Please help...... My puppies are 4 days old and tonight after a nightmare 4 days of mastitis and bad nasty reaction to oxytocin jab my bitch won't stay with her puppy's unless I sleep next to her??  She keeps digging up the fleece bed panting and just wants me.... She will feed if I lie next to her but I am worried bout the bedding uffocating the babies if am not about!  Please help, things had improved over the past two days and now this happens :((((((

It's not surprising that your bitch wants you near, this is what being a breeder is about ;)  You need to be on hand to prevent pups being trampled or squashed , as the bitch often doesn't realise where the pups are at first.  You also need to ensure that all are getting a chance to feed properly.   I stayed with my bitch for 8 weeks as this is what she wanted, she also only ate what I brought to the whelping box and had to be dragged out to toilet.

First of all, how is she looking?  Is she just panting occasionally and digging?   This is usually caused by the uterus contracting which can be quite painful, some bitches cope better than others ;)   If she's looking wobbly, agitated or confused then a check with the vet for eclampsia is a good idea.

If she's trying to hide the pups maybe she feels they are too 'exposed'?   Do you have a cover over the top of the whelping box?   A bitch usually prefers to have a den-like place for her pups.   I rigged up a blanket over the top of the box (which was plenty high enough for her to stand up and walk about) and let it hang down in front so that she could see out but it was fairly dark in there.  This also kept the warmth in for the pups without heating.

You might benefit from reading 'The Book of the Bitch' if you haven't already done so ;) 

I did think about doing thAt how did u rig yours up?? She's fine in herself, I am having to hand feed her as well , having to mix tinned or any meat with her food last night and this morning but she will drink puppy milk, the pups have put weight on so that's good, just want toget her happy again shesmy one ins million dog and I feel it's allmy fault x

I had the whelping box under a table, so it was easy to drape blankets down the sides to curtain it off and make a cosy den.

If she is digging to the extent that you are worried then have a look on the internet for the no-ruck whelping mats or take the vet bed out and replace it with newspaper for the time being

having to mix tinned or any meat with her food last night and this morning but she will drink puppy milk,

If she is on a complete dry puppy food, add warm water and allow it to soak a lot of dams find hard dry food too much, they are washing and cleaning up after pups all day and all night so dry food can make them feel sore around the mouth. She needs plenty of liquids too as well as puppy complete or added chicken, meats or white fish with rice, give her a variation. I also give scrambled egg made with goats milk for her breakfast.

Puppies milk is fine for her to have for added liquid consumption either that or some pasturised goats milk, make sure she has plenty of protein and calcium foods, feeding the pups takes a lot out of the dam, and always feed in the whelping area as already said. :-)

Also just to put your mind at rest yet again as others have said, digging up the covers and continued scratching and panting is perfectly normal which is why we don't leave our dam and pups side until at least 2 weeks, those who do often find dead pups either sat on or covered over, you must be on hand to listen out for any movement or digging to make sure the pups are safe. Pups are in great danger if the dam does a lot of digging and many do........ depending on their pain threshold.

It's so good know there's all this advice available to me thank you everyone..... She has appeared to settle today and she slept well with me beside her, I will continue to do the same until appropriate.  I have given freedom to be with me when she needs a break, this has also helped, I don't think she liked being separated at such a stressful time in her life, although saying this she running back to her babies each time they make a sound.  Since I gave her this she's rolled on the carpet numerous times too so hopfully I have done the right thing what do you all think???????

Sounds like she's settling,  but make sure she's not staying with you at the expense of cleaning and keeping the pups warm, they do need her warmth even in this weather, especially if you haven't got a covered whelping box ;)

>I did think about doing thAt how did u rig yours up??

Re the cover, I used a cheap fleecy blanket and draped it over the top and fixed with clothes pegs leaving a 6inch gap between the front bottom flap (cardboard box whelping box with raised flap at the front to stop draughts and keep pups from wandering)  and the bottom of the overhang.

Be careful with a blanket over the top because the first time I tried it she pulled the blanket down that I had anchored with clips to the top of the pen into the bed where the pups were, luckily I caught her in the act and took the blanket out of harms way, in the past she has pulled blankets or towels left on top of a normal crate through one small space between the bars, it must have taken her ages because when I have come home and found her half way through I have found it really hard to get it pulled back out again.

Alternatively puppy pen panels around the whelping box (or to create one with thick lino for a base) with one across the top to give rigidity, and a gated one to the front works for me to make a den.

As I use the panels to make my whelping den I line the sides with cardboard using cable ties.

For a small breed a smaller whelping box tray can be placed within this pen, and when pups can climb out the rest acts a play area, and for larger ones more panels added to make a puppy pen..

> take the vet bed out and replace it with newspaper for the time being

This is what I have had to do quite often.

I find shredding the newspaper works best and is useful activity while waiting for whelping or when supervising Mum and pups.

Take a newspaper and tear down the fold, then fold along the same way as the paper was folded and tear in half again, giving four lengths.  Then turn 90' and tear into thin strips along the grain, and you will have paper confetti.  I also shred all junk mail, thin card etc and store up shreddies for whelping/puppy litter.  It keeps pups cleaner (re urine and poo), though I suppose if you have a white breed you may get some newsprint come off, but that doesn't seem to happen as much these days.

Only down side with shredded paper is ti does tend to travel around, but a small price to pay compared to roiling up pooey sheets of paper that pups have rolled on, and then covering you in the pooey prints, including your face as you try and clear up.

You can buy shredded clean white paper for bedding made of card http://www.finacard-uk.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=22 often sold for horse and other animal bedding, advantage is ti saves time, and also it's usually dust extracted..