hi my staffy bitch has given birth to 10pups today[accident mating]and shes not coping too well because she keeps moving about the basket+then lying on pups,as far as i know its her 1st litter,the last pup was born 12.10am but shes still panting heavily,is this normal?
have only managed to get her to go out for wee once in last few hours,she wont get out.
shes had food+drink whilst in basket,i held dish for her.
im too scared to go to bed+leave her to it,incase she squashes by accident.
shes seems very keen with them,licking etc.
friend suggested letting some go a foster mum,if one can be found,is this a good idea or would she get stressed over the missing pups?i think theres to many for her too cope with.
any help/advice greatly appreciated.
thanks.
paula.

Hi Paula,

In all honesty you should have been prepared for all eventualities - even with an accidental mating since you must have decided to proceed with it :(

Did you count the afterbirths to ensure that all were delivered?  One for every pup?  Are you sure she has finished whelping?  Get your vet to call in first thing in the morning or sooner if there appear to be any problems to check over mum and all pups - he will give her an injection to expel anything left in the womb and help it to contract.  He will also need to check pups for birth defects such as cleft pallaets.

She will pant heavily and probably dig quite a bit after feeding the pups - the suckling stimulates further contractions of the womb - just like after birthing pains in human mums which are similar to labour pains :(  When taking her out to the toilet before seeing the vet tomorrow, keep her on a lead in case she goes off into a dark spot of the garden and delivers any other pup(s)

You should not leave the mum and pups unattended tonight anyway - going to your own bed is a luxury that you'll have to do without for at least the next two weeks (apart from a few quick naps within easy reach of the whelping box while pups and mum are sleeping) so that you're on hand for any problems like the mum crushing or (God forbid) biting any of the pups.  You have to make sure that they are all warm, dry, eating well and comfortable and of course that the mum is cleaning them all regularly to stimulate them to use the toilet (both wee and poo).  Be prepared to have to change the bedding and papers in the whelping box at least a couple of times overnight - pups should never be allowed to get wet or cold and lying on damp bedding is life threatening.

Make sure all pups get latched onto the teats regularly - the first 48 hours or so is very important as this is when the highest level of colostrum comes through and the more they suckle the more production of milk is encouraged.  Make sure Mum is drinking - she may not feel like food although offer it to her, preferably slightly softened and warmed.  If she won't take water offer her some other fluids such as warmish weak tea or clear chicken soup. 

Ask your vet in the morning if he thinks she looks capable of coping with a litter this size.  Foster mums are OK in emergencies but pups are generally safer being with mum in their own home and litter on the proviso that your bitch was in optimum health prior to whelping.

HTH meantime, Teri

Hi have you no pig rails in your whelping box so that she cant squash them, also most new mums will want to clean their babies, i would try and get her to lie down and then put the puppies on her to suckle.in my opinion i would leave all the puppies with mum but make sure that they all get on a teat at intervals. also in the morning call your vet and ask for a home visit it will cost a few pounds more for the vet to come out, but well worth it just to make sure your girl is ok and he may possibly give her a oxitocin injection to make sure everything is out and no more puppies. Also i would stay with your girl tonight i wouldnt leave one of my girls alone with a new litter, but i always sleep with mine for the first 10 to 12 nights not a comfy option on the settee but well worth it

hi guest.my bitch gave birth to ten rottweiler pups 4weeks ago now it was a first for both of us.congratulations on your litter.my dog never had a whelping box she managed very well without crushing them.as for the panting she did that for a whiel after.could you email me on woggot@aol.com

Polly, im interested to know what pig rails are !! ????????

Hi Misstyko,

They are dowelling rods used low down in the whelping box along each side to prevent pups being squashed between mum and sides of the box ;)  TBH not much help if mum lays on them in the middle of the box but a good precaution nevertheless, particularly with larger breeds.

Regards, Teri :)

My turn for a question - again :D

Do the pig rails also help to stop the pups from climbing out of the welping box when they get a bit bigger?

No they have to be removed then as pups could get stuck in them.

Hi Natalie,

Shouldn't think they would prevent them - maybe assist if anything ;)  They're normally used for the first couple of weeks only.  TBH I bought them and didn't use them at all but as I said perhaps with a large or especially a giant breed they are more of a necessity.  Not sure how others use them - my various mentors were not fans of them and reommended using, if at all, for first two weeks only - by then pups are mobile enough to move out of the way and can certainly scream pretty convincingly if mum even bumps them :P 

Regards, Teri

Thanks to both :D

Don't even know why I asked really, just get carried away at times!!! :D

>Don't even know why I asked really, just get carried away at times!!! :-D<

ROFLOL Natalie at least you are honest :-D

:D Well if you don't ask, you don't get!! I could start a whole thread on the stupid questions I have up my sleeve, but I thought I would let them out one by one instead of dropping them from a very high height!!! :D

Always useful to learn something new! :D

LOl @ Natalie :D 

Well you never know, could come up in Trivial Pursuit, pub quiz etc ;)  Onlookers will be in awe of you and fighting to have you on their team