Need Info Re Pregnant Bitch

[sharpeiple]

Eleven is a huge litter for a Border Collie to raise and a lot of puppies to find homes for. Glad she got them all out ok and that you survived the whelping as well. Well done on coping with a difficult situation. Depending on the Mum's physical condition, I really think culling some might be a good idea. If the Mum is in peak conditon and you have homes lined up 11 is do-able but a lot of work. Even among purebred registered breeders, very large litters are sometimes culled down in breeds that are difficult to find the right homes for and accidental crossbred litters are usually culled down if not able to be aborted. It is all about being responsible and not adding to the numbers of unwanted dogs. I know you work in rescue and will make a decision based on your current situation but a lot in rescue don't realise that culling is still carried out sometimes by responsible breeders to keep the numbers down.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

I know it's a lot, and I certainly would have aborted had she come in earlier, but each pup will be desexed, chipped, vacced and started on heartworm prevention prior to leaving us. All adopters sign a contract that states the dog must be returned to us in the event that the person can no longer care for it, so ultimately we take responsibility for them for the duration of their life.

I believe that their lives are as precious to them as ours are to us, and could never consider culling. We are in a regional area where the average block of land is about 160-1000 acres, so the chances of them finding good responsible homes are better than average. They will have a home here with us until the perfect person comes along. And they always do eventually! Mum is in pretty good condition all things considered, as I believe other people were feeding her when they realized the owner wasn't, she's now parvac'd, wormed and flea treated, so I think she'll cope alright with the rigours of motherhood. Us women are tough. :D

Does this last line .....parvac'd, wormed and flea treated,......mean that you vaccinated an in whelp bitch?

If it does mean that, then you may have a big problem in vaccinating the pups. If this is the case, the bitch may have passed on the anti bodies and it may be nigh impossible to vaccinate for that disease. Please note I did say may.

She was given a 'parvac' (killed vaccine)on arrival, but only after I contacted my vet to ensure that it was safe to do so. She was wormed and flea treated the next morning before we knew she was in labour. But before she was given anything it was all checked for suitability for a pregnant lady.

[Baileys mum]

Hi Sharyn, I've been following this thread & just wanted to say congratulations & I'm glad to hear the whelping went so smoothly. Yes 11 is a huge litter & you are going to be very busy in this next couple of months....My bitch recently had 9 & we where kept on our toes, so I can only imagine what it would be like adding another 2 to that

I've only had 2 litters so far & I'm no expert in any way... but I think you should be alright as long as you keeping feeding mum lots of food & fluids for milk production, I feed my bitch raw & premium puppy kibble, eggs, yoghurt & cottage cheese, aswell as lots of water & goats milk.

If you have some kitchen scales, you can also weigh the pups a couple of times a day to make sure they are gaining weight (not too sure what the average weight gain should be for the size of your pups )but I know my Aussie terrier pups where gaining on average 25g to 50g a day.

It's also good to rotate the smaller puppies & the pups that haven't gained much onto the teats that have the most milk.

Some breeders like to top up larger litter with a milk supplement like Biolac or Wombaroo, but I was lucky my bitch had lots of milk & all my pups gained weight steadily.

Enjoy this time now & rest uo as your bitch will do most of the work at the moment, but as soon as the eyes open & the pups personalites kick in that's when the fun starts & your work is just beginning.

I wish you good luck raising this lot & I hope you can find lovely homes for all of them...you are doing such a great thing for this bitch & pups.

Oh & I sure it wouldn't do any harm if you could post a couple of pics too. ;)

[sharpeiple]

I'm working on that, but so far I can't work out how to do it. There are photos on our facebook page. Red Collar Rescue Inc. Biggenden

If hubby comes in soon I'll get him to help me post them on here.

[sharpeiple]

1 week on and all puppies are thriving. Mum is glossy,healthy and has enough milk for all of them.

[SezzNJunebug]

I searched and serached your website only to reread your post and realise I should have been looking at your Fb page! Hope is such a gorgeous girl, love that smile! Puppies are gorgeous! Will be keeping an eye on your page as they grow! You must be very proud :D Congratulations!