new user, need advice
 

hi new user/kind of new to yorkies (been around significant others family yorkies for over a year on and off). so im kind of being thrust into a pickle thats not in anyway my fault but i want to make the best of it.

so long story short, their family yorkies were left alone due to whatever reasons and we found them tied up a few months back (1 male, 1 female). we were hoping for false pregnancy but i never really heard if they found out if it was or not until a few days ago when i got back in town. now i found out shes due this week and not much has been done to prepare her for her first liter. now being a broke college kid, i really cant help out with the expensive parts of the puppy birthing process (i did some research) but im just asking what to expect or any tips to look for. i want to make a whelping box for her and help make sure the puppies are ok because im going to probably end up having to take one to my house when they are old enough to leave (plus i want one). so im just nervous/curious because i have a feeling the puppies will come when im one of the only people around

How sad that they have not tried to prepare... the only thing I would think of is to make sure they have a good vet and maybe even see if the vet would whelp the litter if they are not interested in learning themselves....

A small breed dog that is going to whelp, well it is not something you want to allow happen on her own.

TJD had a god idea to see if the vet can take over the whelping. There are many threads on here in the breeders section, but seriously I doubt you could get yourself ready to help in any truly viable way.

I feel sorry for that female

Hello and welcome, yes you should get someone that is experienced in whelping, so many things can go wrong, contact the vet please.

I am not a breeder, nor have I ever bred any dogs before, but I do enjoy educating myself and I have learned a ton of stuff from the Breeding section here. I would check that out and as the others have said, see if your vet or even a vet tech can assist in any way. Good luck! And I almost forgot, welcome!

If nothing else go online and find some information on how to assist a mother dog that is having puppies. You or they need to know what signs to watch for to know if the mother is in trouble and when to get her to the vet. Read as much as you can and if you can find someone locally that has some kind of experience helping with puppies get them to help if possible. There is a certain amount of equipment that you are going to need. You should be able to find that info online.

i just feel bad for the puppy. this wasnt supposed to happen and im afraid for the worst even though i guess it could go fine. her parents dont seem worried since they have dealt with larger dogs and their puppies but this situation isnt the same

How old is the female? you said puppy and that really worries me.

she is a year old

They def need to take her to see the vet & get x-rays to see how many pups & how big they are as she could very well need a C-section. Breeding small dogs is nothing the same as large dogs & they need to know what to watch for & they need to know where the nearest ER is in case she has trouble in the middle of the night as if she gets a pup stuck in the middle of the night, she & the pups will most likely not live to see morning. You need to do your best to educate them on the dif in small vs large & the complications that can & often do happen with little dogs.

i have brought up taking her to the vet to get xrays and all of that and i just keep hearing how they have done this before (with larger dogs) and nothing has happened.

i guess im just looking for tips at this point on worry signs, things to look forward, etc. they are content with just letting it happen which is why im worrying more now

You may get more of a response and help with your questions if you post this in the Breeder thread. Also, search the breeders thread to see if there is any information that would be helpful.

You dont' have much time to prepare. You might want to get on the phone with a vet that can maybe direct you to a local breeder in your area that may be willing to help or assist you with the whelping / birth.

Have the number for an emergency vet's office on hand just in case.

Here are a few goo sites to look into:

Canine Reproduction Video and Book on Breeding and Whelping dogs by Debbie Jensen for dog breeders and Whelping Supplies needed to deliver puppies.

Whelping (Giving Birth) in Dogs

ok, let's take it from the begining, you need to get ready at least with the essentials..
a small whelping box is about 6.00, go to walmart and buy a storage container, cut a door on the side, like this http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/IMG_0308.jpg

sorry my dog is in my lap and pushed the enter botton..LOL ok, now that you have an idea about the box, for a mattress you can use a washed old blanket, pillow or a doggy bed. make sure everything is washed well in hot water with a bit of bleach.
you need at least the bare whelping necessities, dull scissors, unflavored dental floss, alcohol, betadine and a few small towels, you can take an old towel and cut it into several small pieces.
she is due in a week, so YOU if you can't find an experience breeder have to have a crash course in whelping 101. an x ray would be great to make sure you know how many puppies she is having and if her pelvic bone is big enogh for the puppies to pass . you also NEED a tube of Oracal plus, she NEEDS her calcium after she gives birth, she can die if her calcium goes low while nursing the puppies. Whelping is very risky for mom, you can loose her and or her puppies,so you need to be very vigilant.
If you pm me your phone number I can call you and we can talk about it more.. in the meantime, feed her puppy kibble for the rest of her pregnancy, make sure she is confortable, no rough playing. and get the box and the basic supplies going..
hugs,

Oral cal plus- This is a MUST have when you have a lactating girl.
Breeders' Edge&#174 Oral Cal Plus | Revival Animal Health

thanks for the advice. we set up a whelping area last night and i should be able to pick up most of the supplies. been doing a lot of reading on everything. found out that today is her "due" date. they found them tied up a few times so it might not be, but i guess it also might be. ill keep updates going.

Do you think they will spay and neuter these dogs after this experience?

Your such a nice person to go though so much trouble to assure she is taken care of during her whelp. I'm concerned thou about her wanting to care for the pups properly do to her age, she's just a pup herself. It's important that you help get the family prepared and aware of what needs to be done just in case you are not there or available at the time she is whelping / having the pups.

You may want to do some research on what to expect with a young maiden. (meaning: first time dam/bitch)

I'm learning some new things here on YT myself , thanks Carmen ;)

I do hope that the family is more careful the next time. Maybe having one or the other fixed would be a good idea.

Due date: You should go the date of the first tie. Be sure that you or someone is taking and logging her temperature. Below is what to expect with temp change.

Canine Reproduction Video and Book on Breeding and Whelping dogs by Debbie Jensen for dog breeders and Whelping Supplies needed to deliver puppies.

Welcome to YT...this is certainly the place to garner a wealth of information! Now....the problem at hand! The operative phrase you use here is......"being a broke college kid....."! God bless you for having the courage and compassion to try to take this challenge on, but this could very well turn out to be a disaster, an EXPENSIVE disaster. My advise to you.....try to get a vet to whelp these babies for you. Perhaps you can find a vet tech that will take the momma and assist in the whelp, in exchange for a puppy, for her to keep. Momma can not be left alone during this time, leading up to when she whelps, because you do not have a definate delivery date....if you leave her alone, and she gets into trouble you will loose the whole shooting match, momma and babies as well. She doesnt deserve that! I am really impressed with your committment to face this task and help this momma, but you have GOT to know your limitations.....and you are possibly in WAY over your head, my dear. Try to get someone with expertise in whelping....this is not something you learn in a couple of hours, and this is not the time to be doing "hands on learning".... Good luck and please keep us updated on what you decide to do, as well as how things go for you and the momma.

Just checking, wondering how things are going, looking for updates. So many uncertainties. I hope there are no issues and when the blessed event occurs, everything is okay. I would not want to have to 'cram' to catch up enough to 'help out' in such a situation, especially if it was not my dog and the decisions were not truly mine to make. I wish you all the best in your endeavor and would like to hear of the outcome...including pix of mom and pups. :D

sorry for the lack of updates, i came to their house this morning after seeing a friend and the house alarm was going off for no reason so i had to fix it... idk how long it had been going off but it made things hectic in a way.

so far we have had no puppies and shes shown no signs of going into labor soon. her tummy gets bigger every day. we set up an area for her to whelp which is lined with blankets and is big enough for her and her puppies and tall enough for only her to be able to get out.

yeah the "due" date they calculated was based off when the her signs started showing bad i guess.

to answer the are they going to spay question, im not sure. they got the female because the male was a stud dog with the previous owner, so they wanted puppies in a few years or so. this just was allowed to happen earlier then they wanted (still not saying its right because this situation would have probably happened again in a year if it didnt happen now).

hopefully they will come around and want to take her to the vet. i keep bringing it up but they seem to not think they need to. im just hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. hopefully not the worst but at least preparing for what we can

I don't know how you know these people but this dog does need to go to the vet before the puppies for a check up and X-rays as well as after the pups are born. Sounds to me like these people want the puppies to make money well puppies who are from a non health checked parents and don't have AKC papers are not worth much so maybe you should inform them of that. Does the mother even have shots and had any vet care? If not these puppies could really have some issues. I would take the dog to a rescue or a vet myself. I pray that something dosent go wrong and I pray they have a hard time selling the pups so maybe they won't breed anymore.

I hope they are prepared for the vet bills that a problem delivery could bring about. Depending on your area a C section could cost hundreds to over a thousand dollars. Any dog can have problems whelping but little dogs are much more prone to have problems.These people do not seem to be aware of the gravity of this situation. If you calculate from the first mating you will be within two days of the delivery date usually. If they continued to mate throughout her heat cycle you could be looking at some immature puppies being born that may not survive. She also could have a very large litter which also decreases chances of survival.

This little dog is too young to be bred to begin with. If they could not prevent a breeding this time they will not be able to prevent a breeding next time she goes into heat......should she survive this. How many litters do they think this little girl can crank out? A large litter also increases the chance that she could have calcium issues after delivery......also very serious and can be fatal. This is such a sad situation.

[QUOTE=chillcrunk10;3875216]...yeah the "due" date they calculated was based off when the her signs started showing bad i guess.../QUOTE]

Do you happen to know:
.....What kind of calculation did they use?
.....What signs did they go by?
.....Are they planning to have someone with her 24x7 until she welps?

I am also not sure what is meant by "started showing bad"...maybe it's just that word "bad" that is disconcerting for me.

Please correct me if I am wrong in my assumptions of when she is believed to be due, but because pregnancy from the first tie would be a longer time than from "when the her signs started showing bad"...without an ultrasound or something, do you think they are just guessing?

Please forgive the implications here...I mean no disrespect, but since you said you saw one tie, shouldn't they have based their calculations at least off that date...unless they knew of an earlier tie...assuming, of course, they made note of your observations at all? Wouldn't that give them a more accurate due date estimation? How will they know if/when she's 'in trouble' under such conditions? Not all females show the same signs or at the same times...just like humans. I understand she is not your dog and you are just trying to help...I am just wondering...and concerned! I would not want this to be an exercise in tragic futility for lack of accuracy.

It's one thing to rescue a pregnant stray or feral and have to wonder/watch/guess just exactly when they are due to welp. From what I understand, this is more of a planned-to-happen-but-unmonitored situation, or perhaps even a not-really-caring-exactly-when event. Again, no disrespect is intended...it's just my questioning nature. :p

I wish you the best of luck in this uncertain, somewhat scary, situation. I hope the little lady can truly do this alone...she may have to, from the sounds of things.

I imagine this poor baby is gonna be bred again as soon as she goes into heat again if she makes it through this whelping and that is very much not good for her and I feel so bad for her.

I see things like this and my heart just breaks....my family tells me I cant save every single Yorkie out there, from uninterested or just plain ignorant owners.....and while that may be true, it does not stop the heartache....PLEASE, YOU TAKE THIS DOG TO THE VET BEFORE SHE ENDS UP IN AN EMERGENCY, WITH A VET BILL NO ONE WANTS TO PICK UP.....AND A DOG THAT ENDS UP DYING, TRYING TO DELIVER ALONE. At the very least, have xrays done so you know size, number and position of the babies.....and if I was in the situation you are in with this dog, I would count 62 days from the date you saw that tie, and I am sorry, gonna draw a barrage of fire for this, but I would do a c-section and have the babies delivered, depending on how large they look on xray. Rather than let this momma get into trouble and require an emergency c-section at an emergency clinic in the middle of the night....(where it is going to cost you about TWICE what a vet would cost...), and risk loosing the momma and the babies as well, I would instead, have a "controlled crash".....but that is just me. This is your least expensive option, unless she is a free whelper.....you should BE so lucky!

Good luck. I whelped three times and was very lucky never any issues. So it does happen. But it seems there are lots of sad whelping stories.. Do not be afraid to call the vet and ask questions. Carmen has great information for you. It's going to happen now you just have to go forward and make it as good for this dog as you can. She is lucky you care enough to be getting the stuff together and educate yourself. Thanks for that.

I'm sorry that your friends are putting you in this position. What are they going to do if she gets a puppy stuck or something and needs a c-section?:eek: I hope and pray that they'll do the right thing by this baby girl. Thank you for all you're doing to try to help her:love:

well some progress has been made. ive been talking to the owners and they are now saying after this they are getting the dogs fixed. trying to look at this as an optimistic step. still extremely worried. we've been finding milk on her under side as well as her just cleaning herself alot. i need to get a thermometer

You really must figure out her due date in order to be ready for a whelp. Speak to who ever witnessed the first of the ties and count from there. Read the info I gave you on what to expect when the due date gets close and here temp changes. A dams temp really does tell a lot about when to expect the pups to arrive. Every dam is different and it never happens exactly the same way each time but it will help you get an idea of when and what to expect with her behavior change.

I realize that things like this can lead to a heated discussion but only because there are so many passionate people here on YT who care. Please dont let that scare you away form asking important questions. If you dont feel comfortable here on YT please, call a vet or a breeder in your area and get the information you need.

Someone must be there when she whelps/delivers, there are so many things that could go wrong. Be sure to have the number for an emergency vet on hand.

thanks for the advice. im really not scared of asking questions because this isnt about me, this is about her and her puppies. this isnt my dog but ive been around her since the day she got home because for a while i was here almost every other weekend. now that i live 2 hours away its like 1 every month. so im not afraid of trying to ensure the safety of her. plus i know im behind the 8 ball here because i dont have the funds to pay for things needed to happen.