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HELP My Female Yorkie does not want to feed her babies as much~! Help is needed. Can anyone please tell me if it is okay for my female Yorkie to not want to be in the whelping box with her babies all the time? She had her litter of 5 on the 23rd of September. I am a little nervous that she is going to stop nursing the puppies! She likes to lay on the couch. She sometimes will lay on the outside of her box, but not inside with her babies? Her babies as of now are gaining weight, however she just started to act like this! I am scared. Can anyone PLEASE advise me?? Shannon |
Yes, for the first several days Zoe wouldn't leave the puppies at all. But after the first week or so, she started to spend more and more time away from them. But I know she was doing a good job because they were not crying at all and if they did she immediately went to take care of them. Is that what's going on with yours? If so, I wouldn't worry about it at all. |
Well yes and no. Lola will go into her box when they do cry, however not all the time will she. I just placed her in her box and when her babies latched on for about 3 minutes she got up and moved to the other side of the box. They followed her to the other side where they latched on for about 2 minutes and she moved again. Now, I have 1 puppy sleeping on her and 1 nursing, I will have to go and check to see the status now, however it is stressing me out terribly!!!!!!! The puppies seem to be okay for now, but I am so worried about the days to come????? Will she just go cold turkey on her babies? Why? How can I stop this from happening??!! H-E-L-P |
By the way~ She has 5 babies! |
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What you must remember is that mother's milk only lets down every 2 hours....if pups are gaining so, all is well. Your concern should be for mom....with 5 pups taking so much out of her she could be a prime case for eclampsia. As pups grow.....moms spend less and less time with feeding their pups, that where you step in and offer food. |
Is this her first litter? and how old is she? |
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They stay with them non-stop for the 1st 3 days, then slowly take time away from them. Just keep an eye on them, I'm sure they'll be fine. |
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To the original poster please disregard my post Her behavior does not sound normal..... However, if the pups are gaining and not crying they are getting fed. I've seen this behavior in some girls that have not been confined prior to whelping. I know it's difficult for some to do this, but she must be kept with the pups. |
Wow, thank you for the all the responses. Yes, they are only 9 days old. I do weigh them every morning and every night. As of right now, they are gaining weight. It just seems that Lola is getting less interested in them. I do give Lola calcium pills from the vet. I make sure she is fully fed and content. This is her second litter and I am done! She is done! Lola is about 2.5 years old. Her first litter, she stopped nursing at 3 weeks. She had a litter of 3. Three weeks was not too bad, but I was home all day and night to suppliment the feedings. Now, I am working and do not know what I will do if this happens. I can not express enough that I am terrified that she will just STOP! Thank you to all of you who have responded to this thread. It sure does help knowing that there is help out there! So, THANKS in a BIG way! |
Thak you Mary. Should I make her whelping box smaller? Maybe so she has no choice in getting up and moving? I just do not want to frce her too much or do I? I am scared! |
Thank you Mary. Should I make her whelping box smaller? Maybe so she has no choice in getting up and moving? I just do not want to force her too much or do I? I am scared! |
My females start spending more time away from the babies when they are 9 days old. Laying outside the box is normal. As long as the pups are gaining and not crying then I think everything is fine. Mom does need to be confined in a x-pen or small area where she will ear her pups if they need her. Once the pups start walking I think it is best to setup the x-pen where mom can get away from the pups if she wants to. Once my momma's pups are about a week old the mommas are ready to come out in the living room for short periods so I will get them out of the puppy room for a short while. That gives the momma chance to run around a little and stretch her legs. Momma dogs have a lot responsibility in raising their pups so it is important that the momma get lots of love and attention too. |
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Hopefully you can keep her nursing until the pups are 3 weeks of age...at that point they can lap from a plate. |
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Hi Mardelin, i would love to see pics of ur whelping area =) to the op: sounds like she is taking breaks, but as long as things are going smoothly. gaining weight, they should be fine (who wouldnt want breaks with 5 babies..LOL) and congrats! |
Okay, my whelping box is on the larger side and I have an x-pen around it as well. However, I do keep 1 of the x-pen sides open when I get up in the morning to let her have a little space. Is this okay? Or should I always keep the x-pen closed? Even at that she can still lay outside the box between the box and x-pen. I am seriously wondering if the whelping box is too large? It is a garment box that you would buy if you were movig. I had my dad fancy it all up, but I am thinking maybe it's too big? Can anyone advise me if I should contain Lola to a smaller whelpiong area? Thanks again for all the support! |
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i think your set up is great..thats how i do mine...except i dont leave a panel out...cause my female just jumps it anyways =) i wouldnt be concerned unless the babies seem to be suffering and it sounds like they arent right now and are still thriving |
My Lacey had 4 babies Sept 9 and she did the exact same thing. I was really worried and everyone here assured me that this was normal and they were right. My babies continued to gain weight and are all doing great. I think mom is in there more than we realize and I think the babies begin to nurse more effectivly and are more productive so they don't eat as often? Lacey is still very protective though if we walk towards her room she will run ahead and watch our every move. So I know she still has interest in taking care of her babies. I think they just still need all the love and attention they had prior to having babies and just need some time away. |
Our Hannah weaned hers and she was in and out of her bedroom constantly. The pups are healthy as can be. Around 5 weeks we started offering them so bil-jac and diluted goats milk. We just let the mom wean them naturally. I think one of the little boys actually liked the Bil-Jac better. Hehe Nina If you have anymore questions you can email me, I'd be glad to help. I started w/yorkies about 10 years ago and I met several helpful people along the way that weren't critical and were sweet and helpful. |
My mothers will do the same thing during the second week. Keep in mind that as the pups get stronger, they can drain the milk in a matter of 3 to 4 minutes of nursing. Is she licking them and cleaning them? Is she coming to check on them often? If so, then she is just taking a break from motherhood duties and I wouldn't worry about it. |
I know I'm a few days later in reading this post but in addition to all the great info you've been given, I would check the puppies toe nails. I have had some girls that are very sensitive and if any pups have the least but of sharp to their nails they will do exactly what your dam is doing. Let them nurse for a couple of mins. the move away. After I clip the nails they are usually allowed to nurse longer. Hope the mom & her babies are doing well. |
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