New Litter of SEVEN arrived overnight !!!
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This is my first post. My 3 year old red & white bitch Fifi had seven pups last night. Her 2nd (and last) litter. Last year she had a wonderful litter of 5 red & white pups. The sire who we also own is a 2 year old tri-color named Milo. Fifi went into labor around midnight, 1st pup delivered at around 4am, first 3 came quite quickly, then she had a 2 hour nap before finishing off with number 7 at around 8.30am.
I have set her box up in a large shed which has an insulated ceiling. I am using a 250 watt reptile heat lamp suspended above the box and have partitioned off a small area with heavy blankets suspended from the ceiling. In there is a small 2 seater couch and also an oil heater. Temp. is around 29C/85F.
The main problem at this stage is she has delivered the pups on the couch and doesn't want to move to the box yet - it's 11.30am now. Also I would be really happy to hear from anyone who has experience with large (?) litters - any tips would be appreciated. PS - Greetings from Australia !!! -
congrats on your pups…. Is it pretty usual for pups not to be raised in the house in Australia?.... (I assume this because you talk about a shed?)... but I have heard this from other Aussie breeders too.
As far as a litter of seven, not that unheard of in the US... and she should be fine..... just make sure that you keep weights on all the pups so that you know they are all eating and growing mostly the same. And lots of extra food for Mom... high protein .... Cottage Cheese is great for new Mom's with a large litter... and of course lots and lots of fresh water..
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thanks for the reply Pat - reason for the shed rather than the house is that the house is a little on the small side - no room, also it is a serious shed, that gives Fifi, peace and quiet and is a controllable environment. It also means we can keep Milo occupied in the house. He's has been going nuts at the moment wanting to check out Fifi and what's been going on. I have carried him in so he can have a quick look, but don't feel comfortable giving him much access to the pups until they are 3 to 4 weeks old. I think Fifi feels the same way. Shed is VERY large and is escape proof and has room for pups to play and run about in. Easy access to the house - from about 3 - 4 weeks we will start bringing them into the house anyway….
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One thing to remember is that in those first 3-4 weeks if they are not going to be in the house where they will hear the normal hustle and bustle of daily routine to make sure they are exposed to different noises and going ons.
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Usually I have found that once they have their eyes open, Mom is OK with other adult B's around the pups…. My male would walk by the xpen around the whelping box with his head turned the other way until the eyes opened.. then he loved playing with them... UNITL.. the teeth showed up... ggg
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With the last litter Milo, the sire/dog, on occasions was a little rough when playing with them but not meaning to be. He is very good with his front paws - could teach him to tie a knot if I had the patience and loves to shake hands and also likes to give things a bit of a tap at times - like the cat when it is asleep - and he can tap a little harder than he means to at times. He's a year older now so I'm hoping he'll be a little more sensitive this time with the pups. Still, I will need to keep an eye on him.
