My Dog got preg. on her first heat and is having puppies any time now, will they live?? Don't know what to do!

Question

she is only 9 months old

It was not me who let her out it was my inlaws thank you we were gonna get her spayed as soon as she was done with her first heat that was advice from my vet

Answer 1

If you are not sure how to whelp puppies- and I'm assuming this was not a planned event and that you will have her spayed once the puppies are 3-4 months old- call your veterinarian and ask if they have a staff member that would be willing to come to your house to help whelp. The other option is to see if you can leave her with your veterinarian to whelp. If you decided to try whelping yourself, which i DO NOT recommend, then if after contractions have started she does not have a puppy within 2-4 hours bring her to the vets. Please keep in min that the length of time depends on the breed and number of puppies...for chihuahuas my breed we go for a cesarian section or give pitocin after 2 hours; when i was growing up we gave the shepherds more time between puppies.


Whether the puppies live is a loaded question. The puppies could all be born alive and seemly healthy, but you could loose some for various reasons. There is fading puppy syndrome; some puppies may not actually have fully developed internally and may need some extra TLC to get them through the first couple of weeks (supplementing via bottle feed...do not tube feed unless you know what you are doing).

Also keep in mind that she is a young mother and may not be a good mother. At 9 months old, she is not mentally ready to have puppies even though she may be physically (think of the stories of how some 13-16 year old teenage mothers can be). Thus, she may not actually take care of the puppies which means you have to and that is a full time job. She may also need a 24-28 hour period of time of adjustment. This adjustment could mean anything from her trying to harm the puppies to her just being confused. It may require you to be present for that entire period of time.

That being said, she could also be a natural mothers. Some dogs are very layed back, natural mothers who do this without a problem. Other new mothers are very protective of the puppies and may not particularly want you looking at or near the puppies. Hopefully she will be a natural and relaxed mother- but also keep in mind she will key her reaction to a certain extent off of your emotions/body language/tone of voice.

In terms of her care, I would make sure you are feeding a high quality food- but do not switch right now if you are not. Start adding a little bit of plan yogurt or cottage cheese to her diet. This will give the necessary calcium to help with contractions. About 24 hours previous to labor, many dogs will stop eating (but make sure she eats something) and will start nesting. Nesting is a restless moving and scratching at her blankets; it's essentially preparing her "den" for the new arrivals. Once her contractions start, if you see green vaginal discharge but have not had a puppy born, get her to the vets ASAP. But again, I would recommend letting experienced professionals do the work even if it costs more money.

More post-partum care: You want to weigh the puppies about 12 hours after they are born (this gives you their "dry" weight if you will) and weigh them every day for the first 1-2 weeks depending on the breed. Keep yourself a chart; this will allow you to track each puppies weight and know whether they are gaining weight or not. If they are not gaining weight or start to loose weight, you have a problem and should see your veterinarian. Make sure the mother has food and water available at all times. Start offering the puppies a puppy mush around 4-5 weeks, but do not start seriously weaning until 6 weeks (this is not a hard and fast rule, and depends alot on the size of the dog, breed and number of puppies. With some breeds their mothers wont let them nurse after a certain point, other breeds (chihuahuas for instance) would let them nurse forever if they could. The puppies should not be place in homes any sooner than 8 weeks; 9-12 weeks (again breed/size specfici) is ideal.

Another thing to remember: make sure if you come into contact with any dogs not of your household to change all of your clothes and wash hands/arms thoroughly. Also do not wear the shoes you wear out and about around the puppies. Unvaccinated puppies are very susceptable and so always err on the cautious side. In addition, anyone who comes to visit should follow the rules in regards to hand washing and shoes.

I hope this helps as this is not an exact science. It's learned over time, and if you ask anyone involved long enough there are horror stories of things gone horribly wrong despite very seasoned/knowledgable breeders. Whelping/raising puppies is learned over time and truth be told I have more experience than the veterinarians I currently work for. They've go the book knowledge but always said i was in charge of whelping as I have the experience. In high school i was on "whelp watch" for area breeders that needed an extra hand or had to go to work so wanted someone to whelp the litter for them.

Best of luck with your litter...and please, please have her spayed as soon as you can.

Answer 2

I think 10 years old is way too old to be having a litter of puppies. I would probably get her spayed if you can right now if it has not been too long. She could have serious problems during pregnancy and delivery. Just because she is in good health really don't mean she will be okay to have puppies, she is a senior dog and that is not good for her to get pregnant at this age.

Answer 3

My pitbull was 9 months when she had her puppies. she had 6 but one died. but the rest were all fine. and the mother was fine too. but my dachshund had puppies when she was 11 months old and she had 5. all of them died but one. it depends on if u have a big or little dog. Bigger dogs have a better chance with their puppies. But if u dont want anymore puppies after this, u need to get her spayed. but not until about 2 months after the puppies are born.

and no, 9 months isnt normal. its like ur 13 year old daughter having kids. Sometimes the mom will abandon the pups or even kill them because she is so young. wait AT LEAST 2 years before breeding your dog.

Answer 4

The puppies will be fine. Try and make sure that you're there when they're born, to make sure she won't kill them. Mothers will kill they babies, if she doesn't know how to take care of them, or if there is something wrong with them. If you notice that she is sort of chewing on them a little, don't freak out, she's only taking the sac off. After the sack is off, and it's moving, if you notice that she's trying to eat it, take it away, and put it in a box with alot of warm towels.

Dogs often get preg on their first heat, and the pups are fine. If the dog has wolf in her, then she could kill her first litter. It's just how the wolf is. Usually, the pups are fine, but try and keep an eye on her, till you think it's time for them to be born, then just watch her. If she trusts you enough, you can be in there, petting her, and talking calmly and serene to her. That can help her alot. But if she won't let you near her, then you might have a problem.

But I don't think you'd have anything to worry about. Dogs are usuallypretty good mothers. Just don't let the father near, or she can kill him trying to protect her pups, the father will kill the pups when she's weak, or the father will kill her for attacking him, then kill the pups.

If you don't own the father, but own another male dog, you might want to keep him chained up somewhere. Because he'll smell the pups, and smell they aren't his, and he'll try to kill them, so he can breed with the fem.

My dog got preg on her first heat cycle, and she was a great mom! There was one pup that died, but I think it's because I stepped on it. BY TOTAL ACCIDENT!! We had her outside, and the grass hadn't been mowed yet, and she went into labor in the middle of the night. And one of the pup squirmed out of her pen, and I couldn't see a black pup in tall grass, at 11 at night. But then again there could have been something else wrong with it, so she just pushed it aside. It didnt' die for about 2-3 weeks after I stepped on it.

Anyways.......She was a great mom, with it being her first cycle. She had a great sense of personality too. She would let only me into our closet, after we brought her in. I was the only one aloud to touch her puppies the next day. Eveyone else she growled at.

So I wouldn't worry about anything, unless she just doesn't like you lol.

Answer 5

Give her a warm place to lay with a blanket & pillows,(blanket if pillows arn't possible) as soon as she starts to give birth place her there.Then let her go.Even tho shes a dog she will know what to do,and the puppies will too.Unfotunitly (spelling) if you do have one that dies you can burry it somwhere nice.Its a very sad thing but it does happen.I wish her the best!

Answer 6

The mother dog will know what to do. When they are born they are wrapped in a sac. The mother dog licks the sac and puppy to get it breathing. If she does not do that then make sure the sac is broken and rub them a little. She might not like you doing it and take over herself. After that she will take care of them. All you have to do is keep their area clean.

Answer 7

You don't really to do anything other than insure your dog has a quite place to give birth. She will choose someplace when her time comes closer. Dogs have an instinct that will guide them when the time is right. Just keep an eye on her as she delivers and let nature take it's course.

Answer 8

9 months is quite normal, they should be fine unless something abnormal happens. My dogs both got pregnant around that age and they had nine puppies and they all lived. If you have any questions on pregnancy or birth email me and I'd be more than happy to help.

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Answer 9

More unwanted dogs????? Call the vet and ask them what steps NEED to be taken. And get your dog spayed after she has the pups.

Answer 10

Just make sure the puppies go to a good home so they wont be mistreated.