Afghan Hound is giving birth. I've got a kids pool for her, already had 5 pups but it's been 20mins...*CONT*

Question

I found a very pregnant Afghan Hound yesterday. I posted a few questions earlier which might help you answer this one. Anyway, she has already had 5 puppies within approx. 2 hours which I think is very fast. I think that they MAY be purebred as they are all black and have long fur and the nose of the Hound etc.. It's been almost 30 mins since the last puppy she had. The vet told me that (just be feeling) there are 7-9 pups in her. I was going to take her for an x-ray to see exactly how many there are but she started labour to fast.

Currently she is in a large sized kids pool panting a lot and the 5 that she has already had are in great condition. I help mom push get her 1st pup out and helped her pop the sack but the vet told me (via phone call) that they think she has had 1-2 other litters so I left her alone. It's clear she's a great mom.

Should I be worried or should I get her to a vet? Like I said, her ther pups came very fast so I'm worried about this one.
Serious answers!

She is very attentive to her pups still and cleans them well and cuts the umbilical cord on her own. I went over to her and she still seems okay and very affectionate still. She doesn't mind me interferring with her so I'll do whatever I need to. I am fine to pay for c-sections if it comes down to it (if I find her owners, I will ask them to pay bills) because I doubt I will find the owners. They clearly don't live anywhere near me as the vets, dog groomers and pet shops have never seen 'Peta' before.

Excuse the terrible typing, I keep looking over to Peta and trying to keep my other two dogs away from her. I think I'll have to shut the door (don't know why I didn't do that before). Peta doesn't seem to care that my dogs are coming over to sniff the puppies and her so I don't know.. maybe she comes from a good breeder? I feel so bad that I am witnessing this and not her owners but if they cared, I'm sure they would be searching and calling everywhere and calling everyone in the state if they have seen such an amazingly beautiful pregnant Afghan!

She doesn't seem stressed at all. After feeling her belly, she has another 3 in her. She is calming her panting and she is sniffing her pups and licking them a lot. She seems like an excellent mommy! They are beautiful pups and if I still have them, I would love to see their eyes open. I wouldn't mind keeping one or two! My Collie (5 years old, spayed) is sitting just outside the pool sniffing mom and pups.

How long do the breaks usually last and how should I care for the puppies? Peta is very calm. Should I offer her some kibble or water? Or just leave her alone?

The last time I witnessed a birth was amazing but this one... Peta is amazing!

I took her to the vet yesterday to get her checked out and scanned for a micro-chip but she hasn't got one. She has under-fed and matted badly so they had to cut a lot of her fur out etc.. Vet told me that if no owner comes forward, I should take her in. I've got a very clean slate with my vet and she thinks that considering the state of Peta, I would make a better owner for her (I have taken in a lot of strays, found homes, worked at a shelter atc.)!

Tanya- she is very calm and affectionate, doesn't mind me touching her but I don't want to touch the pups yet. She doesn't even mind my Collie, Mia, taking a sniff!

Will keep that in mind.

Well it's been almost 35 minutes but I'm not going to stress out yet!

It took another dog (the only other one I've helped give birth) 1 hour to deliver her 2nd puppy.

Puppyz - I am not "stealing" anybodies dog. The only reason I doubt it is because nobody in my area has ever seen someone with an Afghan, she was in TERRIBLE condition (beside being pregnant) and isn't micro-chipped. I have not been able to do much within the 24-35 hours I have been with her. I have posted fliers, I have contacted vets, groomers, trainers and pet stores... the only things I haven't done is post an ad in the paper or call the shelters. Of course I will look after her and after the first week, I am going to be happy to call the shelters. I am NOT leaving her at a shelter with newborn puppies. Considering 75% of people in my area would have just taken her and not even bothered to put fyers up or take the time, money and effort to contact vets, get her checked out etc., I feel as though I have done everything right. I found your answer rude and I feel as though you are calling me a "robber" or a bad person because I took in a pregnant dog in bad condition!

Chetco- when I say terrible, I mean it. The vet had to cut out a lot of fur as it just wouldn't brush out. She was very thin (beside being pregnant), underfed and wasn't micro-chipped.

She is friendly, well socialized with dogs, cats and humans and last night, she was showing a lot of affection towards myself and my dogs. I think she may be housebroken but she is well trained (sit, down, come, stay, shake (paw) etc.).

Answer 1

I breed Afghans. (for the past 23 years) She will take a break between puppies if having a large litter. I have stayed up all night, and gone to bed, sure that she is finished, only to wake up to 2 more puppies..
If the Afghan is beautiful, it is well cared for and missed very much. They look TERRIBLE after just a couple of weeks of neglect.
When Afghans run away, and they are KNOWN for escaping and running away, they generally run 2 miles before slowing down. Then they will rest and continue, generally ending up about 3-4 miles from home..Even a very pregnant mom will run that far, and very fast, even jumping fences the day they are to whelp.
It is so wonderful that yo took her in. Afghans often have huge hormonal surges that will make them zany for a bit, just before and after having puppies, so she may have been just very confused.
As I stated, if she is not totally matted, (I mean thick mats that would never brush out) then she is very, very missed by her family..Please keep on looking and post at all vets and shelters. As Afghans require different veterinary care than other dog breeds, an Afghan owner will often travel to a vet that is familiar with the breed, and it isn't as likely to be in the neighborhood in which they live. I used to travel to a vet about 25 miles away for mine.. I have moved near one much closer.
Also, a neglected Afghan isn't likely to be friendly with strangers, as they require a lot of socialization, or are leery of any stranger.
You are probably right that they are purebred. An Afghan female will rarely breed with a dog outside of her own breed, unless they are raised together. .The males, however are not so particular...lol
Take water to her, but she won't want to eat. just drink.
I had one escape when she was brought to my dog for breeding. That may well have been what happened, and she has been a stray for her two months of pregnancy.
The breaks can take from two to 6 or more hours. My last litter, she began at 5pm, and only had two pups, the second one born at 5 am! 12 hours apart..( her first litter)

Answer 2

Good for you for caring for her.. Sounds like it is all going well. One of my girls had her first litter 4 weeks ago and she had 6 puppies in 1 hour and 10 minutes.. I am not kidding!! I was shocked..And she did 99% of it herself.. It was FAST! And she is a small dog..

I would place an ad in the paper, most likely she is probably missed. It is not unusual for a dog to be thin when pg, especially a sign hound, they are very lean dogs..One of my dogs looks anorexic and she is perfectly healthy. An she looks like that when pg too even though I feed her 3 times a day while pg and after the pups come I keep them in food all day..

She will not want to eat until morning most likely.. Give her a high quality puppy food, a large bowl and a large bowl of water right near her.. Most new moms will not leave their pups.. Some of mine I have to carry out to go potty;-)

Good luck to you.. Maybe when you find the owners (IF) they will let you have one of the pups for taking her in;-)

Answer 3

Hounds do tend to have large litters. If she continues to pant or strain without result I would contact the vet. Sometimes a large puppy gets stuck or is breach or even stillborn.

Did the vet check for a microchip?

Afghans can run for miles if they are scared. Sometimes a well meaning person may pick a dog up, but end up losing it even further away from it's home.

Talk to the vet and see what he says.

regards

Answer 4

Yes, 5 pups in 2 hrs is fast. Normally, they slow down a bit as the labor goes on - pups are higher up in the horns (birth canals) and also the mother is tired.
I petted my dog gently on back, like you do with a woman...
it seemed to soothe her and help pain & anxiety.
Take careful doing this, that dog doesn't really know you and might lash out.

Consider a breech puppy is there, or a fat one. Both happend with my dog.
If it's more than one hour between puppies, a little worrying.
If it's two hours, get her to the vet.

This part may be a repeat if you posted questions last night, but here goes:

You can gently help a breech pup by pushing the hind leg back in or lifting to unhook it.
Keep puppies warm (room should be 82 degrees to 84 degrees) to prevent shock & circulatory collapse (the biggest killers of newborn pups).
Source(s):

Reference, quote from "Dog Owners's Home Veterinary Handbook" by Carlson & Giffin.

P.S. I hope the kiddie pool doesn't have water in it! LOL
couldn't resist...

Answer 5

Ok, dont panic too much. Call the vet's office and see if they would prefer you to come in for anything special. A lot of times theyll give them something to help push the labor along faster. Or he may want to do a c-section. With you not being the owner and not sure of the owners, have the vet scan her for a microchip. A lot of the registered dogs that I know are microchipped and even dogs that arent registered are chipped.

Answer 6

I think your new girl was abandoned because she was having pups .That in itself is awful, she must have been worried .She is lucky that you found her.You are a great person there are not many people who would have taken in this adorable girl, it is a lot of responsibility, which is why the owners were overwhelmed.It takes a lot thought to do you what you have done. I suppose there is a vague possibility that the girl wandered off from her home to find a nesting site and got lost. But usually they find a site within their own home. The owners failed in their responsibility to provide her with the security they know she needed because they didn't want her !!!!!!!!!!

Answer 7

First of all, nice job on watching the pregnant dog. But lets get to the point. Get the vet to come visit you on a house visit. Your vet can then check her up, but with all the things they brought. It's very convienient. You'll then have help for the pregnant dog. It's also not good to move her around, especially if she is still in labor. But she also won't leave her pups, so a house visit will help you.

Answer 8

Good for you! Good for Peta! I bet she will be a wonderful mom and you a great dad. I'm going to assume by the time you get this she may be all done with the whelping.
Chetco knows her stuff with these beautiful dogs. You can e-mail her at any time she's just wonderful about replying. I wish you all the best with all the beautiful babies.

What a great Easter present!!!

Answer 9

Well google raising a litter of puppies, care for newborn puppies or whelping and raising a litter of puppies.. she need a secure quiet warm place with her litter.. Good idea to have her examined by a vet, and the pups for birth defects within the next 24hrs or so.. Did you know how many pups she was to have? if not you need to be aware some labs and dogs fail to deliver the whole litter and can have serious complications from it. good idea to have the vet examine her to ensure she has delivered the whole litter.. . She needs her Temp taken EVERY day for the next few weeks to ensure she does not develop a infection..you need to check her mamory glands and milk every day for infection.. The pups need to be weighed daily and gain weight every day.. She need HIGH quality nutrition puppy food is best and as much and as often as she wants it.. She should "not" eat her pups.. if she has a GOOD temperment, and is mature enough to whelp and raise the litter.. given a secure quiet place for her pups.. and seperated from the other dogs in the home.. you can handle the puppies.. good for them BTW.. such behavior is abnormal in dogs.. and if she does this she should NEVER be bred again.. Do the web serch..This should give you plenty of information to start with. THERE IS A TON MORE!!.. If you are so worried about if they would live.. then you should have colleced this information BEFORE this day.. ideally before the litter was bred.. But no time like now.. start reading!!!! the reason most people DO not like questions like this.. is because THOUSANDS of dogs end up in shelters and resuces.. THOUSANDS of puppies are surrendered to resuces.. and Many peoples Pets die, or puppies die because the owner did not do their reaserch before breeding and had no way to care for, or even know when a problem was there.. If you breed has VERY little to do with your ideas of a dog "wanting" to have a litter.. in Wild dogs.. only the ONE alpha femal ever has puppies.. The MAJORTIY of the other females never have puppies.. so this idea that dogs "need" motherhood is not only foolish but not supported by their NATURAL way of life.. it is the companionship of the "pack" they crave.. not offspring.. Dogs are not furry people.. so do not put your concepts of what you would want on her.. She would be just as happy with all that attention you now have to devote to her litter given to her... Not really fair to her to make her have that litter for your enjoyment.... it will be a real shame if her pups die.. and even more of a shame if she develops a complication of whelping a litter.. Why is it so bad.. because breeding dogs is not something to be taken lightly there are plenty of dogs ALIVE right now.. that will not be soon.. Lacking homes.. you now have a resposibility not only to each and every pup in this litter for their lifetime.. but also ANY puppies that may be born from these puppies too, This can be puppies in the hundreds by the way.... READY for that resposiblity? Amanda

Answer 10

I didnt say you STOLE the dog -- you said "I feel so bad that I am witnessing this and not her owners" and I am thinking if you have enough compassion to feel that way now then in a couple months you would want to feel like you did everything you could to find the owner.

I personally think you are doing everything right and I would have done exactly what you are doing.

However some of your words are *scary* for me to hear as a dog owner.

You said "I doubt I will find the owners" and its only been a day
You said "feel so bad that I am witnessing this and not her owners BUT if they cared..."
You said "would make a better owner for her " but you dont know under what circumstance she is lost

I am always scared that if my standard poodle gets away someone will keep her because she is a "rare" color + unfixed because of medical reasons. Plus as a poodle she is VERY skinny and may seem like she hasnt eaten in awhile. Of course she has a microcip and tattoo and tags, but I still worry.

Like I said I think you are dong everything right. And if you do find the owner you ATLEAST deserve a puppy! Sorry if I came off rude but it just hurts to hear about lost pets. Im sure you feel the same way. Once on animal planet cops they found a 5 year old dog who they thought was a throw away -- but when the vet examined him he had steel plates through his body that someone paid thousands of dollars for so they knew at some point someone cared--still they never found the owner.