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Originally Posted by pokumon  Thank you jadecomputergal,
She's about 4lbs max, and the male is about 5lbs max.
I don't know what to do now... It's 3:30am here, and everyone's sleeping. I've been watching over her since 9pm. I think she was only carrying 2 pups, but she's still panting after giving birth to the second one. I felt her belly to see if there was another one, and I didn't feel anything. I just worried because she's still panting. Also, we took away the first one that didn't make it, and she seemed like she was looking for it. I left the second one on the warm pad in the room where she gave birth. She's been going to it and licking it, I'm guessing in hopes for it to be alive? She's been kinda protective of the room too. I kept the door closed to the room, and she tries to enter the room frequently. Should I take away the second pup that didn't make it? I don't want to go to sleep because I want to make sure she's ok. I've been giving her lots of water and taking her out to pee frequently.
She had such a struggle in my opinion when she was giving birth. Should I have not watched over her and just let her do her thing? I'm just second guessing everything that happened tonight because both puppies didn't make it... I know she's going to freak out when she realizes that both of her pups are not around. She's been really mean toward the male also. How long should I keep them seperated? I'm inexperienced, and the rest of my family know less than I do. I guess that plus the female being so young was a disaster waiting to happen. I'm not sure if I can even sleep tonight.
Sorry for the rant, but I really don't know what to do. I even thought about taking her earlier to an emergency vet. Should I take her to her usual vet tomorrow to check if everything is ok with her? Thanks again. |
I think it was great that you were there. You really always should be, but especially in the case of a dog that's really too young and too small to breed. Many people have c-sections in that case, simply because it's a more controlled and less dangerous situation.
I have no doubt that she's looking for her puppies. Dogs are much smarter than most people give them credit for. She knows she had puppies, and she knows they aren't there now. She may behave oddly for the next few days. Dogs grieve just as people do, they just don't do it for as long as humans do.
I'm sure you've removed the second pup by now. It was a good idea to let her look it over so she could satisfy herself that the pup just didn't make it. This part is just opinion, but I don't think even inviable animals should immediately be taken from the mother. The mother needs some time to nuzzle it and see that it really is gone. On the other hand, you don't leave them there long. I don't want to get you or anyone else all grossed out, but non-living animals begin to decay and form harmful bacterias very quickly. You don't want to expose the dog to that risk.
There are dog toys like this
Comfort Pal - Ultra-Soft Plush Terrier with Digital Mother's Heartbeat that may comfort her. All the ones I've seen are advertised for soothing a puppy that is taken away from its mother, but I've seen some posts on other sites that say they're great for dogs that have lost their litters as well. Some breeders I know just use a very small hot water bottle. Having something warm to curl up with seems to soothe the dog's anxiety. If you go that route, you'll want to keep the water in it warm, but not hot. It shouldn't be hotter than 102 degrees at the start, and of course it will cool and need to be reheated.
I hope the vet gives her a clean bill of health and everything is okay. The thought of any little furbaby being sick makes me very sad.