sorry admin I am a member, but having trouble with my password and im desperate!! My bitch had a c-section today and delivered 12 pups. She is refusing to feed them even tho she wants to be with them...she is getting protective if we take them for feeds. She is flatly refusing to lay down so they can get to the teats but is curled up in a tight ball, with them under her!! I dont know if I am being paraniod about them being crushed but they are crying out for a feed, but she is refusing to do anything about it. Consequently, i am getting into a bit of a state and dont know what is the best thing to do. Do I take them away for a while or do I let her got on with it and hope for the best?? Please someone...help.

hi, i hope you are ok, have you rang your vet & asked their advice, maybe your bitch is just feeling a bit out of sorts after her section, do you have the puppies where you see to them during the night too??? ive never had a bitch have to have a section so guess i cant give much help but i would say maybe step in with the feeds for now, its not easy to see puppies lying there wanting fed & their mummy not feed them, others would probably say leave her to it but its your choice, as for being paranoid well i think we all are with new borns anyway. i have all my puppies snuggled up with their mummy in the spare bedroom which i move into for the 1st couple wks, people would say im stupid but what the hell!!! i love my puppies when i have litters.
please let me know how things go, i wish you lots of happy puppying & good luck xx

Hi,

If she hasn't started feeding them by now then I think you should start to feed them, you will probably have to help her out quite a bit as 12 is quite a large litter. Is this her first litter? If she is getting a bit distressed when you are taking them away, is it possible to feed them a bit closer to her so she can still see them?

Sorry I'm not much help, hopefully someone will be on here soon who knows a bit more about bitches after c-section.

Good luck and I hope that everything goes okay, keep us posted.

Hi

I have had a similar experience with a bulldog, i honestly don't think they have the same instinct's as a bitch that has them naturally they come 'around' surrounded by crying puppies it's no wonder they are confused, i took a couple of pup's away at a time and bottle fed them, so she was alway's left with some, as long as she isn't going to hurt them she may come around to the idea of having them over a few day's. Sorry to say my bitch hated her puppies from about day 3 which is i suppose when the drug's wore off, i find if a bitch has had a litter normally she can cope with ceasers on future occasion's :)