Tag: puppies

Whelping Puppies

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is not something I was prepared for as a rescue foster.

Our latest foster guest, Ivy, was found stray with two 5 month old puppies, so we were a bit surprised to realize that she was pregnant. I could feel that Ivy’s abdomen was large and firm already on the 2nd day she was with us. My gut feeling told me that we were about to embark on a new experience in fostering – bonus puppies. It turns out that whelping is much easier than I had expected, and we have learned a lot along the way.

Our vet guesstimated that Ivy was about 30 days pregnant, or halfway through her gestation (the average is 64 days). As Ivy got closer and closer to giving birth, we made lots of preparations and she settled in and let us know that she needed her own space. She become restless and irritable around the other dogs, so we repurposed our media room into a nursery and moved Ivy in.  

During the first 5 weeks of a dog’s pregnancy, there are few physical changes. After Ivy’s 5th week, there was noticeable weight gain. With smaller litters there may be little weight gain until the very end of gestation. Ivy was quite obviously pregnant, so perhaps we should have known that she was carrying more than 2 or 3 puppies, but we think she is a Chihuahua mix and we expected a small litter. In the last few weeks, I could feel her puppies moving and kicking. She developed a lovely waddle.

Our nursery is a small room at the back of the house that is just wide enough for a couch and twice as long. It is a cozy space, and, importantly, the only room available that can be closed off, safe and quiet. We made a whelping box from a kit that I ordered. Dogs can give birth in a baby pool or a cardboard box. We went with an easy to keep clean vinyl whelping box that would be a safe place for Ivy’s puppies through weaning. This is the Cadillac option, but something tells me we will be doing this again in the coming years.

To prepare myself for the exciting moment, I watched a few dozen YouTube videos on whelping puppies and I ordered the Bare Bones Basic Whelping Kit for up to 8 Puppies on Amazon (which provided all of the intervention materials necessary if Ivy did not do all of the work during delivery.)

I was anxious to know when the puppies would arrive. My husband was due to leave town for work and I was strongly hopeful that he would be with us for the big event. One way to tell that a dog is ready to give birth is to take her temperature. A drop in temperature to 97-98 degrees Fahrenheit, indicates the puppies will arrive within 12-24 hours. Ivy let us know that she was very much not okay with the rectal thermometer. Rather than have a bite, I relented. Other indications are decreased appetite and vomiting. Ivy skipped her meals and vomited on the last day of her pregnancy.

I knew that Ivy was getting really close when I saw her digging through the layers of blankets in her whelping box, making a little safe nest for herself. I decided to sleep on the couch that night to be close to her. There was no actual sleep that night. Ivy stayed on the couch with me, restless, until her first puppy was delivered around 11pm. Ivy delivered five of her six puppies next to me on our leather couch. So much for the whelping box. She was comfortable there, close to me. I have to say, as a mother of two, she made it look easy. Her tail would raise when she was having a contraction and pushing, a puppy in a sac would appear suddenly, she broke and consumed each sac, cut each cord and licked each puppy to stimulate breathing and each puppy immediately began to nurse.

We were prepared to breaks sacs and cut cords, but in the end, Ivy handled everything on her own. She was very efficient.

Ivy’s first five puppies came about 15 to 30 minutes apart. The last puppy came after an hour. I was very concerned before doing this about how we would know when she was done and no more puppies were coming. I read that if there is pushing, grunting and crying that lasts over an hour with no puppy in sight, its time to get to your vet. Ivy had a normal, quiet delivery. By 2am, we had six lovely puppies, around 8 ounces each. It was really beautiful to watch.

There are situations where you need to assist a dog in whelping puppies. If your dog does not tear open the sac within a few minutes, you will have to do it for her, or the puppy will die from suffocation. Have a clean cloth ready. You will need to rub the puppy vigorously, but not roughly, to allow circulation to start. Have a bulb syringe on hand in order to clear the airways if the puppy does not start to breathe on its own.

If your dog doesn’t cut the umbilical cord, you will need to tie it off with dental floss or thread about 1 inch from the pup’s body, and then tie a second knot further away from the body. Using clean scissors, cut the cord half an inch from the body, between these 2 knots.

Newborn puppies cannot regulate their own heat. We kept a small heater in the nursery and kept the temperature at 85 degrees. You can also place the puppies on a heating pad set on low and covered with a towel. We kept the room very warm for the first weeks, gradually lowering the temperature until the puppies had grown and could keep warm on their own.

Ivy was a wonderful mom. She did everything just right. My job was just to feed her 3 times her normal amount so that she could produce enough milk, and keep the whelping box clean. We changed the blankets once or twice a day and weighed the puppies morning and night to make sure that every pup was gaining weight properly.

Ivy’s puppies were all latching on and sucking from the start, but Ivy was not producing enough milk. We took mom and pups to the vet where Ivy was given Estrogen shots for 2 days to help her milk come in. I was bottle feeding the puppies with puppy formula every 2-3 hours for the first days and then Ivy took over. As long as a puppy was gaining weight each day, they nursed on mom only. If a puppy had not gained weight over the course of 24 hours, we supplemented with bottle feeding. I also rearranged the puppies sometimes so that the smaller puppies were nursing on the back teats where there is a greater milk supply. My daughter helped out with bottles.

Between 4 and 5 weeks, we decided to start giving the puppies soft food, because as they were rapidly growing, Ivy could not keep up with producing enough milk. I soaked puppy kibble in puppy formula and transitioned to dry kibble over the following weeks. Ivy weaned the puppies on her own schedule, gradually eating less herself, and pushing the puppies away when they tried to nurse on her.

This entire experience has been amazing. I’m impressed with Ivy’s mothering skills. The puppies are 8 weeks old tomorrow and ready for their own forever homes. Puppies need to stay with their mommas for at least 8 weeks while they earn how to dog. Ivy has been a great teacher. These are great dogs.

I expected that this whole process would be a lot more work. Having the whelping box with a separate section where we placed a fake grass puppy potty training pad made everything very easy to keep clean. I laundered the blankets daily and my husband hosed off the potty pads daily (it helps to have more than 1). Armed with Lysol wipes, I wiped down the vinyl whelping box and the rubber floor mats underneath it. We used very few disposable puppy pads. Puppies like to chew and tear them and it makes a mess.

Once the puppies were walking, they slept in the whelping box overnight and spent their days playing in the nursery, so I put down a potty pad, some toys, a water bowl, and I wiped down the wood floors daily. Ivy had a couch that she could retreat to when she needed a break.

The puppies had a teepee to play and nap in. I couldn’t resist.

The puppies had their 1st set of immunizations* at 6 weeks and were dewormed several times. It is important that puppies who are not fully vaccinated do not play outside in the grass where they can be exposed to many germs and parasites. Their immune system is still not fully developed. They will get their 2nd shots at 12 weeks and the 3rd set at 16 weeks. *DHLPP (distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvo, and parainfluenza).

Here they are – heading out into the world one by one beginning today.

Miss Ivy will be starting heartworm treatment and crate rest as soon as all of her puppies have moved into their own forever homes. Once she is healthy, she will be spayed and ready for her own forever home.

www.talepawsrescue.org to ADOPT

Are you actually ready for a dog?

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Well, life has been a whirlwind of sorts since Harvey arrived and left. New Orleans was prepared for the worst and we ended up with a non-event. That is great; it allows us to help out our neighbors in western Louisiana and TX. I am not a member of the Cajun Navy, and we don’t have a boat, but we do what we can and we support those doing more than we can!

One of the rescues that we are proud to work with, Take Paws, has joined forces with The Inner Pup to help as many dogs as possible in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.  Determined to leave no dog behind, they reacted to shelters being evacuated because of flooding by building a new one. Among others, they have taken in five pregnant dogs that were being shuffled around because of the storm. Volunteers are working diligently to give these stressed dogs a safe place where they will be cared for until they can find their forever homes. Thank God for the people that step up. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With so many dogs needing homes, 
how do you decide if bringing a 
dog home is right for your family? 

After a crazy summer with 8 to 9 dogs in the house at a time, we had finally scaled down to a more reasonable 5. It was nice. It was easy. But rescuing is what I love doing, so I chose to help out by taking in more foster dogs. We took in Murray, our yellow lab from Ascension Parish, and 8-week-old lab-mix puppies, Marshall and Rocky, from Nola Lab Rescue. We also took in Lewis, our adorable dachshund-mix pup from Zeus Rescues. Lewis was evacuated from flooding in St. Landry Parish. He was one of several transports of dogs and cats that Zeus’s took in. I went to their facility to pick a dog to foster. I was just about to grab a little black lab puppy when Lewis caught my eye. He gave me a pleeeaase take me home with you look, and it worked. So, woohoo, 9 dogs again, and rain, and mud! What fun! 🙂

 

If you are considering fostering or adopting a dog, how do you know if you are ready? What should you do to get ready?

You may picture yourself snuggling up with a puppy on the couch, taking long walks, playing fetch. You will have all of that, but there are other things that you need to be prepared for as well– pee, poo, and muddy paws, even worms. There are unexpected veterinary costs. There is begging for food and teething, and sometimes chewed shoes or furniture. Dogs have personalities and needs that you may not expect.  Today we had one adopted dog returned and one about to be adopted dog left behind because it wasn’t going too work out. If you or someone that you know are thinking about getting a dog, see below.

The little puppies that we took in, Rocky and Marshall, were scared of the big dogs when they first arrived, so we set them up in a pen in a separate room and over two days we slowly brought in one dog at a time to meet them while they adjusted to life in a new place away from their momma. By day 3, they were fully integrated into the pack. It just took a little time and patience. Puppies require a lot of work – and potty training – but they are also so much fun! They snuggle up on you and make everything in the world ok. I highly recommend fostering and adopting  puppies; just have lots of paper towels and Lysol wipes on hand, be prepared to take them outside often, and praise them like it’s a miracle if they pee or poo on the grass. Don’t feed them from the table if you don’t want to face years of a dog begging at the table. Set limits and be consistent.

Young puppies are little and cute. Its easy to forgive their little transgressions.  Murray is a big puppy. He looks like a full grown Lab at 45 lbs. but still behaves like a puppy. He is less than a year old. Labrador Retrievers are basically puppies for their first three years. They are active, teething, and testing limits. They are also very intelligent, trainable, loyal companions. They are worth the effort. You just have to know what you are getting into. Know the breed and be prepared. It takes patience. It’s like having children (that don’t talk back, but do pee on the floor). Just like you have to be prepared to welcome a new baby home, you have to be prepared to welcome a new dog. I am constantly amazed by people who abandon their dogs at the shelter because they have too many potty accidents (you have to train them), chew on furniture (give them appropriate chew toys, and train them), chase chickens (OMG, they are dogs, check your breed if you have chickens!). My personal favorite is, “we are having a baby next week, this dog has to go now” (hello, most dogs are great with babies, very loving and protective, but they are NEVER disposable family members). Most dog issues can be fixed with training, and it is not difficult to do. It requires consistency and a little patience, just like good parenting.

Today is Saturday, Rocky and Marshall were both adopted at the end of the week, but Marshall has just returned to the Cecchine Hotel for Dogs. Even though we do interviews and check references and do home visits, people are not always prepared for the realities of having a dog. Marshall was returned to us because he had two potty accidents. Two! He is a 9-week-old puppy who was in a brand new place. Accidents happen. He has been working very hard on potty training, but he is still learning. So, back he comes. We have another potential adopter excited to meet him on Sunday. Paws crossed.

This morning it was Murray’s turn to meet potential adopters. He was so excited! Murray’s potential adopter was very excited to meet him too. She has an 11-year-old Lab and two 8-year-old Shitzus and she is ready for a younger dog to join her pack. She spent about an hour at The Cecchine Hotel for Dogs, but left without Murray. He is an eager, excited, active, big puppy. He even peed on the floor in the house and jumped on her just in case she didn’t know what to expect from him. She realized that Murray was going to be too much for her calmer, older dogs. Labs are a handful when they are young. The thing is, she met everybody here, and she and her daughter just fell in love with Lewis, the dachshund-mix. I think he gave her that same pleeeaase take me home with you look. Lewis is around 1 year old, we think, but MUCH calmer than his foster brother Murray. He is great with all of the dogs. He crawled right up onto her lap and kissed her, a lot. It looks like she will apply to adopt Lewis instead. He is here with me at least until he gets neutered next Friday. Paws crossed, he will have a forever home after that! I am going to miss him. He is an awesome dog. We are happy that the family found a dog that will fit with their lifestyle.

We aren’t sad for Murray, we will find him a great home. We will continue to work with him on peeing outside (and we will keep cleaning the carpet). We will love him and care for him as long as he needs us, and we will make sure that his adopters are ready for his level of puppy-ness. He is a great dog. Murray needs an active family that will smile at his little faux pas and help him to become the properly behaved Lab that he can be. He just needs time, patience, and more training.

We may be getting a 4-month-old lab this week who will be adopted by the parents of one of my foster lab adopters! She will be going to North Carolina for her happily ever after in a few weeks. For now she is with another foster.

This is how we help. One dog at a time. It feels great to do it, and I’m happy to share that I have inspired two others to start fostering as well. Be a helper, in whatever way you can. You never know when you will be the one in need of help and it will come back to you.

If you are thinking of getting a dog, be prepared. Be honest with yourself. Are you ready for a very active puppy or does a couch potato better fit your lifestyle? There are plenty of older, calmer dogs who need a home. If you have your heart set on a young dog, ask yourself a few questions.

  • Am I willing to clean up potty accidents? (over-and-over-and-over until they get it…)
  • Am I okay with minor furniture damage? Just like with young kids. Teething dogs and really nice furniture are not a good match.
  • Am I going to freak out if the dog digs up my garden? This can be mitigated in several ways: vigilance, keeping watch and redirecting if digging occurs, and also by burying some poo where they have been digging. They will generally not mess with that area again.
  • Are my kids ready for a teething, jumping puppy? Those little teeth and nails are sharp. Puppies need lots of teething toys. Redirect.
  • Do I have legos and stuffed animals and toys with small pieces in my house? A swallowed piece of Lego can lead to a costly visit to the vet. Dogs don’t know the difference between a favorite child’s toy and a dog toy. You can use baby gates to keep dogs out of children’s play areas.
  • Do I like to vacuum/am I ready for the reality of shedding? Think about the breed. We once had a Siberian Husky that shed as much as 4 or 5 labs.
  • Am I ready to deal with a dog jumping on me? Teaching basic good manners requires persistence and patience. I have a two year old that still jumps on people that she’s happy to see.
  • Do I want to wake up early to take the dog out? Is there an morning person in the house who is willing to do this? Puppies don’t generally sleep in. They will whine and bark because they need to go outside.
  • Am I willing to play with the dog and walk it so that it gets the necessary exercise, even if its raining – freezing – or hotter than hell out? A bored dog or a dog that is crated for too long can turn destructive.
  • Who is going to watch the dog if I travel? Boarding a dog is not cheap and can be stressful for your dog.
  • How much do I think this dog is going to cost? Food, leashes, collars, toys. They have routine vet bills and need monthly preventative medecine and they can be expensive. It’s a good idea to get pet insurance to cover the non-routine, bigger expenses that can pop up.

These are all things to think about. Dogs are a big commitment. They are a part of the family. Think about your lifestyle and how much you are or are not willing to change it for a dog. A pet is a commitment. Are you ready to commit?

If you are, that’s great. If not, that’s okay too. I lived without dogs for a very long time because I was working long hours/ then moving countries too often/ then I had young children. Pets did not fit my lifestyle. They do now. I’m so happy to be settled down in one place with a whole, big, happy pack of dogs!