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Terrier keeps squishing killing newborn puppies

17K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  GrannyCarol 
#1 ·
my 5 year old momma dog had 14 puppies and we are Down to 9 i have tried everything possible the whelping box is pretty large, we even tried setting sides but then she will try to squeeze into that very small area where the puppies are and she will step on them and squish them she got up once the puppy was in front of her sleep she jumped up and her paw flung it went flying onto the side and died. We figured it was to many pups to keep track of for her at first but once they started dying off we noticed she is just being careless. I move them to the front so they can eat but then she will get up and just be extra lol like moving around pushing them from the nipple to the front of her or underneath her we have to sometimes make her lay down so they can eat and We have decided now to separate only until feedings and cleanings but she cries pretty loud am i doing the right thing? I’ve tried to let momma dog do her thing and not really intervene at all but when they started dying i figured people who gave me a advice to let “nature take its course” because she will know what she’s doing were wrong there’s a smaller one that barely gets any milk because she won’t allow them to nurse properly we went and got replacement milk it’s just a frustrating situation when i felt like we could’ve done more instead of listening to people who doesn’t really have experience we asked a breeder and she said NEVER SEPARATE THE PUPS FROM MOM but at this point we have to. before anyone jumps down my throat she was going to get fixed we kept her and our newly male dog separated pretty well it must’ve happened when we left them out the one time together on the patio for 2 hours unsupervised we barely found out three weeks ago she was pregnant when she gained a little weight and we took her to the vet. The area where the box is is very quiet warm no one is in that area no noise no kids no one intervening to make her stressed or nervous to protect her pups we barely touch them just went to check on them and move them if needed until we started actually watching her and noticed her doing these things, she is just being very careless any suggestions from POLITE PEOPLE ONLY!!
 
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#3 ·
Yes this is her first litter, she’s never aggressive or anything like that she’s always listened well up until now she just kind of does what she wants she’s even been using the bathroom in the house we take her out she will pull back and pee right by the front door which i read was kind of normal to not want to leave the pups but she just doesn’t care i try to sit during feeding and pet her to calm her down she had her paw and weight on the puppy when she got in and the puppy was screaming and i went to move her and she wasn’t trying to move off of it. Idk it’s really frustrating that she’s just not listening.
 
#4 ·
Firstly I'd give the ***** a mega dose of liquid calcium & repeat 4 hourly. I'd take half the pups, put them in a warm covered box. Try to stay as calm as you can, sit in the whelping box with the ***** & other half of litter, quietly encourage her to lie still & ensure that all pups are suckling & she is cleaning them. After two hours, swop the pups over & repeat. 5 is older than I'd like for a first litter, so she's probably quite bewildered at whats going on. For toileting, put her on a lead & take her outside until she's toileted.
 
#5 ·
Firstly I'd give the female dog a mega dose of liquid calcium & repeat 4 hourly. I'd take half the pups, put them in a warm covered box. Try to stay as calm as you can, sit in the whelping box with the female dog & other half of litter, quietly encourage her to lie still & ensure that all pups are suckling & she is cleaning them. After two hours, swop the pups over & repeat. 5 is older than I'd like for a first litter, so she's probably quite bewildered at whats going on. For toileting, put her on a lead & take her outside until she's toileted.
Thanks for the kind advice I’ve been trying to sit with her and soothe her but doesn’t seem to be working to well. I wish we would’ve gotten her fixed before we got the male dog honestly it was a screw up on my end but things happen i guess! Yes for the toileting she is on the leash but she pulls back and starts to pee i ty to pull her out but she just has been very non compliant she’s a decent size girl so pulling her strong self isn’t as easy. But i will continue to try and keep them separated until the puppies are bigger and stronger and have a better chance of survival.
 
#6 ·
Firstly I'd give the female dog a mega dose of liquid calcium & repeat 4 hourly. I'd take half the pups, put them in a warm covered box. Try to stay as calm as you can, sit in the whelping box with the female dog & other half of litter, quietly encourage her to lie still & ensure that all pups are suckling & she is cleaning them. After two hours, swop the pups over & repeat. 5 is older than I'd like for a first litter, so she's probably quite bewildered at whats going on. For toileting, put her on a lead & take her outside until she's toileted.
This is exactly what I would recommend. Well put.
 
#7 ·
Sounds like the whelping pen wasn't built with bumpers in mind. What the bumpers do is to prevent the mother from rolling on or stepping on the pups.https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...rHbAhUGWa0KHYRSBzQQMwg6KAIwAg&iact=mrc&uact=8

You can make one out of wood. I typically let my females give birth in a kiddie swimming pool and when it's all done, I move all of them to a whelping pen that I designed myself after watching a few YouTube videos. My first catahoula litter had all 14 pups survive.
 
#8 ·
Yes this is her first litter, she’s never aggressive or anything like that she’s always listened well up until now she just kind of does what she wants she’s even been using the bathroom in the house we take her out she will pull back and pee right by the front door which i read was kind of normal to not want to leave the pups but she just doesn’t care i try to sit during feeding and pet her to calm her down she had her paw and weight on the puppy when she got in and the puppy was screaming and i went to move her and she wasn’t trying to move off of it. Idk it’s really frustrating that she’s just not listening.
That happened to my mother's with a chiguagua, she had she killed her first little and killed one of her second my mother took care of the other puppy, she only had two puppies in that little. She was spade after that. And we kept her as a pet.
 
#9 ·
I know this thread is old, I haven't visited the forum for some time. I hope you were able to save your puppies!

There is one thing I'd like to mention for others in this situation - it is possible for a female to be restless and hard to deal with if she has a uterine infection after whelping. The few times I've had females that didn't settle down (back when I was breeding and showing dogs!), they were ill. It's always worth getting the mother checked out if she isn't settling down by an hour or so after the last puppy. She may have another puppy deep inside, or she may have retained placentas. Having her checked out could save her life.

Otherwise, the advice to sit with her while she is nursing and otherwise keep the pups separate until they are bigger is good.

How did it all turn out?
 
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