my dog pippin had nine pups three weeks ago,since she had them my other dog (her daughter) has been getting in with them and snuggleing up with them,we have now noticed that she is actually producing milk and feeding them,we have tried to keep her away by shutting her in the kitchen but she makes such a noise it drives us made.her mum is quite willing to let her in with the pups and help clean and feed them as being a jack russell nine pups is quite a handfull.What i want to know is if it is ok to let her carry on doing what she is doing or can it be harmfull.
2007-01-15 00:35:39 · 18 answers · asked by helenstanko 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Yes, this is normal for another female to pitch in and help and perfectly acceptable!
2007-01-15 00:43:03 · answer #1 · answered by crested_love 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What she is doing is natural in the wild. Only the alpha female is allowed to produce pups but many of the subordinates are baby sitters and will nurse the pups while she is out on the hunt. Also, if you got her fixed she may not have paid any attention to the pups. There will be no harm to the pups or your other dog as long as the Mother allows it.
2007-01-15 00:46:43 · answer #2 · answered by st.lady (1 of GitEm's gang) 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes its fine dont worry no problem its a good thing because it wont drain the mother but make sure that the mother gets in and feeds each time and not let the other ***** do all the feeding as mum has had the pups and needs to get rid of her milk good luck dont worry my 7 pups are 4 weeks old and ive been giveing them puppy milk to give mum a rest as not to drain her of all her calcium because if she does then the mum gets poorly and my ***** is only small and had a big litter
2007-01-16 10:19:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perfectly natural behaviour for "daughters" to help in the upbringing of the mothers pups. It happens all the time in pack animals in the wild. Let them get on with it as your Pippin may not have enough milk for them all.
2007-01-15 00:47:50 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's fine - in a wild pack only one female has puppies, but all the others have a false pregnancy and produce milk to feed the puppies. It's totally normal behaviour for a dog.
2007-01-15 20:16:21 · answer #5 · answered by MyNutmeg 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is very normal and consider momma dog very lucky. I wish my mother dog could have had a milk made for her 3 pups instead of my being up every 2 hours all night feeding them with a bottle because she didn't have enough milk.
2007-01-15 00:47:07 · answer #6 · answered by Shelly t 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's fine. It dates back to when dogs lived in packs - the dominant female would have pups and the other females would produce milk so that they could take on the role of parent when the alpha female was out hunting.
2007-01-15 00:45:38 · answer #7 · answered by fizzy_wolf 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I foster orphaned puppies. My dog has just sent off her 90th baby who she licked, nursed, growled at and loved to death. Your dog is a special dog and you should let her love those babies and do what she knows she is supposed to be doing. Don't worry about a thing. You must have done something right with her if she is so loving and trusting with those babies, believe me. Let her take care of them. She needs to. Take my word for it, you don't have a choice now. She needs to. If her instinct is that strong, you may find she has a problem when they leave. You may have a very special dog there. Think about fostering. Contact your local shelter. You may be doing her a favor. But... do make sure that milk is coming out. She can comfort them with nursing but make sure that the mama is nursing them for milk and that they are putting on weight if she is not lactating or not lactating enough for all of them. Check to see if she in engorged.
2007-01-15 03:15:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is perfectly fine to let her help out if the mother is willing to accept her. I know that for wolves in the wild, often times the mother nurses along with a "wet nurse wolf".
Not only will this help out the mother, but if she is producing milk and not giving it out it will be QUITE painful (as it is to humans). Also, by helping out she is fulfilling her instincts in a decent way.
Good luck finding homes for the puppies....
2007-01-15 01:44:16 · answer #9 · answered by bpbjess 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually I think that is very sweet! It is absolutely okay to let her continue to help out with the babies. Dogs are just amazing like that. Maybe she senses that momma needs help and therefore has produced milk to do so.
The babies will benefit greatly, in my opinion!
2007-01-15 00:58:20 · answer #10 · answered by ADRIANE H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure of the genetic technicalities, but the term 'wet nurse' stems from the practice in the 19th century and before, of having children weaned by a paid nurse or nanny. Sounds fairly natural.
2007-01-15 00:41:39 · answer #11 · answered by Ranjeeh D 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋