Just had puppys. Now what? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Rexx · 03-23-2008, 06:30 AM

My yorkie just had puppies. We took her to the vet and he said she was going to have 2 or 3 and that he didnt think and ultrasound or x-ray were necicary. She had her pups at 63 days and ended up having 5 puppys on Saturday... the vet was way off.. All the puppys are doing fine the littlest one was 3 oz she was having a hard time attaching to mom for a while but seems to have it figured out now.

I am hoping that somone can tell me what i should be watching for or maybe point me in the right direction to find some information. Mom really doent like the other dog within eye sight of the puppys so we moved her upstairs (other dog is afraid of the steps). Her puppys cry alot. Is that normal? How much time should she be spending with them? She frequently leaves to go hang out with the family. Any information anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

YorkieAunt · 03-23-2008, 06:39 AM

I'm not a breeder and I am sure some great advice will be along shortly but I just wanted to say welcome to YT and congrats on the babies. Glad to hear that Mom and pups are doing great!

topknot · 03-23-2008, 06:46 AM

My mamas normally stay with them 24/7 the first week till 2 or 3rd week. She will come out more after the pups are a week old. Keep them in a quite, warm room by themselves. Not a good idea to let the others near her or the pups. I have heard stories where the other dogs could kill the pups or the mother of the pups going after the other dogs. I have never seen this, but just to keep mama and pups safe and clam I keep others seperated.
You should make sure the room stays nice and warm - some say 78 F, but that can be too warm. Just keep nice warm and cozy feel, no drawfs - so keep away form any windows during this time of year. Next I keep a heating pad under their bedding on low. But you do have to watch the pad - that it does not get the pups and mom too warm. It can burn them. Some people use a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel. Make sure mama is drinking and eating. She needs lots of rest and nutrition to nurse the pups, especially with 5. Read up on ecampsia - it can start with a large litter like this and you can loose the mom. You can also do a search on YT here about this.
Congratulations!
T.

Rexx · 03-23-2008, 07:01 AM

Thanks for the reply. She originaly had the puppys on the couch it was the only place she would lay down. Fortunately we had plenty of time to cover the couch. We have a heating pad under them already and have been giving her ice cream im going to go make her some chicken now. Im going to try moving her back down stairs to see if she will stay with them more if shes in a room shes more comfortable in.

thanks for the advice

Jody Renfroe · 03-23-2008, 07:17 AM

Welcome to YT and congratulations on your new babies! Please post pictures when you can.

Rexx · 03-23-2008, 07:24 AM

thanks i will.

I moved her down stairs closer to where she had the puppys and moved the boy dog to the basment. Now shes wandering around looking for the other dog and seems to be spending less time with them. Has anyone ever tried a playpen? Im thinking about buy a playpen puting them all in it and taking her out every few hours for food and potty break.

bjh · 03-23-2008, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rexx

thanks i will.

I moved her down stairs closer to where she had the puppys and moved the boy dog to the basment. Now shes wandering around looking for the other dog and seems to be spending less time with them. Has anyone ever tried a playpen? Im thinking about buy a playpen puting them all in it and taking her out every few hours for food and potty break.

Congratulation on your new litter. I hope mom and babies do well. I always keep my new mamma in a exercise pen with the whelping box on one end, food and water in the middle and then potty pads. Make sure the heating pad is just covering half of the whelping box so they can crawl off if they get too hot. If they are warm and fed they should not be crying. The first week mom should be feeding them every hour to every two hours. She should be licking them a lot also. For the momma you need to make sure she is eating about 3 or 4 good meals a day. I always feed mine meals at 7 a.m., 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. She should have dry food always available. Now is the time to add a calcium supplement. The first week you need to keep an eye on her temperature to ensure she is not getting a uterus infection. Also, the next few weeks you will need to watch for mastitis, if the breasts get hard or engorged she will need antibiotics.

hha · 03-23-2008, 07:50 AM

plain yogurt I've heard is probably a lot better for the mama..congrats on your babies..I don't breed, but, I did breed my shih tzu years ago, and she would only leave her babies for a few minutes at a time..just like humans, they know when the babies need fed..

mypreciouspups · 03-23-2008, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rexx

thanks i will.

I moved her down stairs closer to where she had the puppys and moved the boy dog to the basment. Now shes wandering around looking for the other dog and seems to be spending less time with them. Has anyone ever tried a playpen? Im thinking about buy a playpen puting them all in it and taking her out every few hours for food and potty break.

My friend has hers in a playpen right now.. then mom is by everyone else, and yet she is safe with her babies.. I personally have a room for the first 4 weeks. but a playpen will work..make sure there are no drafts at all.. and mom is usually with them 24/7 only leaving to go outside to relieve herself and then back in.. as they get old she will slowly start to leave them longer..
You can also put water and food in the playpen, and maybe a larger bed for the puppies and mom,, then mom can go outside the bed/box to lay alone when babies are sleeping.. I weigh mine daily or more often.. I keep a log of weight also.. and I make sure one is no dehydrating.. or suckling from a empty teat.. this is way I weigh so often also.. peace of mind it gives is great. make sure mom has lots of water and food as babies do take a lot from her..
You know I assume about docking tails and removing dew claws.. I am sure you have called your vet for an appointment for this to be done around day 4.
I always take mom with me, have the vet do one at a time or if they are quick, take all of them and get them back to mom asap so she is not stressed...

francis53 · 03-23-2008, 08:00 AM

I use an xpen for my mamma when she has babies, she seldom leaves her babies the first weeks, except to eat and relieve herself. I put the babies in a box in one end of the pen, and food, water and a puppy pad for mom at the other end. She does not like any other dogs anywhere near her pups, so she stays in the living room which is also gated to keep the other dogs out. My puppies very seldom cry as mom feeds them pretty much round the clock.
Good luck with your puppies

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rexx

thanks i will.

I moved her down stairs closer to where she had the puppys and moved the boy dog to the basment. Now shes wandering around looking for the other dog and seems to be spending less time with them. Has anyone ever tried a playpen? Im thinking about buy a playpen puting them all in it and taking her out every few hours for food and potty break.

Sugar's Mom · 03-23-2008, 08:30 AM

As long as you give her run of the house, she will ignore her babies. You need to get an x-pen or playpen or something to confine her so sshe can't get away from the babies. i do mine the same way someone else mentio ned. i have an x-pen set up with a whelping box in the end for the babies. mama can go no further away than the x-pen walls. the babies are crying because they are hungry and they might be cold. If you can't put a heating pad under the box where they are, then turn your thermostat up and shut the door to the room where they are. Congratulations on the litter.

Rexx · 03-23-2008, 08:40 AM

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice. I do feal much better about it now. Sticking them all in a playpen now.

txshopper73 · 03-23-2008, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rexx

My yorkie just had puppies. We took her to the vet and he said she was going to have 2 or 3 and that he didnt think and ultrasound or x-ray were necicary. She had her pups at 63 days and ended up having 5 puppys on Saturday... the vet was way off.. All the puppys are doing fine the littlest one was 3 oz she was having a hard time attaching to mom for a while but seems to have it figured out now.

I am hoping that somone can tell me what i should be watching for or maybe point me in the right direction to find some information. Mom really doent like the other dog within eye sight of the puppys so we moved her upstairs (other dog is afraid of the steps). Her puppys cry alot. Is that normal? How much time should she be spending with them? She frequently leaves to go hang out with the family. Any information anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Congratulations on the new litter. The first week is very crucial.

First of all, I'd find a new vet...one that is with the times. An x-ray SHOULD have been done to see how many pups and if the bitch would be able to have them without any problems. Since she whelped fine, you are very lucky.

Keep all other dogs away from her and the pups for a while. I've heard of bitches getting into fights and killing pups by accident.

The pups could be crying because they are cold or hungry. Keep a heating pad in the pen, a folded up towel on top of the pad and then the whelping box wtih towel on top of everything else.

5 pups is a lot of pups to have. Make sure that you are giving mom crushes calcium supplement tablets mixed in with canned puppy food. Feed her at least 3 times a day. Remember...whatever mom is eating will be what the pups eat, as well.

With many moms, you have to make them go outside to do their business but then they'll immediately want back in with their pups. As the pups get older, moms will spend less and less time with them.

If you're plannig on docking tails/claws, do it generally 3-5 days old.

bjh · 03-23-2008, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rexx

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice. I do feal much better about it now. Sticking them all in a playpen now.

One word of caution for anyone that has a jumping bean Yorkie mom. Once I had a female that I kept in an exercise pen with her pups. This mom would always get excited when she wanted out of the pen and she would jump up and down. One day when her pups were 5 weeks old we had gone to the store and when we came back Angel was very excited jumping up and down. I immediately noticed one of the puppies was in distress and was gasping for breath. We rushed the puppy to the ER and found out the puppy has a ruptured diaphragm and they were unable to save the puppy. We figured the mom in her excitement of us coming home started jumping up and down and most likely landed dead center in the middle of the puppies stomach causing the diaphragm to rupture. The moral of this story is to always have the puppies located in a place where the mom cannot jump up and down and land on them.

Good luck with you babies.

Woogie Man · 03-23-2008, 10:06 AM

A new mom should be with her pups pretty much around the clock initially except for bathroom breaks and maybe a little free time when the pups are settled down. I use a separate room as a nursery and my new moms don't leave their pups much at all for about the first 2 weeks. The pressure of the milk in their breasts should make them want to nurse if for no other reason than to relieve the pressure. Is it possible your mom doesn't have much milk? I would check this as newborns can go downhill VERY fast. She really can't be allowed to leave the pups as much as it sounds like your mom is doing. You may have to intervene and supplement the pups if they aren't thriving on mom's milk alone. Best of luck to you and your pups.

03-23-2008, 06:30 AM	#1
Rexx Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 11	Just had puppys. Now what? My yorkie just had puppies. We took her to the vet and he said she was going to have 2 or 3 and that he didnt think and ultrasound or x-ray were necicary. She had her pups at 63 days and ended up having 5 puppys on Saturday... the vet was way off.. All the puppys are doing fine the littlest one was 3 oz she was having a hard time attaching to mom for a while but seems to have it figured out now. I am hoping that somone can tell me what i should be watching for or maybe point me in the right direction to find some information. Mom really doent like the other dog within eye sight of the puppys so we moved her upstairs (other dog is afraid of the steps). Her puppys cry alot. Is that normal? How much time should she be spending with them? She frequently leaves to go hang out with the family. Any information anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

03-23-2008, 06:39 AM	#2
YorkieAunt Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Cold Lake, Alberta Canada Posts: 622	I'm not a breeder and I am sure some great advice will be along shortly but I just wanted to say welcome to YT and congrats on the babies. Glad to hear that Mom and pups are doing great! __________________ Diana-Mommy to Tessa ,Harley ,Misty & Boca Post unto others as you would have others post unto you

03-23-2008, 06:46 AM	#3
topknot Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: GA Posts: 3,787	My mamas normally stay with them 24/7 the first week till 2 or 3rd week. She will come out more after the pups are a week old. Keep them in a quite, warm room by themselves. Not a good idea to let the others near her or the pups. I have heard stories where the other dogs could kill the pups or the mother of the pups going after the other dogs. I have never seen this, but just to keep mama and pups safe and clam I keep others seperated. You should make sure the room stays nice and warm - some say 78 F, but that can be too warm. Just keep nice warm and cozy feel, no drawfs - so keep away form any windows during this time of year. Next I keep a heating pad under their bedding on low. But you do have to watch the pad - that it does not get the pups and mom too warm. It can burn them. Some people use a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel. Make sure mama is drinking and eating. She needs lots of rest and nutrition to nurse the pups, especially with 5. Read up on ecampsia - it can start with a large litter like this and you can loose the mom. You can also do a search on YT here about this. Congratulations! T. Last edited by topknot; 03-23-2008 at 06:47 AM.

03-23-2008, 07:01 AM	#4
Rexx Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 11	Thanks for the reply. She originaly had the puppys on the couch it was the only place she would lay down. Fortunately we had plenty of time to cover the couch. We have a heating pad under them already and have been giving her ice cream im going to go make her some chicken now. Im going to try moving her back down stairs to see if she will stay with them more if shes in a room shes more comfortable in. thanks for the advice

03-23-2008, 07:17 AM	#5
Jody Renfroe No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 1,375	Welcome to YT and congratulations on your new babies! Please post pictures when you can.

03-23-2008, 07:24 AM	#6
Rexx Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 11	thanks i will. I moved her down stairs closer to where she had the puppys and moved the boy dog to the basment. Now shes wandering around looking for the other dog and seems to be spending less time with them. Has anyone ever tried a playpen? Im thinking about buy a playpen puting them all in it and taking her out every few hours for food and potty break.

03-23-2008, 07:50 AM	#8
hha No Longer a Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Seneca, SC Posts: 2,837	plain yogurt I've heard is probably a lot better for the mama..congrats on your babies..I don't breed, but, I did breed my shih tzu years ago, and she would only leave her babies for a few minutes at a time..just like humans, they know when the babies need fed..

03-23-2008, 08:30 AM	#11
Sugar's Mom BANNED! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 9,248	As long as you give her run of the house, she will ignore her babies. You need to get an x-pen or playpen or something to confine her so sshe can't get away from the babies. i do mine the same way someone else mentio ned. i have an x-pen set up with a whelping box in the end for the babies. mama can go no further away than the x-pen walls. the babies are crying because they are hungry and they might be cold. If you can't put a heating pad under the box where they are, then turn your thermostat up and shut the door to the room where they are. Congratulations on the litter.

03-23-2008, 08:40 AM	#12
Rexx Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 11	Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice. I do feal much better about it now. Sticking them all in a playpen now.

03-23-2008, 10:06 AM	#15
Woogie Man Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mississippi Posts: 2,564	A new mom should be with her pups pretty much around the clock initially except for bathroom breaks and maybe a little free time when the pups are settled down. I use a separate room as a nursery and my new moms don't leave their pups much at all for about the first 2 weeks. The pressure of the milk in their breasts should make them want to nurse if for no other reason than to relieve the pressure. Is it possible your mom doesn't have much milk? I would check this as newborns can go downhill VERY fast. She really can't be allowed to leave the pups as much as it sounds like your mom is doing. You may have to intervene and supplement the pups if they aren't thriving on mom's milk alone. Best of luck to you and your pups.