Why do mother dogs eat thier young?

Answer 1

i have never heard of this.

Answer 2

Not all mother dogs will eat their young. And if a mother dog eats her young in one litter it does not mean she will do it in a second or third litter.

It's most often done by "first time" mothers and almost always by the ones that are still puppies themselves. They do it for several reasons, mainly because they don't understand what's going on, what these little things are or what they're supposed to be doing with them. And, more often than not, they appear to be food. Have you ever seen a newborn pup or kitten? They are almost a splitting image of a full grown mouse or small rat.

If a mother dog eats her young, it does not mean there is something wrong with her or something wrong with the pup or pups. It just means she's too young to be having puppies. If for some reason you plan to breed her again, you should be sure to be there during delivery so you can assist her and help her understand these are not food.

Answer 3

Either the Mother is young & inexperienced or the pup was very ill. When the Mother is young they go into a type of frenzy while trying to get the sack off the pup & go too far. I was a vet tech for several years & saw this happen in both instances.

Answer 4

if a mother dog gives birth to a puppy with a problem or a runt she will may at times lay on this pup and kill it and eat the remains so they other healthy pups have a better chance at survival. eating the pup puts nutrients back in to her body when she needs everything she can get while nursing her babies.
it's called survival of the fittest. a mother dog or cat can tell if their is a problem with their young and it is natural for them to kill them off. for us humans it seems barbaric, but it is nature. if in a domesticated situation we can interveen and hand feed the little one until it is weaned, or if it is an illness or deformity take it to the vet.

Answer 5

In alot of cases, if the pup is small, sick, or not eating the way it should be, the mom can sense this and it's just a dog's nature to eat them

Answer 6

some of the problem might be in thier diet... mama rabbits will eat their young if they are protein deficient... or if something makes them upset... or scared just a lot of different things.... they need to have it calm around them...... Edith

Answer 7

If you have seen this, the mother has some sort of illness or was a first-time mother and doesn't have the good instincts of a mother.

Answer 8

I have never heard of one eating their young.

Answer 9

they do eat there young pups if they have something wrong with them when there born

Answer 10

You know...most doofy questions that people come up w/here are answered by

...."because they're DOGS!!!"

Lotz of "reasons" & "none".
They are INCAPABLE of thought.

Answer 11

I'e heard they will only do this to the ones they do not think will survive.