I have just spent the second sleepless night with my bitch whelping.

First stage started Thursday Night, so no sleep :(

24 hours later at 9.30pm 28th Feb, 1st Pup, then 2 more. The last 3 born on 1st March!!!

Now do I register the date of birth as 28th of Feb or 1st of March. Was looking at Pedigree show calendar, andif I register as 28/2/03 then they will be eligible for City of Birmingham show (should any go to show homes!), though we don't have CCs there, but do have classes. If they are registered 1st of March, in effect their potential show carreers would actually be put off by 4days, due to Feb being a short month.

I could of course cause the KC computer a fit, and try to register two DOBs, but I think their 'puter would explode :D

Brainless ...I don't know if this is of use ..but I was born at Midnight ...dead on midnight between the 25th and 26th February ..the midwife asked my Mum which date she wanted for my Birthday...my Mum said "I did ALL the hard work on the 25th ..so thats the day!"

I would put 28th for your pups ;)

Melody

Brainless

I agree with Melody I'd go for the "28th" to, like you say they'll be eligible for the show that way to :-) Hope mum and the babies are doing well :-) congrats.
Karen

I agree also and what a great way of putting it. Really appealed to my sense of humour

Margaret

My GSD sired a litter of pups who were born 2 dys apart, mind he did mate her a 3rd time the day she left and the vet said poss it was 2 litters and a funny ovulation - back in the 80's who understood such explanations lol?

Anyway as the dam owner was a first timer he tried to register 5 pups on the first date in May and the other 6 on the 2nd date in June with an explanation from the vet that she had actually progressed normally for 2 litters. After several weeks back and forth the KC said they couldn't register 2 sep dates so he could chose which one he wanted out of the 4 days it actually took to produce the pups, so he opted the later date as she'd produced the largest number of pups on that date. Can't think why he never came back for a stud again lol.

I was going to go with the day the majority were born, but ended up with 3 on each day :D

Probably will go with first dat in case anyone wants to show at City of Brum :D

id go with the first one borns date too!!!!!, --hope theres something special there for you :D or two or three !!!!

Hi Brainless
CONGRATS :)
Yeah go with the 28th...
Tracey

My daughter woke me at 6am this morning as could only count five pups. The smaller boy had been crushed by Mum!!! He had crawled behind her.

So now we only have five, and still the first born bitch suck reflex poor, so won't be surprised if she doesn't make it.

I was upset, and irrationally angry with my Kizi. 3 years ago she had been so careful with her large litter, and this particular pup was very active. Probably what did for him as he was a bit of a wanderer :(

Of course I am most angry with myself, as I didn't hear a thing. They are in my bedroom, and I also have a baby monitor on!!!

This is the first time I have ever lost a pup in this way, having bred 7 previous litters out of 4 different bitches.

Gave the slow bitch a little puppy formula to hopefully give her a boost, next 48 hours will probably tell if she is a fighter, or as appears now a giver upper.

aaahh Brainless
So sorry, what can be said, it happens and it hurts like mad :(
Hope the little one picks up... :) have you tried putting your little finger in its mouth and letting it suck that, maybe with a rich formula on it, I had a slow starter and was at my wits end so this is what I did, as the pup wanted more from my finger I had a teat ready and put it on Mum..just a thought, you try anything.
Take care
Tracey

Thanks yes, that is what I have been dioing since she was born. I had all the others sucking well before she had any clue, and she was born 5 hours before the last (and biggest) girl. It is so frustrating when no sooner do you think she is feeding with the rest, you find she is just licking the nipple or not bothering at all!

Must say I have also learnt that sometimes they just won;t make it and the first 4 days will usually tel you.

The little boy though, that waa a blow, as right from birth he was a little goer :( :( Seems unfair, as if anyone should have got laid on, it should have been dopey britches, and then I hate myself for thinking her away, and that it will be due to my negative thinking if she doesn't make it.

I hat loosing pups, would rather they had been born dead.

Hi Brainless
It's awful when any pup doesn't make it, know what you're saying about a healthy pup being laid :) ( sorry just had to edit this as i keep catching a button and it keep posting before I've finished :( )
Anyway as I was saying, I think our hormones go in to overdrive when we have pups, it's like they're our pups :D and bound to have all sorts of emotions , you would like nothing more than this little one to suckle and be fine, I know that :)
With the pups that don't suckle and just lick, it's like they just can't get a grip, but will suck on your finger for all their worth..weird.Keep trying anyway.
Tracey

Brainless, don't feel bad about the puppy being laid on. You have them in your bedroom. If nature flicks your switch and makes you sleep ........ there's nothing more you can do. It's the people who leave the bitches on their own that raise my blood pressure!
Have you got electrolytes, Nutridrops and puppy colostrum?? I had 3 out of 7 pups born 4oz - very small. Two thrived on their own but Tiny Tim was just giving up on the third day - weighed only 3+1/2oz, going limp and getting colder. Thanks to a good samaritan who sent me over some Nutridrops and puppy colostrum, he spent 10 days down my cleavage, with electrolytes and colostrum alternately every hour, Nutridrops twice a day. He's now nearly 6 weeks old and has caught up with the next smallest and is eating for England!

Hi Brainless,
Sorry to hear about the one little guy. I'm gearing up for a litter around April 24th and dread the fact that I could lose a pup. It drives me crazy. I get so stressed that 1st two weeks after birth....are they all on the mom, always counting them, sitting for hours holding them on the mom. Ugh! But it's worth it in the end. From my experience if a pup doesn't want to get the nursing thing down and keeps going off on their own, then they will just fade away. But if she seems to want to eat, but doesn't seem to do it right, than it's worth giving it extra effort. And who knows, she could end up a champion down the road. I saved a super tiny pup last spring who was litterally 1/2 the size of the next smallest in the litter.(sorry, I rarely weigh them). I tube fed puppy formula every 2 hours, AFTER I placed her alone on a nipple for 15min. I did this to help "fill up the corners". I only had to do this for 2 days and actually only every 2 hours when I noticed she was losing energy etc.
She is still very small, but smart as a whip and loved to death by her owners.
Carissa

Hi BRAINLESS
Hows the little one doing ???? any better :)
Tracey

Well after all losing an ounce the day after birth, 3 have regained it and put on an ounce, and the other one has gained back plus 1/2. The little girl with the top ups of formula I gave her yesterday, seems to have got the idea of nursing, but gets a bit pooped. she is back to birth weight. I think another couple of days of top ups to get her stronger and she will be away, at least her suck has some strength to it now!

The others are getting that round look now :D

Oh Carissa I can relate to what you say about the first two weeks. It is supposed to be the time the bitch does everything, but I worry constantly until the moment I can get some other food into them so they are no longer totally reliant on Mum. Once they are eating I know they will be getting enough!

I wonder how some people find the energy to do this when they are into their 60s abnd 70s, and how on earth do they rear several litters a year.

Must admit my last 2 litters have been less than plain sailing, both C sections, previously things had been pretty straight forward.

The last C section was for a bitch who had had two litters plain sailing before, and the one before that was a 4 year old maiden bitch belonging to freinds who had enteritis in mid pregnancy.

This is the second litter for this bitch. Last time (3 years ago) she whelped and reared effortlessly 9 large pups! She had them in under 3 hours, and was an exemplary ultra efficient Mum.

Hi Brainless
That's great news, pleased they're all on the way up again and litle one is holding out :)
God why do we do it, praps we are all strange in some way , wanting to give ourselves a nervous breakdown every so often :D

tRACEY

Hi Brainless, so pleased for you - wheres the pics? LOL

Gina :)

Tracey,
You hit the nail on the head with that remark! Too Funny! I suspect soon I will have to start dying my hair, and I'm only turning 32 next week.

Brainless,
So glad to hear that the pup is catching on and up with the rest of the litter. Have you given those nutridrops or I use nutracal paste. It gives the pups a burst of instant energy before a feed and helps them suck stronger and stay on longer.
Yes, where are your pics? Would love to see them!

Carissa
Do you use the Cleo and Solo site for pics?

Hi BUMBLEBEEACRES
you mean you've got to 31 ...breeding and not had to dye your hair yet, please tell me what is the secret :D shaved head perhaps LOL
Tracey

Tracey,
You're killing me here! Actually between raising litters and raising human babies it is suprising I have any hair left at all! I might end up bald yet.
Gee, that is a really scary thought. Some people look pretty good bald---I don't think I would be one of them. Time to start praying.........

Carissa

Sigourney Weaver in the Alien came to mind here Carissa :D So as long you look like her you will be okay with no hair LOL.

Of course I am better looking........................................... well may be not, probably not, definitely not? :) :D :p

Gina x

Hi Carissa
Would you become bald by pulling it in frustration or have it fall out with worry..or generally a bit of both :D
tRACEY

Hi ya Tracey!
I would become bald from pulling out my own hair with the fustrations of child rearing (especially the 2 and1/2 year old little "Angel").
The other hair loss would be done while worrying over each litter born.
Not only do I become insanely worried about the pups, but also the mom---wondering if she retained anything ,is she getting pyrometrea, bad milk, calcium deficency,etc. the list goes on and on and on....

Carissa
I was thinking of sinead's beautiful bald head, something to aspire too?

Hi Carissa
yeah know what you mean
The joys of kids and dogs :D
I'd probably look more like Kojak :D :D

tRACEY

Thought I would update you lot on my little brood, who are now 10 days old, and in spite of my expectations, and very slow headway the little one is still with us, and is finally sucking properly and in last two days managing to feed for prolonged periods off her Mum. Still supplementing at the same level as before, so that if she makes it she will gradually be more and more reliant on Mums milk.

Will have to get her thoroughly vet checked before I accept a home for her, to ensure that she is healthy even if she stays a bit small.

We now have A very fat lone male, two fat girls, anice average size girl (who was same weight as the weak one when they were born), and the tiny one, with the vital spark/will to survive!

Well after yesterdays optimism, have to report that the little weak bitch had lost weight since yesterday, and I had her put to sleep. Her sister who was the same weight at birth was twice her size, and the beefy boy 3 times.

The Vet said heart an lungs strong, but suspected there must be a serious digestive/plumbing problem for her to make no progress with the help she was getting.

So at 11 days old she has joined her predeceased little brother, and the two stillborn ones :(

The only plus point is that Mum looks so pleased with the four fat babes, and is/will have a much easier time rearing these, her previous litter was large, qand she reared 9 beautifully even though she was only a young two year old!!!

all my litters have been born overnight like that & I always use the 1st day.

I had one pup born just before midnight and the other 8 after midnight, so I used the after midnight date.
Lorna

Sorry to hear you lost your little one, I know how that feels as I had a bitch jump on one of hers once and its horrible holding in your hands a pup that just gradually dies.
I bought some nutri drops which is a high vitamin suppliment. That you place one drop on a newborns toungue and if they are sick or weakly it is supposed to help boost them up a bit.
I will have to let you all know how I get on with it. It cost around £11-99 from Vet Medic. I thought it must be worth a try. Have anyone else tried it?
Nutkin

Hi Brainless

I haven't been visiting the board very frequently of late so I'm just catching up.

Sorry about losing the lad, it's hard, I haven't lost 1 like that yet but I know how you feel with the little girl that was PTS. I had 1 like that in my last litter. She was born not looking "right" but survived the night so I thought give her a chance but over a week she faded and I had to have her PTS as 2 lumps came up on her neck as well.

A sister who was born at a similar weight was such a littley throughout but she was so feisty I knew she'd make it and I'm pleased to say on seeing her last weekend at her owners house, she is beautiful, in the height standard and a real live wire.

Good luck with the remaining 4, I too would rather they were stillborn that have to have them PTS later.

Lil

Well at two weeks two of the girls have gained 14 ounces and 1 girl and the boy (who will need cream for stretch marks to their bellies at the rate they guzzle and how taut they get :D) have gained 1 pound 3 ounces!!!

They began opening their eyes over last two days, so the whole kit N kaboodle are down in the kitchen now. Mumstanding guard, and the rest of the dogs studiously ignoring the puppy accomodations for fear of incurring motherly wrath.

I find the poor bitch by about 10 days is getting sick to death of seclusion with pups, and is so much happier where she can keep an equal eye on them and us!

Hi Brainless

I haven't been visiting the board very frequently of late so I'm just catching up.

Sorry about losing the lad, it's hard, I haven't lost 1 like that yet but I know how you feel with the little girl that was PTS. I had 1 like that in my last litter. She was born not looking "right" but survived the night so I thought give her a chance but over a week she faded and I had to have her PTS as 2 lumps came up on her neck as well.

A sister who was born at a similar weight was such a littley throughout but she was so feisty I knew she'd make it and I'm pleased to say on seeing her last weekend at her owners house, she is beautiful, in the height standard and a real live wire.

Good luck with the remaining 4, I too would rather they were stillborn than have to have them PTS later.

Lil