We have a lab who has 6 pups that are 4 weeks old. They're clawing the blood out of her tits and they're now nothing but sores. She won't even come around the pups except to feed them occasionally (they're well fed and healthy) and she leaves if more than two want to nurse. She's so sore it's pitiful. She's a good mama and when they're hurting her, she lightly puts her mouth around their head without biting down like a warning. I know it's too early to wean, so I'm not sure really what to do. She looks to be in a lot of pain, as the puppies are pretty large (bigger than my parents 4lb chihuahuas). What should I do?
Re: Puppies hurting mother Oh, poor girl. I would be phoning the vets straight away. Hope you soon get it sorted
Re: Puppies hurting mother Hello and welcome to the forum . I honestly think that Mum is saying she has had enough , and at 4 weeks , you can start to wean them slowly . Maybe have Mum checked over at the Vets in case she has an infection caused by little sharp teeth and claws, but yes, start giving them special puppy food now , again your Vet will advise re the best ones , they could also have some soft food like porridge, messy but it fills tums . It could be that Mums milk has all but dried up now too , good luck .
Re: Puppies hurting mother from a teeny tiny black 5 1/2 year old Lab known as The DivaDog and her pet human
Re: Puppies hurting mother Definitely see the vet - ouch, she must be sore and I am sure it's ok to wean.
Re: Puppies hurting mother Poor Mum. I have no experience whatsoever, sorry, but I would be in touch with my vet. Hope all works out. jac
Re: Puppies hurting mother Oh dear, poor mum Hopefully they are just hungry and supplementing her milk with something puppy appropriate will help. I'm sure your vet will have good advice. Fingers crossed you get sorted soon so mum can relax again.
Re: Puppies hurting mother Thanks y'all! We've started them on wet puppy food and they're eating it well. No infections, as we check daily, and she's other wise doing well. She's an excellent mother, she can only take so much though. They're outside, under a camper top, and anytime we come close to the pups she comes running. She definately has a plentiful milk supply. If she goes a few hours without nursing her ninnies are full. my biggest worry is everytime we handle the pups, she comes back and check every one of them to be sure they are all there. Previously she had two miscarriages (she stays loose outside because we have 50 acres, and we aren't sure where because we didn't see them, but we know she want full term but did deliver the pups and apparently consumed them, because she came back a lot skinner) but she grieved for 3 months following each loss. I'm afraid taking them too soon will cause another period of grieving. We will probably take her to the vet tomorrow!
Re: Puppies hurting mother Hi there, and welcome to the forum. You need to keep the puppies' nails nice and short. The vet will show you how if you are not sure, and may be able to give you something to sooth her sore skin. Let us know how you get on. This is normal maternal behaviour, but you really do need to handle the pups a great deal and start the socialisation process now. How are you going to prevent the puppies following the bitch around your 50 acres as they get more mobile? Do you have a pen for them? Or can you bring them indoors?
Re: Puppies hurting mother The majority of our property is wooded. The mother as well as our other outdoor dogs stay in our yard during the day. At night our dogs tend to roam. For this reason we are currently keeping them locked up at night. They are very mobile currently, however, she keeps them in an area of about 20 foot. They won't go out of that range, and if they do, she picks them up and takes them back. If they were to wander out in the years during the day, it wouldn't be a problem, as we are 1/4 mile off the road. We have 3 outdoor dogs ( including the mother who will alert us anytime something's 'off'. It's not her coming to check the pups that worries me. I worded it wrong. It's the grieving she previously had. I'm worried about taking the pups from her as she's checks to be sure they're all there and her previous grieving period. This is why I want to help fix the problem, not just take the pups away early. I'll definately update!
Re: Puppies hurting mother It would be nice to see some pictures, if possible. It sounds so different to here, where pups are carefully controlled indoors. No worse, just different. But once the pups get more mobile you might consider penning them up to stop them getting into harm. Wouldn't want mum to have to grieve again. Are you intending to keep any of the pups? Sounds like you have quite a pack already, but that would help ease the separation when most of the pups go. I take it you're not in the uk?
Re: Puppies hurting mother No, not in uk, I'm in the us. We are planning to keep a pup. We've never pinned pups before, but can find space if need be. We had several litters, but none recently. These pups are actually mutts. A neighbors dog ventured on our property when our dog was in heat. I have pics on my phone, but can't figure out how to upload them from the phone...? Not quite sure I understand what you are saying that sounds different...? Keeping them outdoors? The mother stays outdoors and always has. She actually had the pups under a building, and we had to get them out due to the snakes, foxes and cyotes around. We put them in our shop, but when they began walking around we moved them outside, a as they were eliminating everywhere. Not something you want inside your business. I can't bring them indoors as I have a three year old and a one year old who would mishandle the pups. My parents house sits on the same property but they have 4 small indoor dogs that can be aggressive. Truely where they are is the best option. Mom can get away and the pups are safe, as they're under our porch.
Re: Puppies hurting mother Oh, I understand, I wasn't being critical. It's just interesting because it is very different to the ordinary situation in Europe, where puppies are normally born indoors or in a kennel or stable, and kept in a pen during the day. I am sure you are doing the very best for your dog - and as long as the puppies are safe, why shouldn't they be outside?
Re: Puppies hurting mother There are plenty of working dogs in the UK that live outdoors albeit in kennels. There are also very rural places in the UK where some people do not pen or fence in their dogs, though this is less common. It is part of the ethos of this forum not to be judgmental or to condemn people that have made mistakes, or whose practices differ widely from ours. However, I feel it is also our responsibility to make sure that we provide appropriate, informed, and up to date advice, to people that come here seeking help on dog care and management. For that reason I am going to post the following observations. There is a general trend towards improvements in dog welfare standards across the world. With respect to the breeding of dogs, there are some standards which are widely accepted internationally. They include: [li]Supervision of whelping[/li] [li]Protection of bitches from unplanned pregnancies and from repeated pregnancies[/li] Supervision of whelping Whilst many bitches can whelp alone successfully, there is a lot that can go wrong. Puppies may die, and the bitch may die. This may be entirely preventable by the presense of a human being with a modicum of common sense and a telephone. For this reason, most bitches are whelped indoors where there is light, water and electricity. With a dog that is not used to coming indoors, then the risks of stressing her during whelping may of course be greater than the risks of leaving her to whelp unsupervised. Protection of bitches from unplanned pregnancy Any unsupervised bitch on heat is likely to be mated and become pregnant. This is not an accident, it is a certainty. No matter how remote your living arrangements. This lack of supervision in turn leads to repeat pregnancies. A bitch can become pregnant and whelp every six months, but this is rarely good for her health. I think that it is fair to say, these are two ways in which your own approach to dog management sounds rather different from that widely practiced in the UK and elsewhere. Do let us know how you get on at the vet, I hope your bitch is less sore once the puppies claws have been trimmed. Have you considered getting your bitch spayed soon, so that she doesn't get pregnant again?
Re: Puppies hurting mother We kept a close eye on her as she was whelping. She did have one pup still born that did not make it, however. We tried keeping her in the shop before whelping but she was pushing us out the door so she could get put everytime we opened it. And yes, as soon as the pups are weaned she will be spayed. We run a business and around here, people take any kind of pups with open arms, therefore they all have planned homes for this litter but we certainly don't want anymore!! I spoke to our vet about what we needed to do, and after convincing them I wanted to stick to more natural things if at all possible, he told me to apply coconut oil after she nurses the pups three times daily (it won't hurt the pups, but it will last longer if they aren't clawing and sucking for a bit. ) also we trimmed the pups paws.
Re: Puppies hurting mother That sounds good. We'd love some photos if you could manage it. I hope your bitch is feeling more comfortable now that the puppies' claws are trimmed, and since you have started the weaning process she won't have to nurse them so much any more.
Re: Puppies hurting mother Your dog must be feeling a lot of relief now,I hope she's not in too much discomfort
