Need help with new pup

[Juliesmommy]

By the way her panting has stopped. Baby has put on almost 3 ounces and both he and mommy are quite active.

[JeanieK]

Originally Posted by Juliesmommy

Do I have to dock his tail? Is there a sanitary reason or just cosmetic?

It's just cosmetic. If you're going to do it, it needs to be done on day 3 or 4

[TexasKat08]

Originally Posted by Juliesmommy

By the way her panting has stopped. Baby has put on almost 3 ounces and both he and mommy are quite active.

Yea for you Juliesmommy! I am very impressed you handled this with no prior experience!

[Juliesmommy]

Originally Posted by Woogie Man

The others advice on keeping the pup warm is extremely important to remember. It will be a couple of weeks before he can maintain his body temp. With him being the only one, he doesn't have anyone to snuggle with to keep warm except for his Mom.

Also, do watch out for engorged teats. With only one nursing, she is likely to have this happen. You'll want to watch for lumpy, swollen, hard teats. He probably will pick one or two favorites and the others will not get drained. You can hand express the milk to relieve the pressure and she should be able to self-regulate after that. If not, you may need to express them more.

She doesn't seem to be overly swollen. She is obviously nursing puppy because he's growing. She is venturing more away from puppy but those ears are always at attention listening for him! She does seem rough when she wants to move him. She takes her front feet and looks like she's digging, but she's rolling him. Is that normal? I think it hurts because he squeals when she does it.

[babbsiam44]

I was told that if she keeps moving him that it is a sign that she doesn't feel the are is safe.

Make sure that the area that she and her puppies are in is draft free and not a lot of noise. You need to keep her in one area only do not let her move the puppies. You need to put up a pen to keep her in that one area.