Hi everyone,

My bitch had a litter of seven four and a half weeks ago and all survived and are doing absolutely excellent. They are being weaned and are eating the soaked puppy chow very well. Mom doesn't nurse them, or doesn't want to, at least. She stands and runs off when they try. She knows what's best. =) Anyways, my main concern here is that the bitch is still eating the puppies' poop. The feces[sp?] are getting bigger as the puppy grows, so its surely not helping the mother's digestive tract, is it? Should I just let the mother be and let her continue to clean after her litter's messes or should I do all I can to stop her from doing so? If you believe I should stop her, how can I go about this as I am not with the litter every minute of every day, so how can I try to stop her? If you believe I should just let the mother be and carry on with eating the pups' feces and use her own judgement, when will she stop herself from eating it? Sorry if this is confusing, I just don't know how else to explain my questions. =) Thanks for any help!

-Tara

Hi Tara,

My bitch was a very good mother, she was constantly cleaning up after them. As they got older, she spent less time with them in their pen, where most of the mess was so that stopped her. She did try to still clean up after them when they were running around the kitchen, but I tried to get there first before she actually saw, and cleaned it up. Eventually she just stopped trying on her own accord.
So maybe if you actually see it happen, you could quickly get rid of it, but I wouldn't worry too much she'll stop in her own time. (I'm no expert though :) )

Michelle.

My experience is the sme as yours. I pick up any poo as soon as I can so that there is less opportunity for Mum to do it and eventually she stops.

Your bitch knows that the pups' poo needs to be cleaned up. If a person isn't there to do it, then she realises it's down to her.

The only way to stop her doing it is for you to make sure the pups' area is as clean as she wants it to be, before she has to do it herself.

Who is there to help her out?