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#188329 04/11/05 04:44 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 22
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 22
I have a Great Dane and Boxer who accidently mated and now we believe that she is pregnent. I have never delt with this situation and would appreciate any advice on whelping that can be offered.


Mrs*Bones
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Amoeba
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Amoeba
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Posts: 64
Mrs. Bones,

When did the accidental mating happen? How long ago? Some Vets will spay a pregnant dog, up to a certain point... I think that's until about the 4th week. (A full term pregnancy is 9 weeks for dogs.) The best advice I can give you is to find a Vet that will do the surgery.

If you don't have her spayed, do you have any idea what you'll soon have to deal with? Raising a litter of healthy puppies takes lots of time and lots of money. You need to take your dog to a Vet and have her examined. If you don't have her spayed, is she up to date with vaccines? Puppies need the protection from infectious diseases they get from their mother's milk until they're old enough to be immunized. Parvo, for example, is widespread and it can quickly kill a litter of unprotected puppies. Your Vet might suggest x-rays closer to the delivery date, so you know how many puppies to expect. Find out if your Vet is available round the clock 24/7 for emergencies. If not, is there an emergency vet in your area? Read the information in the links below to know what is normal during the delivery. If there are complications you could loose, not only the puppies, but your girl too.

She'll need a special diet during the pregnancy and while nursing. She'll need large amounts of food, and be fed several times a day. Hopefully she'll be able nurse all the puppies on her own. Large litters - like 8, 10, or more are quite common for large breeds. If there are too many pups, if she gets mastitis, if some or all of the pups need extra nourishment, you'll need to buy a special puppy milk replacer and puppy nursers. Will you be able to help feed them every few hours, 24/7?

Do you have the financial resources, time and energy to care for a litter of large breed pups? Sure the mother does most of the "work"... at first. She'll need a whelping box in a quiet, warm location. After the puppies are born, she'll need soft, dry bedding... washable or disposable, that you change at least twice a day. You'll soon need a larger enclosure for them... a small room or some kind of puppy-safe barrier or partitioned area to raise the pups. The litter will quickly outgrow the biggest crate available. You'll need several layers of absorbent material for the floor. (Tell everyone you know to start saving all their newspapers now.) At four weeks you'll start giving them puppy food... lots of puppy food. From that point on, keeping their living space clean can be a full time job. They'll spill their food, walk through their food, poop constantly and walk through that too. By the time you replace all the soiled newspaper, get ready to start all over again. You'll need to spend time every day cuddling and playing with each one if you want socialized, friendly puppies.

If all goes well and you are lucky enough to find GOOD homes for some of the puppies, are you willing and able to keep the others until you find homes for all of them? People will not be beating your door down to get a puppy. You may have substantial advertising costs. You'll have Vet expenses for all the puppies, shots at 6 weeks, wormings. Puppies that have homes can leave at 8 weeks. Those who stay a few more weeks... months... however long it takes to find homes, will need several more shots before they're 6 months old. Then they'll have to be spayed or neutered to prevent more matings. If you can't keep any puppies because you can't afford all that, because you don't have room for them, time to train them, or for whatever reason, what will you do with them? Your local animal shelter will take them (they'll be a charge for that). Would you be able to take the puppies that you've raised and cared for to a shelter? After all the TLC you put into getting them that far, could you do that, knowing that the chances of them being adopted are slim and they will probably be euthanized?

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm lecturing, but please do consider having your dog spayed if it's not already too late. There are literally millions of unadoptable dogs euthanized in this country each year. Please have her spayed as soon as possible afterwards so there are no more accidents after this litter. Having your male neutered will make him a much better pet too.

If she does have puppies, I wish you well with them.

Here is a list of links with all the information you need.



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