SLF

I have just made her go back in the box, and laid her down for the pups to feed, (she hadnt been in since before 7am) I had to 'make' her....the pups then fussed and swapped teats but are now having a drink. She is now staying there while they feed. How often should I make sure that she is feeding them?

How much time away from the pups does your girl spend? My pups are 10days old, and going great. Fat shinny pups that sleep the day away :) In the last few (4 or so) days the Mother is spending a lot of time away from them. Initally she was very restless so I would let her out for exercise etc....Still a great Mum and very protective of her little ones. Yesterday as an example she didnt want to be with them from about 8am to 6pm....only when when I forced her back into the box in the evening. She is a work-a-holic normally, so Ive made sure to let her have plenty of exercise etc...but now she wont sit in the box unless its feed time. She has taken to jumping onto the laundry bench (the whelping box is in the laundry) and sitting up on it whenever she is inside. The pups seem very content, but she seems a bit over it...is this normal? thanks Edited to add - yes she is normally an outside dog

thanks jerojath :) but who are you ??? ......

All is great here, they pups are devine I want to keep them all. She is a great mum too, though Im sure she is getting a bit bored so is now spending more time outside on her own while the pups sleep during the day. I dont know how to post photos either but here is a link to my album https://www.facebook.com/groups/428035063879346/#!/media/set/?set=a.482354315139750.103317.259190584122792&type=1 All the best Dasha, keep us posted

In my experience with desexing very young (pediatric) animals the main issue has been fasting times and low blood sugar levels....though Im sure your Vet would have advised appropriate fasting times for young pups. I cant see why it would affect toileting. Good Luck with them all ;)

I ordered from them just before Christmas, and received my parcel within 2 days, fantastic service especially considering I am rural Vic and the extra stress on postal services at Christmas time. I must say they came in very handy as I have 5 choc coloured pups all about the same size and without them I wouldnt know who was who. https://www.facebook.com/surryleakelpies#!/photo.php?fbid=480201285355053&set=a.411971072178075.86085.259190584122792&type=1&theater see a photo of one of the collars here on a pups just hours old :) I cant recommend them high enough

thankyou, we had a bad day here bushfires very close to the house only about 10kms away. Thankfully we all remained safe and the puppies didnt get too hot. Lots of wipedowns with wet cloths, frozen water bottles. Their Mum did a great job for her first litter such a great MUM. My sister came and helped me as I was busy organising CFA jobs and watching for embers so she took such great care of my beloved puppies Here's hoping we dont have to do that again

yes all done, I checked her belly and was happy there was no more. Spoke to the Vet and let her be for the night. This morning she is a bit more protective of the pups so just trying to leave her on her own as much as possible. 6 healthy beautifull pups, some red some red and tan, 3 boys, 3 girls. :D

The pups are less than 24hrs old, and its going to be 40*c plus today, and for the next 5 or so days...I dont have air con. I have Mum and pups in the coolest part of the house, with silver shade mesh over the windows on the outside, but Im sure its going to still be very very warm. I can tell if Mum is hot, but how to tell if pups are too warm? I have a temperature gauge in the whelping box, and an area with just newspaper not vetbed for them to move too. I have a fan set up for air flow (but not directly at them) At the very worst I can move them to my Mother in Laws, but I'd rather not move them as it might upset first time Mum. what do you think? thanks

we now have six, I think that might be all. 3 of each sex, all doing great... :D :D

Number 4 is another red girl 5- was a breech male 6- another female all doing great so is mum.

Number 3 is a female, beautiful big head, blood red in colour...might be a keeper.

Im glaf they have come now as I was up last night checking on her. As for the heat its high 30's here today up to the 40's tomorrow then back to high 30's for about five days I cant belive how well the pups are drinking they are like leaches !

We have two males just born all good so far

Another male and much bigger than the first

We have one male pup so far

slow developments but moving through the stages in her own time. She is worried but calm enough, gosh I was too when my first born came! I will touch base with my Vet at midday to see what they think re: her progress, I dont know how long the first stages of labour can take, but I guess its like people, they are all different and cant be rushed.

not alot, she is a bit frightened, but is having irregular short contractions. She is calm, and NOT comming out of the box for anyone! Not interested in food, only pee'd once last night instead of a million times. I guess we just sit tight and wait it out :)

nope, only that she has stolen my clothes from the laundry basket and put them all in the box with her ! she is very proud of her nest, Im not so sure its where I want my favorite coat... :laugh: laundry basket removed, we had a tug of war over the coat..(not a usual game) Off to snooze a bit longer and hopefully she is somewhat closer in a couple of hours.

In case anyone checks in....my girl is hiding in the whelping box refusing to come out. Having a bit of a puff, with a very hard sucked in belly. She is scratching the flooring up too . Plus I think she lost some fluid and is completely different in temperament than she wasy 12hrs ago. ....so who knows but maybe some puppies might be close

Thanks for the replies..... I think something might be starting...? do dogs have a water that breaks? or do they pass something like fluid? She has been hiding while I fed the children their dinner, and Ive found her hiding in the corner of the spare room - at the opposite end to the whelping box in the laundry ! There is a pool of fluid on the floor, thicker than wee and not yellow, Im assuming its fluid not vomit but similar consistancy. I spoke to my vet today and he said the same as previous posters....get ready in case they are on their way, but not to panic if they stay put untill the weekend if she is well and calm...day 63 is Fri and its her first litter She looks a bit droopy eyed but is puffing, not panting as her mouth is closed. So I'll get the kids a movie and keep them quiet and see what happens next

Thanks Dog geek :) Its my first whelping on my own and Im a bit nervous and anxious. I think we are moving a bit closer to the action, as last night her belly was very tight and she didnt like me touching it, or listening to the pups heart beats. Today she wont let me near her back end, taking her temp was not an option according to her! She is scratching up the carpet in every dark corner she can find and is a bit skittish and very unsettled today. So Im happy to leave her be and let her do what she wants.

Well, my girl is at day 60 today and seems far too comfortable to be getting rid of these pups anytime soon. She is stuck to me like glue, but otherwise quite happy and active and pretty 'normal'. What are the main signs you see when whelping is near? Im taking temps, and her average so far is about 37.1*c each day. Her belly is rounded and you can clearly see the pups wriggling around, I find she nudges them every know and then, it must be annoying for her. I can hear the heartbeats of 5 pups, 4 on one side and one on the other by its self. Will the one alone be bigger? Should I be worried about this? I havent had an xray just an u/s? So Im trying to be paitent and wait (not anxiously) which is proving difficult. Im taking temperatures, got supplies sorted etc....what else to do to fill in them time? puppy name lists are being put together anything to keep my occupied! The sire is from the Stud 'Elfin' so I was trying to think of names with elves and fairies and the like... So far Im raiding the JR Tolkein books for names like Pippin, Arwen and Samwise... Do you have any name suggestions? thanks

Well this surely must be the longest week ever. My girl is only a few days away from whelping now. I am finding myself watching her belly waiting and wondering what these little Kelpie pups will be like. She is well, extremely clingy, but still comfortable. I can clearly hear the heartbeats, I counted only 5. 4 on one side and one on the other. I hope this doesnt mean that the one on the side by its self will be big for her ? This correlates to the u/s I had done at the begginning...but perhaps there are some more hiding in there, only she knows.

How awfull for you all I can think of perhaps its neurological or vascular....I had a little pup older than yours though at 7wks that all of a sudden had the shakes and droppped into a coma. By some miracle he survived, shouldnt have though, as the problem was to do with the main blood vessels going into the brain, restricting blood flow. It was an abnormality he was born with, we dont know why it didnt affect him earlier or why he survived it when really it should have killed him at just a week or so after birth. The only other thing the vet said we could do was an MRI, which was not an option for us. So he just got fluids and we crossed our fingers in hope. Thankfully he is now fully recovered, and a much brighter happier pup than he was before. Anyway, just wanted to share my story in case it may help you. Lots of luck.