I have a 11 month old Jack Russell who unfortunately is 6 weeks pregnant.I know she is too young but she got in a tie with my other Jack Russell just once,after manageing to keep them apart all week...I was devastated.
Anyway obviously I have many concerns about her,and would be grateful for any advice I can get.
She is already putting on alot of weight and looks pregnant,all her teats are enlarged...is this normal?
Is she more at risk of having problems with the birth due to her age?
How soon can she go out walking again after the birth?...she lives for her daily walks.
Any advice at all would be very gratefully recieved...Thanks in advance Kay.

Yes, those are all normal signs of pregnancy. She is not at any greater risk physically because of her age, in fact probably the opposite. It is her mental age I would worry about and how she will cope with the puppies. Have you spoken to your vet yet? If not, I would do so and see if he/she has any advice for you. I would also purchase a copy of the book "The Book of the Bitch" which is invaluable for advice and information about pregnancy or whelping.

Do you know anyone experienced in breeding you can call on for help - possibly her breeder, or your dog's breeder. Good luck

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

Thanks for replying Joan.
Any other advice anyone has would much appriacated.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation and how did there bitch cope?

Perhaps I should ask on the breeding page now that I have found out how...lol!

Welcome to the forum Kay.

I will 'move' you to the Breeding Forum :-)

Leigh

One other thing I would add to what I said before is that your bitch is going to require a lot of support once the puppies are born. She will need a lot of reassurance and love as she is so much a baby herself and you will need to make sure she doesn't get ignored whilst people fuss over the puppies. Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

Awww...just spent ages typing a reply and its gone missing!
I will keep you all informed on how its going and many thanks for the support...Kay (hopefully other message will turn up so I won't repeat it yet)lol

to fleetgold i would like to get a copy of the book you metioned [:the book of the bitch] do you know author and publisher?

The Book Of The Bitch by J M Evans and Kay White. Have a look at
http://www.amazon.co.uk

Regards, John

Thanks John

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

Hi, although it has never happened to me (yet!!) I and I am sure others have known people whose young bitches have become pregnant by accident. Its lucky she is 11 months and not 7 or 8 months, and being such a small breed as she is not far off being mature anyway. It would be more of a disaster in a large breed dog who would still be many months away from maturity. I am sure she will cope fine, with as others have said, lots of support. Being so young her pelvic girdle will still be quite flexible and she should give birth fine if you dont overfeed her. I would have her scanned at the vets to see how many puppies there are. I would be tempted to wean the puppies as early as is reasonably possible, say by 6 weeks, to give the bitch less work to do and so she can recover and continue maturing herself. It might be worth considering getting your dog neutered so this cant happen again. Good luck.

Ok, I am going to say something now, it will probably be a case of "light touch paper & stand well back" but I shall say it anyway!!!
If nature hadn't meant for bitches to be capable of breeding at a young age, then nature wouldn't allow a bitch to come in season!!!!
There, I have said it.
I would not breed from my hounds until they were at least 2 years old, but thats just my way.However, you must look at this as being natures way, we just tend to humanise things. I am quite sure an 11 month jrt will cope admirably with a litter, & get back to being a pup ahain once they are weaned.

Sam.
If a young girl has her first period at say 10. You think thats
nature should she have kids.
I know where your coming from but where do we draw the line with
nature then. What you are saying is if a bitch has a first season at
5 months that ok.
You are not setting a very good example to anyone reading this
and your helping some justify themselves (must stress not the poster)

Actually the 2 seasons a year and readiness for breeding is the fault of the good old Human being. In the wild dog species only come into season once a year and only the top female breeds. Humans have altered this resulting in more frequent seasons. As far as I'm concerend dogs should be over 2 years old before they are bred although accidents do happen and these have to be dealt with in the best way possible.

In some cultures its quite "normal" for girls to be married & mothers at the age of 12....we would throw our hands up in horror in our society, because thats the way we have been educated, but its perfectly acceptable in certain cultures, and seems natural. Just because I personally wouldn't do something, does not mean that mine is the only correct method. As for "setting a bad example" well I made it perfectly clear in my posting earlier, that I would NOT breed from a hound under the age of two years.

Sam you said you would not breed from a hound under the age of 2.
But you were letting people think that it is fine to breed at a very
young age. As for your coment on some culture letting children
produce children. I think you need to look at the pityful lives of
most of these people to see nature is not all we need BRAINS
must come into it.

no I DID NOT say it was fine to breed from bitches under two.....I simply said its not the end of the world if it happens to a 11month old jrt & she will cope!!!!

I do understand what you said sam.
But will the vast amount of first time breeders with
little or no experience not read your comment and think
oh its natures way lets breed at 10 months .

Sam, I agree with you on the physical aspect, and actually said in the very first response to this query that I thought she would not suffer physically. The old breeders used to breed at a much earlier age than we do now, quite often starting before a year old with toy breeds and they will say that they had the pups more easily than they do at a later age, and often had larger litters. It is the same in humans - these poor young girls who become pregnant at a very young age usually have the babies with very little trouble at all and very little harm to themselves. My sister was classified as an elderly first time mother having her first child at 24.

I do feel, strongly, that mentally they are not mature enough (both humans and dogs) and it is there that great damage can occur. However, I agree that I am sure that this pup will cope fine with the help of her obviously extremely concerned and caring 'mum'

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

Sorry putting messages in all the wrong places...new to computers i'm afraid.

I have brought a whelping box today...from toys r us,it just seemed so ideal for her...a plastic sandpit/paddling pool,no sharp edges,easy to clean,and looks like a hippo!
Going to take both the dogs to the vet next week,get the female checked out and arrange to have the male dog castrated...arhhh.

Can someone tell me if I should be resricting her exercise,as she has no plans to and is still chasing squirrels like a dog possessed and leaping about all over the place like any other 11 month old dog...she is'nt acting like she only has 2 1/2 weeks to go,she does'nt have a care in the world.
When the pups are born can I still take her for short walks?
Lots more questions coming ...hope you don't mind
Thanks Kay

No, I wouldn't restrict her exercise at the moment, let her do what she wants but don't make her do too much, ie if she shows signs of wanting to slow down or go back then do so.

I think you will find that she won't want to go for walks when the pups are very young, you will probably have to persuade her to leave them to go outside. I don't see anything wrong with allowing her to go for short walks when she is ready, but keep her away from other dogs and clean her up before allowing her to return to the pups for fear of infection.

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

how do you fix crush bars to a plastic hippo? I always use broom handles, but it doesn't sound possible with this design??

Sam you are right I won't be able to fit crush bars in it,but because of the shape of the pool,she lies in the middle,leaving plenty of room all around her...for the pups.
It was the best thing I could come up with and hopefully it will be fine.

Thanks for your advice Joan...did'nt want to leave her behind when I take the other dog if she wanted to come...I will leave it up her!

Hi, I would definately exersise her on her own now, then she wont be tempted to overdo it. If she is on her own and she wants to run/jump about thats fine. I would not want a heavily pregnant bitch of mine to be encouraged to do too much by having a lively playmate with her. Also some playmates tend to barge into each other for fun, usually the target gets out of the way, but she wont be so quick on her feet as usual or may not see it coming. If she gets a good thump from another dog, or is knocked over, it wont do her any good. Just my opinion.

Thanks...another good point,but to be honest she is much bigger than him and he tends to stay with me while she goes of in search of squirrels.

I have to say that I really don't think she knows she is pregnant and is'nt showing any signs of slowing down at all...bit worried incase she rejects the pups in favour of having fun,but hopefully her instincts will take over.

One of my dogs went on an hour long off lead run the day she went into labour. I dont agree with curbing exercise just because the dog is pregnant. Better have them very fit to cope with the birthing process then having lax muscle tone resulting in an inability to give birth properly.

My second youngest bitch kept up her normal excersise right up to whelping, though the others had learnt to be a bit more careful of her not runing at her as is their wont. I hadsn't planned it that way, but she decided to whelp 4 days early, and had 9 good size pups in under 3 hours! they are now two years old.

Help please!
Pretty sure tonight is the night...although not due till Saturday.She is panting,scratching and moaning alot,poor little thing.
The problem is the only place she wants to be is upstairs on the bed although she has never slept there in her life,she is trying absolutely everything to get upstairs and won't go anywhere near her own bed/whelping place.
Can anyone tell me why she is doing this and what I should do...obviously she can't have the pups on the bed...help please Kay

I had one to have start having pups on bed and as soon as the first one was born, I moved pup to whelping box and mom was almost ahead of me and stayed in the whelping box for the duration.
She sounds pretty feisty-----will probably be a very good mum.
P.S. Make sure you have taken your good linens off the bed and use some old ones for the nite incase you aren't able to stop mother nature in time. Lots a luck.

Thanks Bee...all my linen is old anyway...lol

Now another question...she looks like she is pushing only slightly though,but her waters haven't broken yet,is that normal?

Sure is.....sounds like puppy will be there probably within next 10-20 minutes. Once the first one comes since she is a first time mum, you will need to help the puppy from the sack --- primarily his nose and wipe mucus from his mouth and nose then let her take it from there she will probably be worried more about cleaning herself.....but thats good because she needs to expel the placenta to may way for the next one.

OR-----you could move the whelping box into your bedroom if there is no other way to console her. Then after the first one is born, you can move the box back where you want. 100 percent guarantee she will follow you wherever you take her first pup and box.

If she is truly in labor and ready . . . her pushing will get stronger and normally a pretty sharp moan, yelp, or similar vocals will be the signal for you that puppy's is on his way out. You can have some damp washclothes hand and go further than just breaking the sack from his face, you can go ahead and start to wipe the puppy (be careful not to strain the cord).. Somepeople like to cut the cord theirselves and tie it off. I think (this is just my opinion) its best to let her snip it off so she will know to do i the next time. The cord is sort of made in links like on a chain and she will now or sense in chewing it just right where she should pull for it to break away. I would then remove the sack and the remaining placenta and discard. But some say it's best to let her go ahead and eat atleast the first one.....it supposedly contains certain hormones chemicals or something like that to kick in her maternal instincts.
Pls keep me posted if you can

Sorry, but I just can't help but be excited for you.

Hi Bee
Everything you siad was right, she had the fisrt one at 7.10 it was a little boy ! i had to clean the menbrain off will keep you posted she is just about to have another one !

Yipeeeeee.......Jack Russell right? My guess is (4)
in total 1-boy and 3 girls. Don't want to keep you I know your pretty busy right now. But just a couple other reminders. Keep track of the placenta(especially the last one).. Sometimes the last one doesn't get expelled. Most of the time it does.. But you want to make sure so you will know all will be ok with mom.
Then make sure all puppies get a good "latch-on" to a teatie so his insticts kick in and inbetween puppies make sure they are kept warm, and stay warm. I usually sweat myself the first nite with the heat up just to make sure all the puppies stay warm. I set my thermostat for 80 dont know what that is in celsius (or whatever you guys use).
Congratulation again, I'm very happy for you and mom and babies (and daddy too).

she just had another one, 3 so far.1 girl and 2 boy 1 brown&white(boy)
1 black & white(boy) and a tri cloured (girl)

Congratulations.

Fiona

Its a girl ! very big but not very active !
by the way this is K's daughter, mum is with the dog

Figures-------I never win the lottery either...

Real important to make sure they find and "latch on" for nursing. You may have to move a couple of the stronger one's aside for a few just a bit so she doesn't get pushed off her teaty. Also very important to keep them warm, Do you have a hot water bottle or heating pad (I tend to not like heating pads-because you have to be very very careful not to get the puppy to hot and possibly burn. I have always found a dry handtowel in the microwave is good for quick short term warm ups; but the hotwater bottle is my first choice. If they are all nursing, you shouldn't need to worry about them being warm enough. I am only making sure, if they aren't nursing that they don't get chilled.
Oh...Hi K's daughter -- thanks for keeping me posted.

Hi Bee...thanks so much,you were so much help!
Have to say that i'm a bit worried about the placentas as I only saw her eat the first one...she now has 4 pups...but she is so intent on cleaning herself that I don't know wether she is eating them on the way out?!?!
3 boys and 1 girl...all latched on happily

many congratulations - good luck - hope all goes well

Pam n the boys

Fantastic........Have to say it made my day........
But with the time difference, I'm not the one to have to try and sleep now after all that excitement.
Don't be overly concerned about the placenta, since she probably did eat it since she is so concerned with cleaning herself.
You may want to call your vet in the morning, to let them know she had her puppies and they may or may not suggest taking a quick look at her.
She will have a slightly dark red/greenish/brown slimey discharge for the next few days. It's normal, and if a little messy you may want to wipe/wash her down there with an antispetic cloth. But she sounds like she is going to be a really good mum.
Make sure she gets plenty to eat (she may eat three times more than normal). And water -- needs to have plenty of water so she can make the puppies milk.
I bet your pretty proud of your little girl bout now
aren't you.
Thanks for letting me share in the excitement. Will be watching for your posts over the next few days to see how things are going.
All the best,Bee

CONGRATS to all. 4 babys well dun. Kath

Have been following the thread and feel as if I have been through it too. Well done on the pups and also on keeping us abreast of the welping. Ooooh so exciting. Go get some rest you deserve it. All the best Jackie H

she may be eating them as they are expelled, I don't often see much placenta as they are so quick, cleaning and tearing the membranes as the pups are bing born!

I never saw a puppy in its bag and a placenta until my 3rd litter when they were being born very quickly, the two earlier litters to her Mum were well spaced so each pup was attended to almost before being born!

Just to let you all know that they are all doing really well...including a very proud Mum,who is refusing even to go into the garden and wants me to hand feed her as she does'nt want to leave them for a second!

Thanks again to Bee who seemed to predict everything just before it happened...even the number of pups,just got the sexes wrong lol.

By the way she had them all on the sofa...luckily its leather so washable,and when I moved her and the pups to her whelping box she tried to move them back to the sofa...but she's got the right idea now and is quite content.
Thanks to all of you Kay

It's nice to hear a happy ending Kay - I kept on eye on the board last night to see how you were doing :D Felt like I was giving birth myself :O but having never bred pups or kids myself I couldn't be much help !!
Sara :)

I feed all my bitches in their beds, they have enough to do! For at least three days you will need to prise her out to get her to the toilet, after that it will be a quick comfort break and back to pups. after a week she may lie outside thebed if she is too warm. Keep her quiet and basically encourage her to stay in the same room with pups for first fortnight.

Sometimes bitches that are very attached to the family are torn between maternal duties and wanting to be with the family. At two weeks I bring pups into the kitchen, which helps keep her concentrating on them when she is starting to feel a bit lonely. she is then happy as she can watch her babies and be with us! Watch the other dogs, she will graduallyallow them to look at her pups and by the time they are really mobile allow them to play while she supervises. Expect the others to be really respectful of her :D

Hi Kay, Glad to hear everyone's doing great and I was glad to play "cheerleader" - as were the others, while we were watching and waiting for your posts. It's always so exciting and we were all happy to have shared it with you.

As Brainless posted before, I too feed my mums in the whelping box for the first few days, and have her water just outside the box within neck's reach.
Sometimes, I also have to entice mine to leave the puppies to go out----to the point where I wrap the puppies in a blanket and carry them out with us. And like Brainless, I play musical chair with the whelping box too. Like now, I have my puppies and mom in a box under my desk while I work (I work at home) and at nite, I take box and all into my bedroom for the nite. Your girl being a first time mom is as Brainless, said torn between her wanting to be with you and needing to be with her puppies. But this will subside somewhat over the next few days, as your girl becomes settled in with her new role as mum and you'll find she will
become content in just cleaning her pups, sleeping and eating. Some of the other posters may offer you some additional tips they do with their new mums, and one of mine is I give mine cottage cheese over their food to help replenish the calcium your mum needs, as well as a calcium supplement.
Something else, since I am here in the states, I am not familiar with the docking pros/cons in England;but Jack Russell's need their tails docked don't they? If so, this will need to be done shortly.
I'm sure one of the others will be posting on what is to be done there too. (I think we all feel like their our puppies too)

You have a great little mum there and I hope to hear more as the puppies progress.

All the best,
Bee

P.S. Does anyone know why these postings keep getting narrower and narrower?