On a forum specific to my breed a member has just announced that her 8lb dachsie who whelped 4 pups a week ago has allowed her to foster 4 more pups from another breeder, don't as yet know what the reason was for needing to find a foster mum for these pups, will let you know if and when I do know.

My bitches are the same weight pre pregnancy and just about cope with 3 or 4 pups, no way would I ask them to look after twice as many.

Am I being overly concerned, thought I would ask on here for opinions. Personally if I was left with pups I would hand rear and get one of my girls or even Rhuari[he does a great job of pottying pups] to do the general care rather than let them go elsewhere, not as if it was a huge litter.

I have stressed to her that she needs to be extra careful with the bitches health, eclampsia,dehydration etc., she said as a nurse she couldn't not help out.

No matter how sorry I felt for the other breeder and litter, I would never potentially put my own pups and bitch at risk. 

They could potentially bring in pathogens that are harmless to them, but could harm your litter.

Now if my won bitch had lost her whole litter, or had reared a litter and still had milk, or was one with a phantom and milk then I would offer her services.

Exactly my thoughts, I breed so rarely that I wouldn't want to put my lot at risk especially when they are so young and vulnerable.

The bitch has been very possessive over these pups as it is so would not want to put more pressure on a first time Mum.

I was hoping for more comments

Well, Once when I had a litter which was thriving and 6 weeks old and 'should' have been weaning but Mum just loved her pups so much, I got a call to tell me that a person in my breed had lost their bitch during a c-section leaving 4 newborn pups.  Now the breeder COULD have dealt with this but it is so much better if they are reared as close to natural as possible.  How can you replace all that a bitch does? You would need to sit with that litter 24 hours constantly feeding, cleaning, disaplining, etc.  Impossible for a human to pick up on all the needs everytime. This breeder brought his 4 pups down that day and I lay my bitch back in the whelping box and then I placed all the pups in with her.  She had a good sniff and then brought her head up and growled at the pups owner!!  He now was no longer allowed to touch!lol.  She reared those pups as if they were hers.

But......She was a large breed and had just reared a pretty small litter and her own pups were well on the way to weaned.  I would not put pups of the same age in with mine unless it were a single and that's a large breed!  I think that dachys owner is taking a big risk with her own litter.

Aww, how sweet Cracar! I nearly ended up with some surrogates last year, my friend was looking after my bitch for a week while we were away, puppy was 2 weeks old at the time. She emailed during the holiday to say another friend had had a whelping where the bitch was now in surgery and fighting for her life, and if she lost her or if she couldn't feed pups, could Ellie be put with the 3 puppies. I said of course, but luckily for the other lady the bitch survived and all was well. I'm sure Ellie would have been just fine with them though.