shellbyville

Thanks for that link....but is it wide enough ?? The aluminium work bench isn't on its own of course, but the board you put on top makes it wide enough, like I said you do have to be careful if the dog stood with totally all his weight on one side, it could tip. However I have 2 large Bernese Mountain dogs and find that it works well for them, they sit and stand on it and haven't tipped it. Of course I am with them all the time they are on the table! I would take a photo, but it is down at the kennels and it is pouring rain at the moment, so not venturing down there just yet :laugh:

My husband made me a grooming table with an Adjustable aluminium work platform from bunnings around $60. He screwed a platform on top made of ply and then we put some artificial grass carpet on top, so it didn't slip, but you could use a rubber mat or something similar. He put an aluminium edge around the platform. It has 3 heights. I groom my Bernese Mountain dogs on it and find it very sturdy. You just need to get the dimensions of the top right, so if the dog stands to the side it won't tip. On the lowest adjustment my big dogs can easily step up. I can sit on a stool and groom them! Love it! The legs also fold down, so it is pretty portable. http://www.bunnings.com.au/products_product_adjustable-aluminium-work-platform_617.aspx?search=Aluminium+work+bench&searchType=any&searchSubType=products

I have a litter of 11 labradors that are almost 3 weeks old, so not a small dog like a poodle. For the first few days we rotated them each feed day and night, making sure the 3 that didn't get a teat first, was put on first the next feed. However after a few days, we stopped rotating at night and just started rotating them for some of the day feeds. I weighed them each day to see how much weight they were gaining and all were gaining weight. After the first week I haven't rotated them at all. They are extremely feisty pups, they fight there way in for a feed. I haven't started them on solids yet, will do next week, but am so surprised at how well they are all growing with no intervention (except for the first 2 or 3 days of rotating). I thought I would have to supplement them, but have just been feeding mum very well and she hasn't lost weight, if anything she has put on weight as well.

So sorry to hear of the losses of pups! Missymoo, when my girls have lumpy, hot sore boobs, I put very warm washes(as warm as was possible & safe) on their boobs while the pups are actually on feeding, I have only had to do it for a few feeds and then it seems to right itself. One of my girls each litter got very sore, lumpy boobs, but it never developed into mastitis. Good luck.

Hi everyone, I haven't been on here a lot lately as I have been quite busy. Just letting you know Daisy who was due on the 10th April, had 11 pups, 8 girls, 3 boys on the 10th! She whelped them extremely quickly and easily having all 11 in just under 4 hours! They are 6 days old and all doing really well, gaining heaps of weight, with no extra supplementing at all. The first few days we rotated them a bit, but now they all just get in and first in grabs a teat, then they get pushed off and the last few have their fill. I think this has been the easiest whelping and litter so far that we have had, with very little interference from me, just lots of watching and cuddling.

Here is an idividual shot of my little ones. They are getting so cute, not just little fat slugs now, but starting to develop some character. Rumour (little girl) Gossip (Little girl) Ned Jnr. (Little boy) Another one of little Rumour

Congratulations everyone on your pups and so sorry for the losses of some. My little litter of 3 were 2 weeks old yesterday and have been the most content, happy little pups. Mum is doing a great job, she had way too much milk initially but quickly adjusted and they had all doubled their birth weight in 7 days and tripled it in 10 days. So doing VERY well. However they have only just got up on their legs in the last few days, I guess being a bit chubby and not having to fight for the milk bar they didn't see the need to move too much. Their eyes are now open and they are starting to play a bit with each other.

Oh my goodness, well done! Hope they all thrive and she handles mothering them all. Have a well deserved rest!

Congratulations so far Underfoot....I know all about slow whelpers. Hope all goes well for the rest of them.

Litter of Labrador Retrievers due April10th! Edited to add "Hopefully"

I can't advice on vets in Melbourne, but I would wait until day 28! Good luck

I am so sorry jr_inoz. You must be devastated, but glad the mum is ok. Thinking of you.

Have been doing the warm washers, she has had a litter before and gets lumpy boobs even with a large litter, so have been doing what I normally do. The pups themselves seem to have a preference for a few nipples, so am letting them pick at this stage. I am sure in a few days it will settle down, I think her milk is just starting to come in!

Here are a few pictures of my little litter, pups 1 day old. Mum is doing a great job, but look at her boobies...huge, and a little lumpy, so will have to watch that. I can't believe how easy a little litter is! Mum can do it all and plenty of nipples to go around!

I am not worried at all that we have a small litter this time. Some puppy buyers are going to be disappointed, but I have just mated another girl last week, so they won't have to wait too long, if they want to wait that is. I wanted a couple of girls for myself from this litter and got 2 girls, Hopefully they will both be good enough to keep, so happy with that! You are right so much less stressful than worrying if they all get enough to drink, I will be worrying that the mum doesn't develop mastitis as she is always a good producer and her boobies are enormous, for 3 little pups. Underfoot your girl looks so uncomfortable....I think there are a lot in there :) Good luck!

Hope it goes well for you underfoot! I thought my girl would have a few more than 3, as she looked like she was carrying more than that earlier, but toward the end of the pregnancy I looked at her and thought she didn't look so big after all! She has huge, I mean huge mammaries so there is going to be plenty of milk for 3. She has always had lots of milk, so hopefully we don't have any mastitis problems. They are lovely puppies, very strong and healthy. I will probably keep both girls at this stage as it will be last time I breed from both the sire & dam. So hopefully they turn out to be little stunners. I am so glad that is over though, that was the most stressful whelping I have experienced and there were only 3, whereas I have had much larger litters, but the whelping went so much faster. My girl is sleeping a lot, poor thing!

We have had a very long night here. My girl started panting around 5pm, then at around 10.30 she had some intermittent, very weak bouts of straining, but only a few at a time, so wasn't too worried. However by about 2pm I was starting to get concerned. I had a check internally and couldn't feel anything in birth canal or over the rim, so just hung off ringing the vet. She was not distressed at all and the contractions were between 25 min to 40 minutes apart at times, with no sign of coloured discharge. However by 4 pm I had the phone in my hand to ring the vet, but thought I would examine her just before and could feel a pup just entering the birth canal. So finally at 4.55am a little black girl arrived, about an hour after that a yellow girl and then not long after that a black boy. I knew she wasn't carrying as many as she has previous litters, so I think that may be it. I have had a good palpation of her tummy and am 80% sure she doesn't have any more. She is very tired and is just sleeping now. So I think I will do the same. Photos soon

Well we had our temperature drop this morning and my girl is panting, panting, panting and has that far away look in her eye. She has been panting since about 5 this afternoon, so looks like all systems go for tonight or early morning! Wish us luck!

Congratulations, nice size litter and pretty quick as well. Well Done!

Congratulations..what a clever girl, doing it in the daytime!

I still get a little anxious before each whelping, because i know things can and sometimes do go wrong. So for me after 7 whelpings I still get a bit nervous, and most of mine have been really good. Had to take 1 for a C Section because of uterine inertia. We have had 2 still born pups, which at the time I was devastated, especially the first one and wondered what I could have done to avoid it. So I am still a worrier! Probably always will be. However once mum has had a few pups and she is going well and got the hang of it, I relax and enjoy. Good luck!

I have a litter of labradors due on Monday the 13th. She isn't looking huge, so don't expect a very big litter, as long as I get a few stunners for myself and no complications or dramas I will be very happy. She is an experienced mum, so don't expect anything to go wrong. This will be her last litter so fingers crossed for some really lovely pups to run on. Big congratulations to the litters on the ground, makes waiting very exciting!

He still barks if they are in the run next to him, I have tried that as well.

I hadn't thought to have him in the bedroom, and don't know if he would be quiet or not! Worth giving a try though, thanks for the suggestion. He is and has been an outside dog before he came to live here, but does come inside for visits! I think he would have to be crated.

Having everything prepared is a must, getting the mum used to the whelping box and area she will whelp. I take my girls temperatures for about a week before hand, and have always gained a good idea of when they are close, a sudden drop and They are usually in labour 12 - 24 hours later. Also let your vet know when the dog is due and let them know once labour has started so they can be prepared for an emergency if necessary. I usually do a bit of reading leading up to whelping which helps remind me of what to expect, I have found that by reading I was able to recognise what was happening and respond appropriately at the time. Reading about other people's experiences and things they did helped me a lot especially with the first time.