Tigey Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Hi This is my bitch's and my first time with a litter of puppies. I have read ridiculous amounts of material, watched videos and have spoken to my vet several times. I started taking some medication around the time my bitch tied with the male so even though I wrote it down I'm finding I doubt the due date i calculated, even though the vet calculated the exact same day. I'm very nervous about when she's going into labour, so just wondering: How long before she is due do the puppies start moving? They started moving about 5 days ago (so gorgeous!!) Is it one day or a few that milk is able to be squeezed out of her nipples? Do dogs ever go past their due date or 63 days? Her front nipples, only just enlarging a few days back, arent nearly so large as her back, which hang down - do they stay like this or is this an indication she still has about a week for the front nipples and glands to enlarge? I set up her nesting box in her own room but I was a little surprised to read that people sleep next to the nesting box, but considering the possibility of her rolling on top of the puppies it makes sense. She is a large breed so that is a dangerous risk, and a first time mother, so I'm considering moving her nesting area into my bedroom. Is it too late for that? She doesnt go into her nesting area now by herself anyway because its a spare room we used to just keep closed.. she is SO attached to me that she follows me where ever i go. She is under my desk at the moment. And how long, if at all, does the male need to be kept away from the pups? He is quite young himself, only 14 months (we were surprised at how well he picked up mating.. this was unplanned because we thought he was too young) I have read about/asked these questions already but want to be sure sure sure to feel better. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbreedlover Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Tigey Is this your Bullmastiff/Rottweiler bitch that is due to whelp?I was going to suggest that you contact your bitches breeder but then saw that you had posted in another topic. How old is your bitch? Not being unkind but did you realise that this breeders forum is for registered purbred dog breeders? At what age did you think your Mastiff would be old enough to sire a litter of puppies. Did you not realise your bitch was in season? and think to keep them both separated. Bitches can conceive up to 5 days after an actual mating has taken place as a guide though it could be 2 days. And yes they can go over 63 days or under. With all the books you have read and the adice from your vet you should have some indication on the signs to look for. I wouldnt be introducing the male to the pups at all at the time after they are born. He doesnt need to see them. You will however need to make sure the bitch is kept as quiet as possible while feeding etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mini girl Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 When my girls are due to whelp I start taking their temperature twice a day in morning and evening - if not much over 37 deg I know pups won't be too long - I sleep with my dog if I think the litter could come in the night - first time mothers seem to sometimes need a hand. But I'm there for every birth - no matter what. But get yourself a thermometer - the digital ones are good and a jar of vaseline and start taking the temp about 4 days out from when you expect the litter. Sometimes the temp goes up and then falls but if its around 37 or 37 .3 the pups seem to follow soon. They also start digging at the floor sometimes and I watch the rear end sometimes you see a bit of thick jelly like substance from the vulva that is a good sign pups are coming. Good luck. If she is considerate they may come in daylight hours but certainly not always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 How long before she is due do the puppies start moving? They started moving about 5 days ago (so gorgeous!!) This depends very much on the bitch and how many pups she has - with a small bitch with a large litter you would be able to see movement much earlier than a large bitch with a small litter. 5-10 days is normal around here but I don't know about larger breeds Is it one day or a few that milk is able to be squeezed out of her nipples? Can be up to 5 or 6 days prior to whelping or not until after she has actually started. And it's not at all unusual for there to only be a small amount - new born pups need colostrum (it's not milk you're seeing) and the bitch only produces this in fairly small amounts. Do dogs ever go past their due date or 63 days? A bitch will whelp 63 days from ovulation, the date of mating is not really relevant it's the date she ovulated that you need to know to be 100% sure of when the ''magic'' 63 days is. Get a thermometer and keep track of her temperature OR pay the vet a lot of money for multiple blood tests, these are the only two really reliable ways for a novice to know when a maiden bitch will whelp. Easiest method is to just watch her and wait for things to start happening. If you have to know (work schedule for example) then take her temperature morning and night. Her front nipples, only just enlarging a few days back, arent nearly so large as her back, which hang down - do they stay like this or is this an indication she still has about a week for the front nipples and glands to enlarge? No it is not a reliable indication. Nothing about the development of her breast tissue is a reliable indication of anything in a maiden bitch, ignore it. I set up her nesting box in her own room but I was a little surprised to read that people sleep next to the nesting box, but considering the possibility of her rolling on top of the puppies it makes sense.She is a large breed so that is a dangerous risk, and a first time mother, so I'm considering moving her nesting area into my bedroom. Is it too late for that? Probably best to leave well alone. If you want to sleep beside her for a couple of days after the birth, set up a camp bed in her room. She doesnt go into her nesting area now by herself anyway because its a spare room we used to just keep closed.. she is SO attached to me that she follows me where ever i go. She is under my desk at the moment. Normal. Mine look at the whelping box and walk off looking offended, then about 12 hours prior to whelping they move in, have a sniff around and look very smug as if they invented the thing all by themselves Put her in the room where the whelping box is overnight every night from now on - and give her a blanket to sleep on and another blanket in the whelping box, so she has a choice. And how long, if at all, does the male need to be kept away from the pups? IMO he shouldn't be anywhere near the pups until they are at least 5 or 6 weeks old. Not because he is likely to kill them (dogs aren't nearly so likely to do this as cats for example) but because the bitch may well try to kill HIM. He doesn't know he's the father (and neither does the bitch) so don't bother with any nonsense about him seeing his cute little puppy-wuppies. If she decides she doesn't want him near the pups and goes for him it could get very nasty very quickly, so don't tempt fate. He is quite young himself, only 14 months (we were surprised at how well he picked up mating.. this was unplanned because we thought he was too young) Whoops, well now you know better. Why didn't you get her injected to prevent the pregnancy, or better yet, spayed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakway Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Sorry but as this is a pure bred list why didn't you have the bitch spayed and the pups aborted. Or is this a pure bred registered litter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkehre Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 (edited) I am sorry, I know I am going to wish I did not say anything but..... you cannot teach your dogs to tolerate having their nails trimmed and you are breeding a litter of cross bred large breed puppies. Well, I am sincerely glad you have come here for advice because you are going to need it. Keep the dog away from the bitch and her puppies entirely. I would be sleeping alongside or certainly in the same room with your bitch and her "nesting" box for minimum the first 2 weeks with these sized breeds. Puppies suffocate very easily and quickly, particularly with maiden bitches, and get stood on and crushed under bitches elbows. I do hope all goes smoothly and that you choose to desex your bitch after she has weaned these pups. Edited February 15, 2011 by dyzney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigey Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 Thanks for the quick replies. Yes, this is my bullmastiff x rottweiler bitch; she is 3 years old. We did try to keep them separated but this being her first heat (she has gone on heat like clockwork every 6 months) since we got our boy her timing was a little off and we turned our backs for 5 seconds and we have a small house... Yes, i did realise this is a breeder's forum but read that anyone could post, and where better to get the info than from experienced breeders? As I said, this was her first heat (she skipped one, must have been because of when we bought the puppy) since we got our boy. I stupidly listened to my husband when he said he wasnt old enough to know what to do. She will be desexed after this. i also forgot to mention that the room where we built her nesting area is half full of storage and we couldnt sleep in there if we wanted to. from all the helpful answers ive received it looks she has longer than the originally predicted 2 days left, especially considering the extra 2-5 days for time to conceive, id still feel much more reassured if she slept with us every night as usual and have her nesting area in there i read about the temperature indications and mentioned that to our vet but he dismissed it casually saying we should be able to tell from the milk coming through and nesting behaviour. from her Xrays the vet estimated at least 6 pups, possibly 7 if there are some hiding behind the others. i realise a non purebred pregnant bitch would probably make a breeder's skin crawl and to be honest i was nervous about the answers id get, but thank you for the advice, i appreciate it. i tend to get slightly detail crazy from my anxiety Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkehre Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 (edited) You need to calm down. Your bitch will not do well to be picking up on your anxiety. Also, going on what the vet has said, do not be surprised if there are 10 or more puppies. Make sure you have an "on call" vet available for any day, any time. You may well need them, particularly if your bitch goes into uterine inertia after having whelped a portion of the litter. Edited February 15, 2011 by dyzney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigey Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 funny you should say that because on the first Xray he couldnt see skeletons, so from the size of the uterus he predicted 10 puppies, and she is rather large. only from the second xray a week later he counted over 6 skeletons. what makes you think 10? we are friends with the vet nurse at our vet and she gave us the emergency card of the best emergency vet in our area my anxiety is more about her timing, as we have something happening on friday and it would be the worst timing in the world if she went into labour then.. but i am more reassured from the info i have received here that she has more than 3 days left now. so thanks again this heat is not helping, its over 40 degrees here today.. looks like she is so uncomfortable being so large, she just lies there panting all day and i feel bad for her because she just looks so tired Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkehre Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 funny you should say that because on the first Xray he couldnt see skeletons, so from the size of the uterus he predicted 10 puppies, and she is rather large. only from the second xray a week later he counted over 6 skeletons. what makes you think 10?we are friends with the vet nurse at our vet and she gave us the emergency card of the best emergency vet in our area my anxiety is more about her timing, as we have something happening on friday and it would be the worst timing in the world if she went into labour then.. but i am more reassured from the info i have received here that she has more than 3 days left now. so thanks again this heat is not helping, its over 40 degrees here today.. looks like she is so uncomfortable being so large, she just lies there panting all day and i feel bad for her because she just looks so tired I mentioned a larger number of puppies as with both breeds being larger barrelled (generally good spring of rib and relatively deep chested) they often hide another quarter/third of the litter up inside the ribcage away from xray views. Very common. What are you doing to keep your bitch cool? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigey Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 well we have the air con on full blast as well as 2 other fans going, one pointed at her favourite couch. its relatively cool in the lounge. she pants constantly regardless of the temperature - its more her size that seems to make her so uncomfortable. but for random reasons she would go lay in a hot part of the house but then come back after a while and yes, she is incredibly barrel-chested.. her nickname is barrel with legs. gave her some ice to chew on but she wasnt interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbreedlover Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 There is no rule to say that she wont go into labour on the Friday. By the sounds of it she is due in less than a week. Bitches with large litters can whelp early or on an expected due date. If you have something very important on, on the friday, which means that you wont be home then I would suggest getting a competent friend in to watch her and to contact you if necessary. She should not be left for long periods of time unsupervised at this stage of pregnancy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shazzapug Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 This forum is for Purebred dogs....this is a mongrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 This forum is for Purebred dogs....this is a mongrel. This has already been well noted, so why bother bringing it up again? The OP has asked for advice, and whether the pups are pedigree or mongrel makes no difference at this stage. The deed is done and someone is asking for help. In an ideal world, these pups would not be on the way, but they are, so get over it. The snobbery and bitchiness of some people on here simply amazes me. Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 My advice is for the OP to call her vet and pay for the advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlemum Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 This forum is for Purebred dogs....this is a mongrel. This has already been well noted, so why bother bringing it up again? The OP has asked for advice, and whether the pups are pedigree or mongrel makes no difference at this stage. The deed is done and someone is asking for help. In an ideal world, these pups would not be on the way, but they are, so get over it. The snobbery and bitchiness of some people on here simply amazes me. Julie x 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 I for one won't support BYBing and cross breeding, if people want advice for that, they can pay their vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wazzat Xolo Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 and............................ thats what is so wonderful about the DOG WORLD the attitudes of some, everyone knows its a cross bred litter, the person was only asking for advice. As far as I can see everyone is a person and entitled to help, some will give freely others will close their doors, just be aware the person you kick today may be the expert you well need tomorrow!! Good luck with your puppies but please heed advice and look at the possibilty of having the bitch desexed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lappiemum Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 (edited) Temp taking is the best way of telling if your bitch is likely to go in the next 24hrs - however, you have to time it so that you actually catch the temp change! LOL Take it twice a day, morning and evening. When it drops below 37 degrees and goes down towards the 36, you know you are on your way. It isn't the drop that instigates whelping btw - but when its on the rise again. Your bitch will probably start nesting, more intensely just before she whelps. She may eat before she whelps too, but is likely to throw it up. Make sure she has plenty of water though. I had long arguements with my girl about wanting to whelp in the back yard under the gardening bench, and then under my bed when there was a perfectly suitable whelping box! LOL Just move her in there when she looks like she is ready to go, and she will stay put if you are there too. Do you have all your supplies? You will need a few basics - alcohol swaps, scissors to cut the cords and string to tie the cords off with. You will need a mountain of newspapers and cut up old towels as you will need these to dry off puppies, deal with messes etc. Also get some puppy training pads as they are the best for soaking up the fluid that you will get with the whelping. A hot water bottle in a recieving box to keep the little ones safe and warm while Mum is going again is a good thing too. There is other stuff that is useful too, PM me if you need a list. Oh, and vet bed is the best thing in the world get at least 3 meters of the stuff, although you may need more with a larger breed. Put this in the box once she has whelped and that will assist in keeping the puppies dry. ETA - be very careful about temp control with your litter - don't overdo the cooling, as that can be fatal for puppies. To cool puppies it is better to lay a cool wet towel in the whelping box and they will lie on that to cool down. You can also use a fan, but don't blow it directly on them as it may chill them. Edited February 15, 2011 by lappiemum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakway Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Hang on all of you. Before you all start to point fingers, this is a Forum for pure bred dogs. Most breeders have a problem with or should have a problem with, people allowing x bred litters. Don't you believe that we have enough BYB's as it is. If things go wrong, who cleans up this persons mess or any other persons for that matter, the rescuers on DOL and other rescuers. Spare a thought for them. Sorry it is just plain irresponsible to have a x bred litter in this day and age. Will every puppy in this litter be de sexed or will they go onto homes and perpetuate this very same situation. JMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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