Hey everyone.

It seems i have nothing to worry about with Megan or the pups as they seem to be putting on weight, two of them gain about 7grams per day, the littlest gains about 3grams per day, so why am i completely paranoid that something is going to happen to them.

I was fine for the first couple of days but for the last two i have been watching them like a hawk, observing their breathing, and touching them all the time to check that they are warm and dry.

I noticed that while one of them was sleeping today, that his tongue was sticking out a bit and now i'm convinced that he's dehydrated or he's poorly when i have no real reason to think this.  He feeds well (i think) and he snuggles up to meg, i'm convincing myself that he's sleeping to much which is stupid i know because that's what newborns do.

When can i safely say that they are pretty much out of the danger zone and relax, even just a little.

Maybe it's because i'm tired and i've been sleeping (not much) in the study downstairs for over a week now with no windows open.  Or maybe i have become so completely attached to them that the thought of losing any of them horrifies me. I don't know.

Leanne
xxxxxx

I think everyone who has been there will appreciate how you feel :) You plan it, you mate her, you wait, it's confirmed, you worry, they arrive, you worry, they thrive, go to their new homes ( you cry!) and then you worry probably for the rest of their lives :)

Lack of sleep plays a huge part and remember that she will pick up on any anxiety you may feel so try relax. Is there anyone who you trust who is sensible enough to watch them whilst you have a soak in the bath and a snooze? Things always seem better when you are less tired.

Just wait, the time will fly by and you will wish they were tiny again :)

To be honest, you shouldn't really relax from being a hawk until the pups get over the 2 week mark, as anything can happen, apart from any health and feeding issues the major worry is the bitch sitting on a pup and killing it or digging covers over a pup, you have to watch constantly to make sure all is well.

So let's just change the word paranoid to being watchful. ;-)

Most of us sleep next to the whelping area for the first two weeks so that we are there for every squeak and we calmly keep an eye on things. As long as you are not acting anxiously in front of your bitch that is ok as she can detect your heart rate and chemical changes so be careful not to stress her, so stay a calm worrier. :-) Nothing wrong with watching, it is what we all do and what you need to do.

Personally, I don't over touch the pups apart from bed changing and weighing for those first couple of weeks, bitches can get stressed if you keep touching them.

I take it this is your first litter, so your obviously going to be like any first time 'mum' but just stay calm and as said previously 2 weeks is when your over most of the danger periods then I relax and move back upstairs to be with hubby again, and leave a baby monitor in the whelping area.

But, if your anything like me you won't get a full nights sleep until they are approx 6 weeks,  but that is all part and parcel of breeding, if you want all your pups to survive then it is better to be over cautious than under, just do it calmly for your bitches sake. :-)

Is there someone you trust who will sleep with the pups for one night so you can get one nights good sleep, you need to recharge or both you and your bitch will end up worrying one another.

carnt add anything eles realy but if your anything like me i dont trust any1 eles (i feel that noone can do the job of watching them as good as me) id be inbed just worrying incase their asleep and dont wake if pups make a noise ,so i still dont sleep ,sad i know :( but i was the same with my own babies too! for the 1st few weeks LOL X

I'm with you on that one, no one does anything in my house as good as me (or so i think). I don't even let anyone else fold my ironing cause they can't do it right (mmmm control freak i think) LOL

as said previously 2 weeks is when your over most of the danger periods then I relax and move back upstairs to be with hubby again,

To be honest with small toys I'd say 3 weeks at least. They're so different to larger breeds, even stay with mum for 12-14 weeks compared to the more usual 8.

I didn't see anyone mention it, sorry if I missed it, but the tongues sticking out now and then is perfectly normal.

safety zone? I reckon about 1 month after theyve gone to their new homes!!!

(mmmm control freak i think) LOL ,well you might be right ;) my hubby tells me all the time i am :) xx

safety zone? I reckon about 1 month after theyve gone to their new homes!!!

:-D :-D Your so right!

A friend (who couldn't bear to breed again) once said the last pup from her litter had died of old age so then she could FINALLY relax. Only took something like 14 years.

I'm with Marianne on this one.  Lots of large breed owners will say that the first two weeks are the most important.  But we are talking about very tiny pups here.

Remember that they don't have a thermostat for the first 21 days, and that is going to be more dangerous for body temperature to drop too low in these little widgets.  I recently saw an advert for viewings of this breed at 16 days!    Hells bells, you don't even know if they're going to live at this stage!

So I have my beady eyes on them throughout the whole of the first 3 weeks.  And, even then, underbed heating doesn't go.  I just won't risk it.  I am most certainly not paranoid, and I am pretty laid back with litters, but still consider that I owe my girls the utmost vigilance, after all, it's my fault that they're in this situation!  Fortunately, my calmness rubs off, which is a bonus for them.  Glad to see that another poster doesn't mess with pups all the time (apart from weighing.)  I cringe at the thought of them being picked up all the time, and moved away from the heat source that they need.

My last litter had 2 pups that still only weighed 500gm at 10 weeks, and, although mine get well socialised with Collies by this time, I am still very much aware that my largest Beardie sitting on them isn't a good idea!  ;-)  :-)

I think it's very much just a common sense approach needed due to sheer size.  I am amazed when I see these breeds advertised at 6-8 weeks old.  Have to say that, although the breed club advises 12 weeks, my last litter needed a little longer.  If people push to have a puppy younger than I am willing to let go - I tell them to go elsewhere!  It's so easy to do, as litters are so small, and I like to take my own sweet time on choosing mine!  :-)  :-)