puppies won't nurse
 

My sister had a pregnant dog show up on her farm 1 week ago and this afternoon the dog had 8 puppies . The problem is the puppies will not latch on too nurse. They did at first (i have a picture of them) but that was at 1:30.She called the vet but he could not come out today but told her to keep trying to get them to nurse. Does anyone have any suggestions on what she can try? She is really worrying about the puppies but she cannot spend too much time with them because it is a very busy time on the farm. Here is a pic of the puppies in the barn. She is trying to find the owners but her husband thinks she was dumped. This pic was taken the first and only time they nursed and that was at 1:30. How often should they be nursing ?

I don't have any experiences to share. However, if the puppies were born early this afternoon and all have nursed once already that sounds like a good sign. It is apparently important that they nurse for the first time within a few hours after being born in order to get the antibodies from the mother to help give them immunity. Did your sister notice if they all seemed to have a pretty good feed when they did nurse? Maybe they are still full and tired.:shrug:

Hopefully they will get hungry soon and be ready to feed on their own again. Perhaps someone with some experience will come on to give you some other suggestions.

Tell your sister she is an :angel: for taking in this poor girl.

Cathy, sorry I do not have advice for you, just wanted to give some encourgement (sp). Hopefully the puppies will nurse and will grow up to be big and strong. Kudos to your sister for taking the bitch in and looking after her brood. :pray: for health for all. patti

My sister just called one pup died the others seem to be ok but still haven't nursed. She said the remaining puppies are very vocal and doing alot of wigglying around. I'm going out there now to spend a few hours with them because the mother seems to be more relaxed when someone is with her so my sister can get some sleep. She has to get up at 4:30 am

:rip: sweet puppy.

Losing a puppy in a litter that size is not unusual. Glad to hear the others seem to be pretty vocal and active. Keep us updated on how things are going.

Poor pup. Cathy, place the pups on the teats and see if they do actually drink. It is very important not to allow them to be chilled. I didn't know whether you meant she whelped during the night or day? If they feel cold to the touch I'd try to get them warmed up, don't feed them while they are cold, then eye dropper some glucose and (boiled, then cooled)water into them. Their blood sugar would be down if they haven't had a drink for some time. I don't like it that a pup has died already. I've had cattle dogs rear 10 or 11 pups successfully, while shelties will lose them fast if they aren't strong enough to nurse, or the pups get chilled.

also, if there is milk dripping from the teats, smear it on the teat itself, wet a pups mouth with some to get him licking, then put him on the teat with the milk smeared on it, usually that will stimulate them enough to get them suckling

[QUOTE=Melinda;1021121]also, if there is milk dripping from the teats, smear it on the teat itself, wet a pups mouth with some to get him licking, then put him on the teat with the milk smeared on it, usually that will stimulate them enough to get them suckling[/QUOTE]

I did do that lastnight while I was there and they are all nursing except one. The vet was out this morning and said all pups seem to be doing good except that one that refused to latch on so he called his wife who also works at his office and she took the pup and is going to try feeding it through out the day and if it goes well she will bring the pup back to see what happens. The mother seems to be very needy. I went to the office in the barn to make coffee and I could hear her cry. Even when a cat passed through she would whine to get it's attention. The one cat loves dogs so he would go over and rub all over the mother and she seems to have really enjoyed that. The cat even layed with the puppies and the mother was fine with that. The vet was a little concerned about her behavior so he took a blood and stool sample. He estimated her to be around 14 months old so he said that could explain her behavior.

Bless your sister for helping this poor girl out! She sounds like a real sweetie! Hope the remaining pups do well :goodvibes:

the poor thing, she's just a pup herself. you and your sister are wonderful for doing this. can I ask where in Ontario you are Cathy? I'm in Cornwall

I'm in woodstock, my sister is near brantford

oh heck, too far away for me to offer to lend a hand...I don't understand how anyone can drop off a dog...and a pregnant one at that

The pups are doing much better. I didn't know they could be so noisy. The other pup that was taken this morning is doing better and may try to return it tomorrow. My sister has decided to keep the mother and adopt out the babies. The vet knows 2 people that might be interested and he advised to keep the pups until they are atleast 12 weeks. She said she might try to move them into the house but the vet said her and the babies are fine in the barn for now. She usually gets cats dropped off and they move into the barn that is not used for cows anymore because they built a new barn. It's full of straw and cats but she had to move one cat because she was trying to carry away one of the pups today and the mother just sat there and watched.:shrug:

awww maybe kitty mom was just trying to ease the burden on the mom, thats so sweet. I hope you know we'll require a lot of pictures as the weeks go by............part of the contract for helping you *L*

I'm so glad to hear that the pups are doing better and that your sister has decided to keep mom. She sounds like a wonderful dog. Bless you all for helping her out.

I'm liking how this thread is unfolding. :thumbs up

You and your sister are :angel: :angel: for helping this poor lost little girl find a special home.

Please keep us posted and :pray: :pray: for all the best.

:highfive:

The other pup was returned this morning and before I left the pup had been nursing. The vet thinks they will be ok. Mom will be spayed as soon as possible.

sad when people dump a pregnant mother, a family dog we had years ago the same thing happened to its mother the owner dumped her she was a pb german shorthaired pointer, cause she mated with a lab and he figured the rest of her litters would be mixed breed :shrug: some people are not very edumacated....:D The poor mom almost starved to death trying to care for her 8 puppies, until someone found her and took them all in...Thanks to you and your sister for helping her out :grouphug: