Our bitch has just had a litter of pups 7 days ago.
She is a good mum, although she gets easily distracted and doesnt seem to care when they cry.. anyway the pups seem to be thriving!! getting enough milk and gaining weight, however she is not stimulating them to wee and poo very much so we put butter on them for that.

This is our first litter, so it may be the norm but not all the time, and not the same pups screech and screech for no apparent reason.. this tends to go on for 10 minute bursts and then they quieten down, is this normal?

Also I dont think she is providing enough milk!! Only the back two are full.. the others are basically flat to her tummy :(
Its wierd because they all seem plump and are due to almost double their birthweight within 8 days of birth (there are 5)

Some have been crying non stop for over 2 hours! help!

butter??

Not all bitches 'fill' with milk - it comes down as they feed, the same as with humans.  If they are gaining weight as they should be, then they are getting enough, and personally I would look to other reasons for their crying.

butter so she licks them

They could be overheating.  When they do this crying are the insides of their mouths very red.

How much they bag up has no real bearing on how much milk is produced.  I have had a bitch show no milk and feed a litter really well, and another apear to have lots yet weight gain not spectacular.

Yes, check you have a cooler area of the box as well as a heat pad, my heat pad covered about a third of the box and I had a little microwave pad they could snuggle up to if they wanted. Also weigh them each day, if they are gaining weight your girl must be producing enough milk even if she isn't very saggy.

I personally do not like having summer litters, but due to my girl missing last time I have on now. 

She whelped last night and I am sitting here wondering if to put the Vet bed into the box or just leave with the shredded paper as it is so warm.

I have had pups very distressed with heat in a September born litter (a lat heatwave) and a July litter 3 years ago.  I have frozen water in plastic bottles and wrapped in towels used them to cool the whelping box down and for pups to lie near.

Congratulations Brainless :-D

Hope mum and pups are doing well. xxx

Keep fingers crossed for me as we have a nice choice of girls this time.

That is absolutely fantastic news Barbara, gud luck with your litter.

Linda

Hey...fantastic news!
You are going to be busy!!!
You must make certain you look after you to!
Remeber to eat at meal times.

Karen the nag..........

We had a litter during a heat wave in May one year!  It was far more problematic keeping them cool than warming a winter litter.  Fortunately we have a ceiling fan in the kitchen so, having shielded them from the actual draft, that was our saviour.
Congratulations too! :-D

I like winter also. Even though mine only have a couple the summer is awful.

It is worth investing in s £150 iah air con unit to be honest, it keeps the moisture under control to. Just putting it on for 10 min spells does the trick.

I have one in my indoor runs that I occasionally stick on when the heat is what I would describe as uncomortable..

congrats! hope mum and babes are well

I definitely prefer summer litters - can't stand not being able to have all the windows open and not being able to have them out in the garden.  Far too smelly indoors 24/7!!

I much prefer winter litters as I dont feel I am missing out as much by having to stay home. My pups have always been able to play outside as they got older, and I have had heating on and windows open as long as it does not put the pups in a draft. And it has not been smelly apart from first thing in the morning (which would be the case whatever time of year) as I pick up as soon as they poo.

> Far too smelly indoors 24/7!!

There is no way I could rear a litter of my breed entirely indoors from 4 weeks they need to spen a lot of time outdoors,a dn this is why I prefer winter litters.  In winter they wake up later and when theya re at their noisiets when playing or they spot Mum once she is weaning them then it is better that neighbours ahve windows closed and are less likely to be disturbed.

The last litter I ahd in July at 7 weeks I had pups snoozing the days away and wanting to play loudly at 9am.

Even from indoors that demented seagull cry carries at night.

Congratulations!  How many do you have?