I am thrilled my girl had 6 Chihuahua puppies. 4 girls 2 boys.... from 3.1 ounces.... to 5.2 ounces. Momma is doing fine. I had to bring her to the vet cause one got stuck.... but it was not too bad... she never needed a C section. All 6 are alive and thriving. But my question is... now what should I do for her? She is on a calcium suppliment. She is on a high quality puppy food. I am trying to help her feed by bottle feeding them. I have a friend who is a vet and she warned me with that many babies... she will really probably need some help to keep her as healthy as possible too.. so she suggested we alternate babies to bottle feed. But what else should I watch for... (ie signs of milk fever....warning signs that she is in poor health). The momma has VERY loose stools right now..... but that could be from not eating yesterday..... gonna keep an eye on that. I got some nutrical for both mom and babies..Any othe suggestions?
2006-08-27 05:35:29 · 19 answers · asked by TAZZLOVER8 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
ok.... now.. to all of you self riteous peolewho are fussing about not knowing what to do.... I HAVE CONSULTED A VET. IDIOTS!!!! I mentioned I have a friend who is a vet that has already made some recommendations. I was asking for ADDITIONAL suggestions. I dont want to bother my friend too much cause I dont want her to think I am being over protective.......So I thought I would ask suggestions......Use the golden rule and if you dont have something nice to say... keep your trap shut.
2006-08-27 05:52:33 · update #1
BTW... to all those that are/have been helpful... THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
2006-08-27 05:54:48 · update #2
The loose stools are very normal. That should go away after the first week. As for extra nutrients and calories. I pour evaporated milk and raw eggs over my dog's food when they are lactating. This will help her milk production and also get her weight back up and keep her strong and healthy. Look at this website - it is packed with useful information. http://www.debbiejensen.com
2006-08-27 07:38:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The #1 thing you have to watch for is low calcium. It will start with her panting so heavy that you can hear it across a big room. She will not want to be with her babies either. Before long, she will be unable to walk, she will be very wobbly and her back legs will not hold her up. This is extremely life threatening for her. You are doing good by helping to bottle feed the babies. Some of my chihuahuas have raised 6 puppies and done fine, no problems. Feeding her some cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt(not all at once will help her along too. This should be fed along with her puppy food. Get some nutrical also and give her some about 3 x a day. It is a high calorie vitamin/mineral supplement that comes in a tube like toothpaste. Get it at the vet's or a pet store. The loose stools are mainly because of her eating the afterbirth.
Congrats on all the new babies!! Have fun raising them.
2006-08-27 05:45:46 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are right lots of self righteous people. Usually the first thin we do is contact the vet. this is set up so youcan get other opinions on what is happening. first, I suggest a vitamin suppliment that you can get ffrom the pet store that she will lick off your finger. this will help. Keep her on puppy kibble and maybe give her scrambled egg or cottage cheese. the loose stool can be because she ate all of those placentas and because as you may have noticed she is also cleaning up the puppies stool. If you get nervous, just follow your gut and bring her in, but give her time too. Also take her temp on a regular basis. If it goes above 103 degrees, she could have an infection. Then you really need to consult vet. grin. I think you are doing fine as long as you are paying as close attention to her as you seem to be. Good luck, and have fun in a couple of weeks with all those little gremlins!
2006-09-01 10:31:22 · answer #3 · answered by magraloo 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Two-three weeks. If her eyes are kind of a blurry blue then her eyes just opened. No way this pup is 6 weeks old. yes she should still be getting milk. If there is a vet still open in your area go have the pup looked at tonight. Otherwise send someone to the petstore or walmart to get puppymil replacer and bottles. Go to the vet FIRST thing tomorrow. too young for first shot either so keep her away from other dogs/puppies.
2016-03-26 21:53:32 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow, lots of babies! That's a huge litter for a chi.
The diarrhea is normal, for a couple of days after whelping.
Ignore the stupid comment about the gloves, and handling the babies, you are fine to touch them... I would supplement the mom with the formula too. Make sure she eats well and often. and gets out to the potty often.
You are most likely going to need to supplement those little ones too.
Make sure there aren't any babies crying, if they are eating enough, and warm enough they may complain occasionally and briefly, but not for any extend period at all.
Obviously keep a close eye on mom and babies weights. You want to weigh them all daily make sure mom isn't losing weight and all the babies should be gaining pretty much daily.
good luck
2006-09-02 07:49:07 · answer #5 · answered by Kelly S 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
We'd let mom do as much of the work as she can by herself. It may not be necessary for you to hand feed the puppies if mom can generate enough milk to feed them herself. When they're this new, they need as much contact as possible with mom to remain warm and healthy, and they need her milk to provide them not only with nutrition but also with immunizing agents that the pups do not have.
You can check to see if the pups are getting enough nutrition by looking at their rib cages and skin. If you can see their bones, they're not eating enough and may need supplemental help from you. Use a skin-pinch test to check them for dehydration, too. Pull up a little skin at the scruff of the neck; if it stays pinched and upright it means the pup isn't hydrated enough; if the skin snaps back into place, the pup is fine. Also, LISTEN to the pups when they nurse. You shouldn't hear any slurping or sucking noises. Their mouths should fit tightly enough over the mom's nipple so there is no noise. Pups will "mewl" a lot, but if you hear constant crying or whining it means they're hungry.
As for mom, it's not unusual for her to have loose bowels after giving birth (especially if she ate the placentas of her pups). But watch for any large discharge of blood (which could be a sign of hemorrhaging), or any foul-smelling greenish-black discharge (which usually means a pup has died inside the birth canal and has not been expelled.) Also check mom's temperature periodicially, and watch for any signs of fever or malaise.
If you momma dog has a proper normal diet, supplementing with calcium may not be necessary (it might also be a little dangerous for her).
To help mom better serve her pups, clip the puppies' toenails once a week. Puppies pummel their mother's nipples to get the milk to flow, and if their toenails are long, they'll scratch her up something fierce.
You sound like a concerned and conscentious dog-owner; for your dog's sake, have her spayed as soon as her puppies are weaned. This will prolong her life and help her avoid several kinds of cancer.
Good luck... (And feel free to e-mail us if you have any other questions or concerns.)
2006-08-27 07:11:21 · answer #6 · answered by Fetch 11 Humane Society 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My chihuahua had her first litter 5 days ago. She only weighs 3 pounds and she had 3 puppies but 1 died. The other 2 are doing great. I am a Vet tech and I recommend giving the mom Just Born puppy milk or what ever milk u are feedind the pups. Good luck with all of them. Keep in touch about the pups. Are you going to sell them? beckydansby@yahoo.com
2006-08-27 17:12:50 · answer #7 · answered by Becky D 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
OK I'm sorry you are getting such neg replies. I used to raise long coated Chi's and I know for sure that it is very unusal for them to have more than 3 & especially for them all to live. Good for you. !!! So to keep Mama healthy feed her some boiled hambuger with cooked rice. mixed of course. That is easy on her tummy & will give her strength & stamina. You are doing right by puppies but make sure you rotate so each pup gets a good meal from Mama. Watch for calicum shock. Ask your vet if he will give you a calicum substitute for her. Good Luck.
2006-08-27 07:09:49 · answer #8 · answered by crrankin22 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You should start training them around 1-2 months. If you are gonna sell them, you should teach them to be affectionate, and a little bit of tricks. Or if you want to keep them, you should teach them everything from bad to good. You should also teach them the word "NO". Trust me, it becomes a big problem without that word in potty training. Yes, you should watch for ANY strange behavior/actions. You should make sure the mother eats plenty in a day, she shouldnt have loose stools, i dont think, but if she doesnt eat anything in one day, try offering her meat out of your fridge.
2006-09-03 06:17:31 · answer #9 · answered by sarah m 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hi, My family and I are very interested in adopting a new chihuahua puppy into our family. We have been looking for quite a while..Could you please email me with some information on the puppies as well as some pictures and your location. Maybe we can get one of your puppies.
fragglerock24ny@yahoo.com
thank you
colleen
2006-08-29 15:00:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋