with the weight gain for the last few days. Mum has also stimulated a few to pee that I have seen in the last hour, so she is doing her job here. I have also checked mum teats and also her temperature. All good here. I hate listening to them cry for so long. When should I be worried?

I notice the first two. I have Labradors, so the third one always applies!!

This is a great thread I have some questions: How much do you handle your puppies in the first few weeks apart from when you are weighing them? From what age do you allow visitors? And what age do you allow vistors to handle the puppies? I let the occassional visitor come and look from when they are born. I think it is good for different noises and smells. From 3 weeks I let people handle the puppies - but I don't like them picking them up - I prefer they get in the pet with the puppies and let the puppies explore them. Then from 5 weeks I want as many people as possible to come and visit the puppies.

Might have been helpful if I mentioned this! The breed is Labrador.

I have been feeding my bitch Nutro since confirmed pregnant and she had been doing fantastic on. So I was thinking about weaning the puppies on it. However they only have the large breed formula in large bags - buying the smaller bags works out alot more expensive. Is it OK to wean puppies on large dog formular? Below in the analysis of both formulars and the difference is the large formular have 1% moer protien and 3% less fat. The rest is the same. Natural Choice Puppy - Chicken & Rice Formula GUARANTEED ANALYSIS Crude Protein (Min.)..........27.0% Crude Fat (Min.).................17.0% Crude Fibre (Max.)..............5.0% Moisture (Max)...................10.0% Ash (Max.).............................8.0% Salt (as NaCl) (Max.)...........1.2% Linoleic Acid (Min.)...........3.5% Calcium (Max.)..................1.8% Phosphorus (Max.)...........1.3% Zinc (Min.).................430mg/kg Vitamin E (Min.)........500IU/kg Vitamin C (Min.)......200mg/kg Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy - Chicken & Rice Formula GUARANTEED ANALYSIS Crude Protein (Min.)..........28.0% Crude Fat (Min.).................14.0% Crude Fibre (Max.)..............5.0% Moisture (Max)...................10.0% Ash (Max.).............................7.5% Salt (as NaCl) (Max.)...........1.2% Linoleic Acid (Min.)...........3.5% Calcium (Max.)..................1.8% Phosphorus (Max.)...........1.3% Zinc (Min.).................430mg/kg Vitamin E (Min.)........500IU/kg Vitamin C (Min.)......200mg/kg

I am sure you did everything you could. It is always a better outcome in hindsight. I started to blame myself for losing our pup "if I only took her to the vet sooner", but I made the decision at the time based on what I knew then. Of course if I knew the pup was stuck I would have taken her straight away. If only dogs could talk!

Thanks everyone. :D The puppies are little piggies and gaining lots of weight. Congratulation Gumnut. Sorry to hear about your babies that did not make it. It you an emotional roller coaster being happy about the puppies that made it, but sad for the loss. Looking forward to pictures.

Rubber mat is also a great idea I don't think I would have would success with newspaper. I use newspaper area for a tiolet area and my last litter would drag this around the pen. :laugh:

Our babies are here! 6 girls and 1 boy. They arrived Sunday. Unfortunetly we had an emergency c section as a puppy was stuck. Not good when they try to come out sideways!! The boy that was stuck did not make it. Mum and pups are doing great.

I agree. Jim1- don't forget started this thread asking for opinions

I thought the same thing - tiles too slippery. To be honest, I don't think the lino is any better. My last litter did slip on the lino. It was not too bad, otherwise I would have done something to fix it straight away, but I figured for this litter there may be a better option. I suppose one benefit is the lino is not as hard as tiles. :) I am going to give the marine carpet a go for the play area (I have vet bed for the sleeping area) while the puppies are still finding their feet. The lino is fine when they are bigger. This also means I don't need to buy as much.

Thanks Leema. Synthetic grass is also another good idea. So I have googled marine carpet and it seems the going rate is $39m - 2m width. Anyone have any ideas where you can get it cheaper?