My pitt just had puppies and I think she is depressed......?

Question

Technically she is my sister's. She is about a year old and she is a very well behaved dog. I brought her home with me so she could have the puppies at my house. My sister has 2 kids who would not have been able to keep their hands off the puppies, not to mention I was more excited that she was having puppies than anyone else. When I brought her home I made sure that she was comfortable in my home and took her to the pet store to cheer her up. She adjusted very well, but she has become very clingy and attached to me recently. I do not mind this but it is to the point that she will go sulk in the other room and looks very sad all of the time now. I am confused as to what is actually going on with her. She doesn't seem to feel bad but how can I tell for sure. She seems sad and she spendsalmost more time with me than her pups. I want to do something with her but I am not sure how long is ok for her to be away from the pups and I would like ideas of what would possibly cheer her up

I just wanted to say thanks to those of you that have answered. I was begining to worry about her, but this has put my mind to ease a bit. This is her first litter and she had 9 pups, so I was a little concerned. I have to say that it was one of the most incredible things to experience. Thanks again.

Answer 1

Don't know what to say...that's soooo sad. Maybe she misses your sister and the kids. It may cheer her up if they come a visit. I'm not sure if they have any type of medicine for post partum in dogs. Try spending time with her and the puppies together, that way you're not taking her away from them. Good Luck. Oh, and give her a hug from me, from one mom to another.

Answer 2

She is an overworked mother, that's all. How old are the puppies? As long as they are warm and gaining weight, they should be fine. They do need their mother to teach them how to act, but she doesn't have to be with them 24 hours a day to accomplish this, though someone should be. Have you had everybody checked by the vet yet? They should all go in for checkups and to get started on their shots, and the vet can take a look to make sure nobody is sick. Also, make sure the puppies get a lot of "people" time once they are old enough, say four weeks, that will take some stress off mom. Just some general puppy advice, since I don't get the feeling you've done this before. There are lots of dog breeding and puppy raising books out there, so buy one or check one out from the library, it will give you lots of answers. Pitt puppies need to be exposed to a lot of people from a very early age. While most pits are very friendly, it is important to make sure they are socialized because their strength and very extreme personalities can make them loaded weapons if they aren't taught to love all people. They can be weaned onto puppy food at five weeks, and the earliest they can leave the home is six, preferably eight. When you sell them, MAKE SURE to have people pay, 100 dollars is good enough, and you could charge more. Pitts are the most popular dogs for dog fighting, and free puppies are exactly what do fighters want. They could easily con you into giving them a free puppy, but are highly unlikely to drop 100 dollars on one, though most people wanting a good companion dog are more than happy to give you that for your trouble in raising them. Apologies if you already had this info, but I like to cover all the bases with new puppies. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Has she seen your sister sense she had the pups? Is this her first litter? How many pups did she have? My sister's dog had 11 puppies and her dog became depressed and withdrew from the puppies. She got to the point where she would not feed them and we had to feed all 11 by bottle. What a task. My sister's dog was overwhelmed by the number of pups. Your sisters dog may be sad because she is not really sure what is going on and probably misses your sister.

Try taking her out to play when she is not with the pups. Defiantly do not remove her for too long of a period of time because the pups need her.

Answer 4

My parents labrador acted like this when she had puppies, she really hated to be with them, and we sometimes had to force her to feed them. By the time the pups were 3 weeks old she would only feed them 2 times a day when she was too sore and engorged. After the pups were gone, she returned to her old self. The stress of motherhood may be too much for some pets, or perhaps they get something similar to post partum depression in humans. At any rate, our dog got over it, and yours should too. Good Luck.

Answer 5

This is just my opinion. But, she needs to be with her family too. I know how kids are around puppies and animals, I have 3 of my own. But, your sister needs to get a handle on the kids don't punish the new mother. Plus, if the new mom doesn't want the children around her and the pups, she will let them know.

Answer 6

the pups only need to nurse every 2 hours or so. you can take the mom away from them for this time, but make sure they are warm. try taking her for a walk or just taking her out of the puppy pen and paying attention to only her. She's probably in freaked out from the pups because she is so young and she's not used to all the attention from them.

Answer 7

she probably is a little sad but my pit had pups too recently and it takes a toll on them, how would u feel if u had 4 or more babies to take care of and breast feed, she is tired and make sure she drinks plenty and has enough to eat, DO NOT take her anywhere she cannot be away from the pups long, they have to eat very often

Answer 8

when they play with the puppies stay with her so she can see them.

Answer 9

Let her know that she is safe and secure .....she is very confused right now

Answer 10

take her out for a beer