I have a bitch that had puppies for the first time last night.  She had three - All looked healthy and they were squirming and crying.  She didn't seem to be paying any attention to them, but we thought that was because she was still having puppies.  She ended up having three and we went to bed, all seemed fine.  When we woke up this morning - there was only one puppy left, and its head had been bitten off.  Is this normal - Could there have been something wrong with all three puppies, that we just didn't see?  Where should we go from here??

It is not normal & she should not have been left alone with the puppies @ all. There may or may not have been anything wrong with the puppies, but as she was left alone you will never know what happened. I would never leave any bitch alone over night with her puppies for several weeks in fact not until she was no longer going into them at night. I would suggest getting your bitch spayed & certainly not breeding from her again

I have to say I agree with Moonmaiden. She should not have been left alone with her new born puppies and I most certainly would not contemplate breeding from her again.

Welcome to the forum.

Sadly, you have found out why bitches should not be left alone with new born puppies. It is the sort of thing that you learn from experience (either your own or other peoples) and it is just a shame that you did not find the forum before you mated your bitch. Not to say that it could have been prevented, but you might have had a better idea of what could happen. However, what is done is done now and unfortunately, no one here will be able to tell you why your bitch did what she did. There could be all manner of reasons. Members maybe able to make suggestions as to why it happened, but the bottom line is that you will never know.

If you do decide to breed again with your bitch, please take a moment to read the various posts within the breeding forum as these will give you some idea of the type of things that can and do go wrong and how to avoid them. Do not hesitate to ask any questions that you may have either. We all had to start somewhere and we all learn by our mistakes. We have alot of experienced breeders whom post here regularly and I am sure they will be only to happy to pass on their experience and advice to you.

I had a cat did this and it was her second litter :(

Karen

OMG that is terrible, i always sleep on the sofa for the first 3-4 weeks when we have a litter, not because i dont trust my females but because i would not settle, so sorry about the puppies.

Hi elleandliy,

My sister-in-law who has breed g/s for many years over 25yrs,  warned me a long time ago about this,  It can happen if the bitch feels threated, in any way by another dog or human. In most cases it is in there eyes, to protect them from crediters.
Were they born in the home or kennel? was there any other dogs around?
I doubt very much if there was anythink wrong with the pups.
I feel for you, as for warned is for armed in many instances.
Some times lol it seems like they are going to eat them when they bite the cord off.
I would try my best to find out why, by eliminating, what might have caused it.

Denese

Very sorry to hear this.  I guess you don't need to hear everyone saying you should have slept in the room with your dog.  Obviously this might have made no difference whatsoever - I remember my husband having to wake me many times because my baby daughter was screaming in the middle of the night (in my room) and I was not waking up!!  Anyway, it's happened now, and it's very sad.  The most obvious thing would be that your girl was protecting the pups.  Sounds ridiculous but it is what they would instinctively do sometimes - eat them to stop someone else eating them.  Such a shame - you must be devastated :-(

I won't repeat what everyone else has already said apart from this reaction is quite rare, your bitch must have felt under extreme pressure. Maiden bitches often don't have a clue what is going on the whole whelping process is a complete shock to them, some bitches can easily whelp and then leave their pups, the pups needed to be put to teat throughout the whelping process it helps a maiden bitch to understand quickly that these are her pups, she will then in turn lick and clean them, did she remove the sacs herself or did you need to do that?

As already said bitches may kill and eat pups if they feel threatened, or they feel their pups are threatened, in your case I would take a guess that perhaps your bitch was stressed as she had paid them no attention throughout the whelping process she did not associate them with herself, left with 3 crying pups wishing to feed she most probably took the only action she understood.

Take your bitch to the vet for a thorough check up as you were unaware about the need to stay with your bitch to watch over the pups for fear of her sleeping on them and helping her to bond with her pups by feeding, cleaning and keeping them warm you may not have enough knowledge to spot your bitch being unwell, so I would strongly advise you taking her for a thorough check over.

It is a devastating thing to happen for all concerned, you must be devastated too, but I strongly recommend a vet visit, very sorry for all concerned, and I hope that your bitch recovers well.

as a matter of interest, elleandliv - how old is she?

What a ghastly thing to happen. I'm so sorry. I agree with other OP's that it is usually a protective reaction and Carrington has made a very valid point about getting her checked by a vet. Apart from anything else, you are going to need help to dry up her milk.

So sorry to hear this happened :-(
It must have been a terrible shock for you.

so sorry that you had the learn this lesson in such an awful way.
poor thing and poor you.

I would also be concerned to check that the bitch does not have Eclampsia, which has been known to cause bitches to kill their offspring due to the chemical imbalances causing confusion.

Nothing to add just wanted to say how sorry I am for you

(((hug)))

I couldn't answer last night as I was weeping at what you must be going through.
I am so sad and sorry too, take care (((((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))))

I think Admin and Carrington have said what needs to be said exactly right :(

Im so sorry you lost your pups, I hope your bitch doesnt suffer too much from the trauma either (((Hug)))

what breed is she because I have heard of this happening in a certain breed, (only say if you are allowed to?)

I think in this case mentioning the breed would be fine as there is no litter of pups to be 'advertised'.

think she's gone :-(

sure, you all are right by saying 'the bitch should not have  been  left alone" but i think the one who needed the help/support from all aswell is the breeder! has nobody told her what to do when her bitch gets the puppies? no one told her to stay up/sleep next to the bitch .? giving advice?.
so easy to say now .. never breed from the bitch again ... do this, do that ...
would have been best/ kind to offer help/advice for a next litter! as indeed there must be a reason for this behaviour .. in nature this does happen too .... and the females DO get very often a next litter , without any problem  ..
we had a bitch from USA who, when she came to live with us, had no idea about the outside world .. was kept in kennel/crate ..
in our house, fields .. cats, horses, sheep , chickens ..
first time she had contact with one of our cats: she killed it .., then lateron a little kitten.  ..sure we were all devastated ... as i had tried hard to  keep her under control . reactions like" how could she .. dont want this dog to come near any of my animals ever again .. etc etc .." but with the old cat who always lives inside ;. she became friends .. slowely on adapted to our way of life, our animals .all those getting their attention too..
She had  probably never been with other animals beside her own breed/kennelmates .....when living with her previous owner .... maybe just trying to show us "her position,her place' in our house. who knows? but having a rescue, we dont give up so easily and "work on it"
Dogs can change .. people can change ... when given the chance ... so instead of "telling her what we all would have done" we could   tell her  what to avoid the next time ...how to act, react when her bitch gets another litter. In many countries, like in ours, Germany, Holland we have seminars one can attend where info is given to starters, newcomers .; but even experienced breeders can still learn .. as all is changing so fast regarding medication, genetic tests ...
If she reads this, she is welcome to mail me ...
It must have been such a shock to wake up and  see this has happened .. a hard lesson ...but dont think we need to tell her that .. she knows!
wish you more luck/success with next litter and a big hug for your bitch!

Hi elle !  So sorry to hear what has happened to your puppies.  Don't know if it was a maiden bitch or an experienced bitch but unfortunately things like this can happen.  I just wanted to advise you for the future to stay with the bitch and the puppies always for the first 24 hours at least.  I am not in agreement with everyone in this forum that there is a necessity to sleep in the same room as the bitch for weeks.  I agree that it is important to be as close to the room as possible to be able to hear if there are any problems (puppy squeals are very loud) but I feel it is better to leave the bitch alone as much as possible with her pups interfering as little as possible.  After all this is what would happen in the wild.  She wouldn't have someone sitting over her and sleeping next to her all night.  I have had various litters of puppies and have always  stayed with the bitch for the first 24 hours until I see that she is settled and is ok with handling of the puppies.  This especially if she is a maiden bitch as they can have problems understanding how they need to handle them - how they need to lie in the whelping box so that puppies find her.  This normally sorts itself out within the first 24 hours though.  There was obviously some reason why your bitch did this.  I would have her checked over by your vet to see if there could be anything wrong which could have caused this.  I am not in agreement though that I wouldn't breed from her again.  If she is worthy of the breed why not ?  All I would do is that the next time, I would pay a great deal of attention and time with her to make sure that things are ok.

> After all this is what would happen in the wild.

Animals such as dogs have litters of considerable size because in the wild they will eat some, tread on some and abandon the slow to get started.  I would prefer to breed fewer litters than would be normal in the wild and do what is required to ensure all healthy puppies make it through even if that means sleeping alongside my bitch for at least a couple of weeks. 

I am so sorry.

OMG im o sorry to hear what as happend to you !!! ive just had a litter and i havnt sleepd much in 9 days ,its hard but its the best thing to do ,stay with them ,sorry youve had to learn this this way x x x

Parzac.

You have hit the nail on the head.  To many people decide to breed without enough back up and knowledge.

Would anyone have a baby on their own without a competent midwife?

All the breeders I know have had someone help them with their first litters, hands on.

I had a breeder friend from another breed help me whelp my first litter and then oversea the next.  I have done the same for a fellow breeder of my breed spent the night and helped him whelp his first litter and was on the phone etc for the second.

Yep. I was out at 2.30am last week helping a chap with his first litter. I knew that he was stressing about the birth and so I offered to be on standby. Every thing went well , but there could have problems during one puppies birth when she was really taking quite a long time to give birth to her 5th as it had a big head (a boy of course!!!). I think he would have stressed the bitch out big time if someone with some experience hadn't been there to help.

For my first litter my mentor helped me and had previously invited me to one of his bitches whelping so that I had had experience of a whelping.

Im so sorry.  I cant imagine what you are going through.
I was with my friend when  her bitch  she was giving birth to her puppies.  She savaged the first puppy to be born, so we put the puppy in a box and kept him away from mum, she delivered 5 more puppies and attacked the last puppy too!  Mum and pups were kept apart and hand reared!
I've had 2 litters and kept mum and pups in the same room with me till they were 2 weeks old.  Both my bitches showed nothing but love for their pups.
I have heard of rats and hamsters doing that sort of thing if they feel threatened, but never a dog :-(
Thinking of you

> sure, you all are right by saying 'the bitch should not have  been  left alone" but i think the one who needed the help/support from all aswell is the breeder! has nobody told her what to do when her bitch gets the puppies? no one told her to stay up/sleep next to the bitch .? giving advice?.
> so easy to say now .. never breed from the bitch again ... do this, do that ...
> would have been best/ kind to offer help/advice for a next litter!

I thought everyones responses are very helpful.

People have said the puppies shouldn't have been left (you can't hide from that fact, however much you regret it) and that the bitch shouldn't be bred from again - sound helpful advice for the future, I thought. One poster even offered help and advise for any future litters - how much more helpful can you get?

The sort of advice you are saying the OP needs, it is unfortunately too late to give - shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted! Yes, hindsight is a wonderful thing, and all the OP can do now is learn from their experience.

it was not to critize the answers, sorry for giving that impression ..but .. as the bitchowner  obviously  logged out .. it  shows SHE feels like being critizised ..and i think all she wanted is to get some support/some answers ..
and i guess thats what this forum is about .. to help with info .. with advice  but all without critics and with respect for the writer.
this way all& everyone can learn from eachother.
I dont see the point in  advising not to breed from this bitch again .. WE dont know the exact reason why this bitch did this, nor do we know if there is a medical or behaviour reason for it.Maybe even the bitch eat her puppies because she instinctively knew they were no good ??
Believe me .. dogs/bitches  use their natural abilities ...their instinct ...And we with all our (medical )science will have to accept and even admire/encourage that !So many breeders get too much involved when bitches give birth to their pups .; they immediately want to take over .. and dont even give the bitch a chance to do all herself .. sure we can 'supervise" ... should stay "close by" .. but all with good sense and a bit more trust that still "nature knows best" ( or maybe in this case .. the bitch herself??...)and if needed some help ..WE are there .. to deliver the pups TOGETHER with the bitch!
But hey, just my opinion ..

elleandliv have been back and I am sure that they appreciate the majority of the replies that they have been given. I don't think there is a person here whom does not feel shock and the greatest sympathy for what has happened to this poor woman and her dog. We would all feel the same if it happened to us. That is why I am pleased to see that some members have offered their thoughts on this subject. Hopefully, ellandliv will post at some point and let us know how the bitch is and if the vet found anything amiss. I am sure they are still reeling from the shock at the moment and I think that is totally understandable.

So if bitches eat their pups in the wild and its fairly common for bitches to do it in domestic situations too (My bros bitch bullmastiff ate one of her pups from her first litter so I know it can happen) Why is everyone saying not to breed from her again?
Surely with more expierance which she now has and being able to take the advice she needs from here, why cant she breed from the bitch again making sure next time she is there 24/7 with the dam and litter?
I mean nothing is wrong with the bitch in terms of mental or physical so why cant she breed from her.......??

I would not say to not breed from this bitch again, not just on the basis of what happened anyway, because bitches can get distressed and confused with their first litter but I would say the poster should not breed again until they have learned a great deal more about breeding to ensure they have enough knowledge to safeguard their bitch and puppies welfare. One cannot help question that if the midwifery side of breeding has not been investigated whether the other important issues have not been explored either.

> because bitches can get distressed and confused with their first litter but I would say the poster should not breed again until they have learned a great deal more about breeding to ensure they have enough knowledge to safeguard their bitch and puppies welfare

Totally agree wid that one :)
I hope she does breed again as it would be sad to lose a potential good breeder through a incident which I am sure has happened to so many breeders expieranced or not.

> So if bitches eat their pups in the wild and its fairly common for bitches to do it in domestic situations too (My bros bitch bullmastiff ate one of her pups from her first litter so I know it can happen) Why is everyone saying not to breed from her again?
>

Because poor mothering traits are very likely to be inherited.  In the wild a bitch that kills her young will not pass on her genes to the next generation, but if we breed from poor mothers and save the pups we are likely to perpetuate the problem.

It is similar to the argument for not using AI routinely as is often done in the US, as inadvertently you may be choosing animals who do not have the natural instinct to mate, bitches who won't stand and studs with low libido etc, it is the reason our KC is careful about when they will allow AI in this country.

I am so sorry to hear this awful new, hinsight is a great thing. We should all learn from our own and others misfortunes.  I remember years ago my friends bitch had a dead puppy and sh licked madly at the puppy and eventually the pup was taken off her as she was licking so ferousiously that she was about to start eating it. 

Although we may never know what happened here ...I recall a similar case where a CKCS delivered  normally butb became too enthusiastic when cleaning her pups ...Rupturing the intestine wall which caused her to lick even more ...Awful I know but human mums can read books about childbirth so far bitches cant ...
But it was an awful thing to go through and i am so sorry  .....X