need some advice
I am dog sitting my brothers aussie while he is on vacation this week. Normally really not a problem, BUT she is pregnant, they think she isn't due until around the 8th and he is supposed to be back that day. But I have no idea what to do with her or look for in case she decides to have them earlier. They think she was bred on Mother's Day when the kids put her in the kennel with a male that they had been trying to keep her seperated from, but she may have gotten friendly with him before they realized she was in heat.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I want to make sure she has what ever necessary if she does have them but I don't have a clue what I am doing.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer on
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You may want to find her some old blankets, or sheets (nothing with a lot of fuzz on them) and a place for her to "nest", if she hasn't already shown you where she prefers.
Aussies are pretty self reliant dogs and she should be able to have the pups without a problem, she just needs a place TO have them that isn't on a light colored carpet :)
If she's that close, she should be starting to find a place to nest - rearranging bedding etc to make a place to have them, and you should should also see her mammary glands starting to swell up. You can check them daily and when you start to be able to get some milk from them, she's probably within 24 hours of being ready to have pups. Another thing to watch for when she gets close is for a clearish mucous coming (from you know where) - that's her mucous plug (sounds icky I know, but not as bad as it sounds), that's indicative of the pups coming in the next 2-4 days. Sally's showed up Wednesday evening and she had her puppies Friday - early morning.
At this point, all you can do is let her know that YOU know she's having pups, give her an acceptable place to have them (confine her if need be) and give her something to make into a "nest" - most likely she'll take care of the rest. I would however suggest keeping a close eye on her, checking more frequently if she's at your brother's house and not yours so that if she does have problems you'll know right away.
(be prepared to do lots of laundry if she has them before they come home - birthing can be a bit messy and more so the larger the dog - and the puppies need to be kept on clean bedding at all times, once mom is done having pups)
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Be aware that she will also be tearing off the sack and eating the placenta after the pups are born ant she has torn the umbelical cord., she will need to clean them off and lick them for them to start breathing. I offer my females a bit of water occasionally as this can be a many hour process.After all the pups are born I would make sure she has food(since she has eaten the placentas she may not be hungry right away and especially water to help her fluid level. I would suggest an "out of the way" bathroom or area that is closed for her privacy except for your checking on her. Make sure the pups don't get wrapped in the blankets also.The pups will almost immediatly start crawling toward her to nurse.
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Permalink Reply by Ludi on
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I don't want to be "that person", but is there a reason that dog is intact? I.E., is she a serious show/working prospect? It irks me when I read about irresponsible, accident matings.
** I know it's not YOUR dog. :) Just wondering!
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Permalink Reply by Laura Jones on
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Thank you ladies, that is helpful. And Ludi that is somewhat of a pet peeve of mine too, but she is his working ranch dog, and they have been debating on if they wanted to breed her. She is bred to another purebred aussie. So they aren't going to be some odd mixture. And both parents have wonderful temperments so hopefully thepups will make good family dogs.
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Okay. :) Well, that's definitely a best case scenario then, for an accident mating. It's just unfortunate that she may deliver without her usual humans around! :(
I have no experience with pregnant dogs so I echo Beth's recommendation of knowing what vet is on-call on what nights around the possible delivery date. Here in France, the vets rotate amongst themselves and some can be quite a drive away from my usual vet. It's highly important to know this when a bitch is due for delivery!
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Yes, it is sad she may not have "dad" around, but I am hoping since she has always seemed pretty fond of "aunt Laura" and spends a lot of time here she will be ok.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I know next to nothing about whelping, but I would also talk to a vet ahead of time to make sure you know who you can call if it's 2am and she's in distress. Problem births do happen, in any breed, and both bitch and pups can be lost, so it's best to have an emergency plan in place. Also make sure she has a place she can be where the other dogs can't get to her or they might stress her or she might go after them.
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Is this her 1st litter...she may need more "help" as she may not know exactly what to do either. If she doesn't break the bag...you will have to.
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Permalink Reply by Brittani on
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It sounds like you have a lot of solid advice here. I just wanted to chime in and say that it would be best if you can keep other dogs away from her when she is ready to give birth/giving birth. Other dogs know what is going on and often they will become curious and want to see. Investigating dogs can be quite stressful to a birthing momma.
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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I believe you can usually tell by their temperature if the pups are coming soon. I can't recall if it's a drop or an increase though...
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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Its a drop in temperature before they whelp. She should be on puppy food starting now or shortly after she whelps so she has the nutrients to produce milk for her puppies and not totally starve herself. A big thing that people make the mistake of when a dog has its first litter is hovering. Dont' sit and stare and watch the whole thing, as it may make her nervous and reluctant to deliver. Give her a private place where she can have her puppies and check in on her periodically to make sure she is doing ok. It can be hours between puppies, but if you see hard pushing for more than 1/2 hour with no puppy she will need help. I haven't heard of or seen aussies in need of c-sections so hopefully she won't have any trouble giving birth, but of course its always a possibility so just keep an eye on her and make sure she is delivering each pup but don't obsessively watch her and make her nervous :-) Hopefully since you are asking ahead and being prepared, you won't need to worry! Dog's are pretty good about delivering right at or about 63-65 days so hopefully she will wait until dad is back!
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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My first inclination, having whelped quite a few litters, would be to say "That's above my pay grade!" so your brother and the dog are lucky to have someone like you holding their bag.... Definitely have a Vet on call. I would recommend taking her in to her Vet just so you can discuss things with him/her and know more fully what to expect, what the signs of trouble are that would require medical attention, and basic care of newborn pups. Pups are born with eyes and ears sealed and are incapable of regulating their body temperature, for approximately 10 days then it's a gradual process forward. Things go well most of the time, but it is not unusual to have pups that need extra help to make it and, believe me, it's heartbreaking to lose one. You don't want to be siting there in the middle of the night with a couple of newborn pups and a stalled delivery wondering what you should do. This falls under the old saying " an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
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