Dog / Puppy Question - what would you do?

hiitdogs

hiitdogs

Cathlete
Now, I know this has nothing to do with fitness, but I am really going back and forth on this, and I sure could use some advise.

As many of you may know, I got my Mini Aussie, Pepper, from the breeder with the stipulation that I allow two litters, which will be given back to the breeder (other than first pick of one puppy of the litter for me). The original plan was to give Pepper back to the breeder for the whelping and until the pups are weaned.

Well, Pepper is due in two weeks from now and I am just having a hard time letting go of her, meaning, I would have to bring her to the breeder next week and not get her back for 7 - 9 weeks. The part that makes it SOOOOOO hard for me, is, that she is so affectionate. She freaks out every time I just go outside without her, or just go outside the dog park to pick up doggie poop that one of the other guys left there. She just goes ballistic and pogos 5 or 6 feet, almost clearing the fence, despite of her being pretty "chunky" by now.

So, normally I would say, well, just keep her here and let her have her pups at our house. I started doing some research and I am getting really worried about Parvo. So I will have to spray my whole house and yard with a clorox solution, wipe off the dogs' feet with that clorox solution every time they go in and out the house. Everyone, my kids, my DH, anyone who visits the house needs to take their shoes off, wipe their feet, hands, etc with the clorox solution. I can't take the dogs to the dog park until the pups are gone or vaccinated at 6 or 7 weeks old, I will be able to take them for walks but I need to wipe off their paws, my shoes, etc.

The breeder says, you can keep her, just make sure to be really diligent about wiping the dogs and anyone who goes in the house. I mean, I work from home but I do go in and out the house probably 3 to 8 times a day, not to mention my kids and anyone else.

The other thing I am worried about, is, that I have never been a "doggie midwife". My DH grew up on a farm and he is pretty confident that he knows what to do. Pepper had a litter before and she was doing fine, but I also found out just a few days ago that when the breeder got her, she was evaluated by Pat Hastings, THE go-to guru for dogs, and Pat had said that Pepper's pelvis was too small for breeding / having pups. Now, she didn't have any problems the first time around, but .........

On top of it, I am really worried what happens once we have the pups, my kids are going to get my house flooded with tears, every time one puppie goes to his/her new owner, and I am not much better. I am such a sucker for puppies. However, I can't keep 9 puppies (which was what she had the first time around), not to mention that I can't afford to BUY all puppies :)

Above all, however, I can't imagine my life without my little Pepper girl, even if it is only for a few months. Any advise anyone, anyone knock some sense into me!!!!???

I will be talking to my vet, hopefully tonight or tomorrow, but I sure could use some additional advise, opinions, etc.

Thanks guys!

Carola
 
Carola,

Not much wisdom here, all the litters I have witness went without a hitch,but I wasn't in your shoes. I did want to wish you luck with your decision. If you've never had a litter, it is an experience you would want to see, but it does take some planning. Since you have agreed to 2 litters, if you're not feeling ready right now you could go ahead and let her have this litter at the breeder's and the next one you could keep her at home. Is parvo a big of problem around you? When my first dog had her puppies, we took several of them to a family pet store to sell them (they were about 7-8 weeks old and had 1 set of shots). The pet store was clean and sanitary, but the ones that didn't sell with in the first days, caught parvo. The vet said probably by someone that had been exposed to parvo coming in and petting the puppies. How far away is the breeder? Can you go visit Pepper if you decide to take her to the breeder? If you did go visit, would that upset her too much to have you leave? Just some things to think about.

Jean
 
Carola,

I think she will be better off with you. I understand having a hard time letting the puppies go-I dont know if I could ever do that-you get so attached. I just feel she and you will better off with you. Let us know what you decide.

Sincerely,

Lisa
 
Well I don't know much about dogs, let alone breeding.....but I would think that she would be better off with you. Isn't it going to be hard enough on her to have the pups and "lose" them, let alone lose her family temporarily?
 
There's no question that "emotionally," she'd be better off staying home with you & your family. However, that can happen *only if* you can give her the same care and atmosphere as the breeder. I have never been involved in a puppy birth but I would imagine that it takes some knowledge. There's also a lot work involved with the "parvo prevention." If you are ready, and your family is ready, to do that then, keep her at home. If not, see if you can arrange "visitation" during the time with the breeder.

Good luck :)
 
Thanks you guys, you have the same thoughts I have. The problem will be with visitations. The breeder lives about 1.5 hours drive from me (one way), so visitation won't really be an option. And it may make it even harder to see her and then have to leave her again.

I spoke to my vet yesterday and she seems to think I can handle it, and wasn't too conerned about Parvo, as long as I don't take my dogs to the dog park and make sure to wipe their feet after walks. She gave me her cell phone number, in case Pepper has problems during birth and it's outside normal business hours.

Oh man, choices, choices! I will keep you guys posted! Thanks again.

Carola
 
The first litter is always the hardest on the nerves. I understand how you feel, Just last year I took my female to get bred to a male that was 3 hours away. But I was able to keep her at home for whelping,
As for Parvo I would keep some clorox wipes for feet of other dog owners. You can also carry Parvo on the bottom of your shoes also. I know someone who keeps a litter box with a bit of bleach for the soles of peoples feet, He had parvo carried in three times so he is more cautious with it now. As when it comes time to give the puppies up it will be hard, I still have a hard time selling them. One thing that does help is you know who they are going to,
Has the vet done an x-ray to see how large the puppies are? usually they can see the size of her pelvis. She should be ok.
 
I have had MANY pregnant mommies who have had puppies at my house. I do rescue and have always been the go-to person for pregnant moms who are at the shleter. I have never had a case of Parvo in my house (and it can live in the soli for up to a year) and have never Cloroxed anything on a regular basis. I do clean the floors when they need it, but the puppies (and all animals) shouldn't be exposed to the Clorox until it has dried completely. Also, no pupppy should be at a dog park or allowed to walk on any floor that other dogs (besides theones in their home) have been on before finishing their vaccinations. They can pick up tons of things because of their lesser immune systems.

It is a lot of work, but also incredibly rewarding. I would suggest you read up on it before so you know what you are in for and how to spot problems. From watching the dog's behavior, you will know when she is ready to deliver. There can be complications (one time one of my mamas didn't remove the sac from her first pup and left it sitting on the floor...I got him and removed the sac and revived him. He is now a healthy and happy big boy!). You just have to be prepared for that.

I do think she would be better off in a place she knows with people she is used to.

Lorie

P.S. One question, though...if a professional said her pelvis was too small to breed, why did the breeder breed her? When I worked as a vet tech, I saw quite a few c-sections on dogs who could not naturally deliver their babies. Not a good thing.
 
>P.S. One question, though...if a professional said her pelvis
>was too small to breed, why did the breeder breed her? When I
>worked as a vet tech, I saw quite a few c-sections on dogs who
>could not naturally deliver their babies. Not a good thing.

Because she is a stubborn as someone on this forum that you know, Lorie :) ME!!
Actually I called her yesterday about this, because I was pretty pissed. She told me that Pat Hastings had said that her pelvis was too small to breed based an outside examination. However, she had her vet do x-rays and the vet seemed to be fine with it. I guess I was pretty worried already and only heard "pelvis is too small"

I did speak to my vet about my concerns, she told me not to worry, because Pepper had pups before without problems and that sometimes "external examinations" are deceiving. I will take Pepper to my vet next week, see what she has to say.

Thanks, Lorie, that was great advise! I feel a little better now.

Carola
 
Yeah, I wouldn't worry. Just do a search about pregnant moms (canine, of course ;) ) and you'll be fine. It's really a beautiful thing to see and it's amazing how the mothers just know what to do. Your kids will love watching the pups develop! At first, they pretty much look like little mice, then they start to grow, their eyes open, they start to walk, oh, it all makes me want to go rescue another litter (but I can't!!!). It really is wonderful.

Keep us posted and PM me if you have any specific questions.

Lorie
 
Carola - you know what I think :p Keep her with you. Both you and she will be happier. You'll be a nervous wreck if you don't. Jimmy's breeder says that having a lot of puppies is like having a house full of kids. You adore them, you have a lot of fun with them, but by the time they're ready to go home, you're pretty much ready to let them go. I'm not sure about that, but I would think 9 puppies would be a handful!

Good luck and best wishes to both of you!
 
>Carola - you know what I think :p Keep her with you. Both
>you and she will be happier. You'll be a nervous wreck if you
>don't.

I knew you were going to say this, Christine :) I will be a nervous wreck either way though!!

Don't know how many pups are in that big belly of hers. It is HUGE and they seem to be moving around in there, when she lays on her back wanting her tummy scratched :) My kids are pretty excited!

If you see someone running in and out of the forum in two weeks from now, glassy-eyed and hair ripped out and screaming, that will be me :)

Have a terrific day!

Carola
 
Pat Hastings is the best to knowing the dogs structure!! she travels all over evaluating peoples dogs and puppies, I would trust her, but if the vet isn't worried about then I would also go with the vet. I had one female with a small pelvis and she had a hard time delivering, always had to help pull the puppy out so I stopped breeding her, I agree with someone, look up all the info you can about whelping puppies, it helped me out a ton!!
Hang in there Carola, it is a great experience, nervouse till they are born but once they are born it is an awesome experience.
 
Good luck, whatever you decide!
I used to breed lhasa apsos and experiencing the birth of a litter is a thrilling thing. One thing to know about new mamma dogs however -- while in most cases the new mother instinctively knows what to do and amazingly goes about caring for her new little ones, a relatively small percentage of female dogs are decidedly indifferent to the new pups. So it would be a good idea to do some research and brush up on what to do in case you have to leap into action (gently tearing open the umbilicial sacs if necessary, cleaning fluid from the puppies' mouths and eyes, rubbing the belly etc.)

If you're lucky the new little mom will do all of this and your role will be to observe and facilitate -- but you never know!
:7
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top