SLF

Im saddened to write, my beautiful mum to be got bitten by a snake today. We just hope that she makes it through. All the best for the litters yet to come

Well done :) yes that's a lot of puppies but Im sure you will handle it. I have a litter due on the 31st Jan, Mum is slowing down a bit now though she is not as big in the belly as she was last time. A completely different pregnancy for her, she is eating well and happy. Last time she was off her food and very unsettled the whole time. Our ultra sound showed at least 6 pups. Fingers crossed.

Thankyou, yes I appreciate all the experiences. I should have mentioned this is an open Pyo. so is freely draining atm, though we are unsure at this point if it is a normal pyo infection or the result of a terminal pregnancy, which seems more likely as she had been running with male dogs and the lump detected earlier was thought to be a puppy in utero . However we are working on limited information due to the circumstances in which she has come into my care. I can say that I did not sleep well last night with this all going around in my head. Though was happy to she her licking her bowl for more breakfast this morning. I am working with my local Vet under the guidance of an experienced Vet, due to my location. We have not yet spoken about next heats or mating. Do you know why they need to be mated next heat? Thankyou for your words.

This is a long story but I will keep it brief as this matter will be handed to authorities. I have a 12mth female dog in my care. I bred her and through a turn of events she has ended back with me after a period of being very badly treated. About 2 weeks ago a lump was discovered at the time believed to be a pregnancy and therefore she has been very closely monitored. Today she was diagnosed with a pyometra. She is still bright so I opted to try antibiotics first, without jumping into having her speyed. I am wondering if any of you have successfully treated a bitch for this without having to spey her. This little dog is of excellent breeding and even though she has suffered misfortune she is a wonderfully natured dog. I will of course do what is best for her long term health. I just want to explore all avenues first, while she is well enough to try. Also if you have successfully treated a bitch, have you bred from her later down the track?

I have read this thread with much interest. I currently have a working dog that is a rescue dog. Though I know her breeding etc because I bred her. It was just a stroke of luck that let this dog return to me after being passed around and mistreated. After I sold her to a 'reputable' breeder but that is another story. My dog shows increased fear of large men and chains. She will not go near a dog bed either. I am far from an expert on dog behaviour, and this little dog is only my second rescue to work with and train alone (the other was also a Kelpie). Though I make the most of the support network I have in my dog community and the family and friends I have around me. I consult and ask the advice of the more experience dog trainers and work closely with my vet. I never take the dog anywhere or expose her to anything new without a plan. A plan of what to do if she reacts this way or that. She must know I am a safe place for her but also that there is structure and boundaries. Routine helps I find they exhibit less anxiety when they have a structured routine of feed, walk and play time. I never introduce her to someone new until I feel that I can have some control over the situation. For example if I know we are having people visit, and I am not sure if the dog is up to handling such a situation I will remove her completely into a safe place and not tackle this at all. If I don't have the choice and she must be there, ALWAYS use a lead. Even in your lounge room. Use your friends to set up mock situations. So you have more control over first experiences. You cannot assume anything, you definitely cannot assume they will fall into your everyday life. They are a little bit like a ticking time bomb and I mean that with much sincerity. A lot of what has happened to them can be undone, retrained and retaught. Some things cannot. I'm sure I will re-read this thread from time to time as there is some helpful advice here. I wish you all the best with your dog.

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If it were my litter I would let her feed them all, taking turns if needed then top up with formula as required to those who will take it. I too have only ever used a bottle, but that is my personal preference. If you are weighing them x3 daily and then taking a daily average you will know who is gaining weight and who isnt. This should guide you a little. If they are all sucking from her and doing well, this would be my approach at this early stage. I am also against the use of calcium, as I have only ever seen it cause problems. However Im sure there are many people that use it well. Good luck and let us know how they all go.

Yes that works, they are very very cute. Beautifull markings too :)

the FNA was inconclusive..so basically NO news. We are doing a course of antibiotics, if there is no improvement at the end of the course, the 'tumor' will be removed. The vet said considering we have to heavily sedate her for a biopsy, we may aswell GA and remove it all together. Thankyou for asking

Dasha, the link takes me to FB but I cant see your album, make sure your settings are set to PUBLIC :)

So Ive been having issues with the mother of my pups for a couple of weeks now, she lost interest in the pups began sitting on her own..etc I just assumed she was over the pups and wanting to go back to work. However in the last week I notice a sore on her lip that is now an uler about the size of a 10c coin. The vet thinks its a tumor. We did an FNA and Im waiting for the results. I guess this might explain her change in behaviour and she has lost some weight and her coat is all dry and wirey. Does anyone have an experience with this sort of thing? a cancerous tumor on a mum of 3wk old pups? edited to add she is only a young dog of 2yrs

Sheslikeabibear - go to your facebook album like normal then in the web address bar up the top of your computor page is the address it will be something like http://www.facebook.com/...whatever your page is. You right click your mouse to highlight it and press copy. then close that and come here to this forum and write a reply. You then press you right click on your mouse and press paste. The web address should come up. If that sounds all a bit much tell me what your FB page is and I can try for you if you like. :) I have some bad news about the Mum of my pups. I noticed a sore on her lip and the vet thinks it is a tumor. As she is still feeding the pups at night, we will try a weeks worth of antibiotics and the pups will then be 4 and half weeks old. I will then probably have to wean the pups completly and she can have the lump removed. Perhaps this is why she has been so uninterested in feeding her pups, she has lost weight too. We took a FNA today so fingers crossed.

Well done JAJ Sheslikeabibear - you can link your FB album here, so we can see the photos. Our pups are doing well, though their Mum has decided to wean them at 20days..so I am feeding 6 little eating machines. It seems all they do is eat, poop and sleep !! One is a bit smaller, not growing as quickly as the others but still healthy and active. I have been keeping mum in with them up untill now even though I have been having to feed them for a week now, so she can clean and care for the (which she wants to do) but its seems now she is losing interest in that too...so I think its time for her to start working again. Unless someone else has a plan that might work for us. Dasha - how are your working pups going?

Excellent work, 8 is still a great litter. Pity about the others, but so glad you got some healthy pups

Very cute puppy pictures ! My pups are 20days old now and I am supplementing there feeds. My girl is not interested in being a Mum while the sun is up...far too much important work to be done on the farm she thinks. The pups are off to the vet tomorrow for a check up and a microchip. not much else to report.

So the pups are now 17days old, and my bitch would much prefer to spend the day (daylight hours) away from them...she is still cleaning and toileting but not at all fussed by having to feed them. I am wondering at what point to I step in? I dont want to upset the whole thing, but I dont want the pups to suffer either. During they day they are fine, sleepy squirmy pups. Eyes open walking around, enjoying some sunshine. They are fat and dont appear to call out except for when the bitch is with them and she wont sit or lay down. She stands to clean them so they cant latch on. If they latch on and begin to feed she will tolerate it a short minute before getting up and moving away. She will feed them when its dark, but I cant keep them in the dark! She isnt ill, no mastitis even though it looks like it takes a wahile for her milk to let down...as far as I can tell anyway. I would love some more advice (yes both the good and the bad). Thanks

well done, six is a nice number.

we did on day 21 and saw 5, my girl ended up with 6 so it was still quiet accurate in our case

my vet says anytime from 57-64 days is normal, remember its 63 days from ovulation not mating. good luck hope they come quickly edited bc I cant spell :)

She has formed a bit of a pattern on her own. She spends the morning away from the pups, they sleep from 7am to mid afternoon (at times I check to make sure they are still ok as they are so sound asleep) ...mid to late afternoon she goes in and cluster feeds them, and stays in with them untill about 9pm. She then hops out and sleeps nearby watching over them but not in with them. The are not cold, or too bothered by this so it seems to be working for them.

Thanks Dasha, I think your right. I cant wait to see how many pups you end up with. Not long now :)

I am not sitting on her holding her down, Im leading her into the box, telling her to drop and stay while the pups attach. It had been a long time and the pups where fussing and calling. She wasnt staying with them for long enough form them to feed themselves so I assisted. I thankyou for your opinion in thinking that shuffling them around may be some of the problem. I will take that into consideration.

thanks for all the advice, the pups are fat, round and sleep alot. They are clean and warm so I guess they are contented :) They are in the lounge room during the day, the laundry at night due to my girl jumping out of the enclosure and weeing on the carpet! I have checked her temperature, I have checked for mastitis all seems ok to me. She is eating and drinking so Im not convinced she is sick. I am now thinking she is just a bit bored with them. She is a true worker, and motherhood has definately slowed her down more than her liking. I will continue to closely monitor the pups feeds and her health. I remember with our last litter who was also from a working dog, that we started to supplement feed them at 2wks bc every time the bitch heard the motorbike start up she will ditch the pups. Though she had 9 in her first litter, thankfully I only have 6 little mites to worry after this time.

She is free to come and go, she is being attentive. Checks them when they squeek and toilets them, etc...just not happy to feed now or stay with them, is keeping a distance away nearly all of the time. I cannot express any milk. ? but she has just feed them for about 10mins, they are now asleep and she is out of the box.