Hello everyone, I have a litter of three week old puppies (well three weeks old tomorrow). One of the puppies (massive litter of 9) was born extremely small for the breed (normally 250-380) this girl was born 89g. Vet thought she wouldn't make it. The first week she did really well, feeding from the bitch with a bit of help and gain well. One week old she came down with a virus, discharge from nose, congested breathing etc. Vet put her on antibiotics, after hearing advice from others I asked if she could go on steroids, she reluctantly agreed and has been on steroids nearly 2 weeks. She is still hanging in there, she is not feeding from the bitch she is being tube fed, I think she lost the sucking reflex after not sucking for over a week.

The problem with her now is her abdomen is very distended, she is being toileted and not being overfed. The vet said that it could be the virus causing the distended abdomen. Vet has not offered any other advice or treatment.

I read that once abdomen starts swelling internal bleeding can occur with the virus.

When would you call it a day, and have the baby pts? I would be devastated pts but don't want her to suffer if she has no real prospect of surviving this.

I'm so sorry you are going through this but I think I would have called it a day before putting her on steroids. She has no quality of life at the moment, is being tube fed and could possibly (I'm sure you are trying to make sure this doesn't happen) pass something on to the others.

It is the kindest thing to do - especially as mum has an ample litter to look after.

My last litter had a tiny pup with a harelip/cleft pallet (hard and soft). I tried feeding her while mum whelped the rest of the litter and then took her to the out of hours vet once mum was done. The vet was straight forward and said there was the likelihood that even with a lot of intervention and surgery, she may not have any quality of life. With a litter of 9 at home, she advised that mum had enough to deal with and that we should concentrate on that. We made the decision that it was the kindest thing to do.

Letting go does not make you a failure - it makes you appreciate the ones that made it.

We haven't forgotten our baby girl, we brought her home and buried her under my son's (born sleeping) rose.

I would speak tp your vet and ask what options you have for her, leaving you with nothing is not a help at all. Is there any way of diagnosing what's going on?
I think you need to have that frank discussion with them, take her in and find out what quality of life she is likely to have if you push for diagnosis or if they know what it is how she could come through this.
I had a puppy which wasn't well, went through scans and barium xrays, all sent to different specialists around the country. Suspected case by one vet, all the others wanted further testing and there was no way I was going to put a 7 week old puppy through that, weeks of testing, possible operation with a small chance of a good prognosis. She was given sleep, a very special girlie. Estimated cost for diagnosis and treatment would have come in min of £5k, but it was what she would have to go through and with little chance of a full recovery, possibly not even making surgery I decided I couldn't do that to her.

Thankyou both I appreciate your replies. I think you're both right! I will make an appointment to go and see the vet today. She is a great vet but doesn't really offer much advice other than you can try or you can pts. She has been great giving medication, subcutaneous fluids etc when needed though.

The puppy woke up in pain this morning and that is the answer I need, I have tried my hardest but if it means she's in pain suffering, I have to draw a line. She still has discharge from nose and mouth two weeks later, I thought it might have stopped by now. I feel bad giving up because she hasn't given up.

This is a very hard decision and I realise that I now need to do what's best for the baby.

Also in regards to steroids I read that they can have an effect on her later in life if she was to survive, anyone know anything more about this?

You have done your best and it doesn't sound like you can do anything more.  My mum had to let one go after 1 week and I know how heartbreaking it is but after he was put to sleep she was able to focus on the rest of the litter, prior to that every moment was spent tending to him and worrying about him.  Letting him go was the best thing for him but so sad.  It seemed that his mum just knew that there was no hope for him, she started to turn her head away from him and didn't look for him after he was gone.  You will come to a decision that is right for you and your puppy. X

She has been put to sleep! Very difficult decision but she was in agony with distended abdomen. Given morphine injection but few hours later not working m so went to the emergency vet.

That's a tough one.  I had to do it once, so I know how it feels.  It's awful.  But you have relieved her agony, poor little tyke, and yours will abate.  May you feel better soon in the knowledge that you took the only option left open to you.  You really tried, but nature had its own ideas.

So sorry, but the right decision.. Sleep tight little one.

So sorry.  You made the right decision, time to focus on mum and the rest of the litter. X

An awful decision but the right one as well... so sorry

Just to say twice I have had to make this decision with a puppy.   The first was with a puppy born with a seriously deformed front paw.   As the weight with my main breed is born mostly on the front, both me and my vet felt this boy didn't have a very good prognosis going forward, so we gently put him to sleep within hours of birth.   The second was with a bitch who had a slow birth (annoxia) and as a result, had been brain damaged.   We kept her to 18 weeks at which point, with no control over bladder or bowels, it was clear her quality of life, whether staying with us or going to a pet home, would be poor - any new owner could well have given up re the housetraining situation alone.   I couldn't stand to think of her being abused, so very, very sadly, we had her put down.   It was heartbreaking and all the more so because in my usually tricolour litters, she was one of just two I had who were lemon/white in colour.

I still weep over that one - RIP little Honeydew.

We can only do what we are faced with, given all the options from a trusted vet.  But it still hurts.   Breeding can be that way sometimes.

The only people who understand good breeders are other good breeders. 

Nope. I disagree. Those of us lucky enough to have beautiful, well bred dogs with lovely temperaments understand too.

Very true as far as I'm concerned RozzieRetriever

Let me put it another way:  What I meant was that only breeders can truly understand ALL the things a breeder goes through, both physically and psychologically.

But whatever you say!  I'll leave it at that.  (It's really not so important, just something I have experienced time and again over the past 25 years of breeding.)