We have a Kelpie who has had 7 pups. She has been a great mum up until the last few days. She is becoming a bit aggressive with the pups and is not letting them feed as often. I am worried that she is going to hurt one of them. We have just started to seperate the pups from her for a few hours at a time but she seems to be even more aggresive with them sice doing so. Is this normal and what can we do?
2007-08-13 23:18:36 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
We have started feeding the pups an I realise she is weaning them but I was more concerned at her being so aggressive towards them . Tonight she went at one of the pups because they were sleeping on her bed.
2007-08-14 00:13:30 · update #1
she is WEANING THEM,,, at this age you should be providing puppy kibble moistened with water and fresh drinking water at all times... please spay your pet as you are not inexperienced in breeding.
2007-08-13 23:22:11 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 7⤋
Do the pups have teeth now? Have you started putting down real food? Mom's will correct their pups. This along with the litter mates help the pups grow up to be normal dogs that know how to interact with other dogs. This is the main reason not to take a pup from it's mom before 8 weeks. When the pups get teeth the mom will nip the pups if they are milking to hard.
2007-08-15 06:44:43 · answer #2 · answered by dodgez2002 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is totally normal for mom to wean her pups. Their tiny teeth are sparp and they are hurting mom.
Time for you to start to feed them puppy food! Puppies at this age need puppy mash very easy to make.
For 7 pups I'd use 2 cups of good quality puppy food put it in a blender chop it up and add just enough warm water to make a runny oatmeal like mush. Feed this to the pups 4 times a day in a shallow dish like a pie pan, They will get messy but mom whould be allowed back in with the pups to clean them up and allow them to nurse for a little bit.Each week from this point on just decrease the water and don't chop the food by the time they are 6 weeks old. Just soak it in warm water and break it up with a fork. Them after that just soak the food and give it to the pups. You should increase the food a bit each week as you see the pups growing. By 8 weeks old they should be able to eat dry puppy food. Oh yes you should have water avaible to them also all the time in a shallow dish too.
2007-08-13 23:30:16 · answer #3 · answered by ♥Golden gal♥ 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
This happens when the puppies teeth start coming in and they bite and it hurts. They are plenty old enough to start them on puppy food. Soak the dry kibble in warm water to get it soft and feed them at least twice a day. You can put the mama in with them a couple of times a day as well just make sure she is not hurting the,. They will usually snap at them when they start biting too much but usually they will not hurt
To the person who answered below me who said that twice a day is starving the pups...As long as mama is still feeding them too, twice a day is plenty, when mom quits feeding them altogether, their feedings can be increased to 3 times a day. Aslo I would leave dry kibble out for them as well. They will start trying to eat it soon. My chihuahuas usuall eat kibble between 5-6 weeks. Susan L has raised several litters of puppies. I have been raising chihuahuas for 0+ years and haven't starced one yet. My mama dogs usually will nurse their babies for about eight weeks and the pups will eat the dog food as well. I have really fat healthy pups, not starving ones.
2007-08-13 23:51:49 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
hi im a reg breeder of bichon frise and the best thing you can do as i do is go to asda and get factor 4 goats milk and give the pups it is full of all the goodness give it to them with a syringe they will let you know when they have drank enough and continue to give it to them to drink as they get a little older i give goats milk to my pups until they are 9 weeks old and still feed it to my older dogs once a day as it is realy good for them and also try giveing pups a little weetabix mix it up with a drop of warm goats milk and put it on the roof of the pups mouth useing your fingers and also try a bit of puppy food and also give the goats milk to mum try not to worry as all will be fine but it realy wont hurt it if you keep mum away from pups if you are worried as at this age it is natural
2007-08-16 07:11:29 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check all the nipples and make sure that none are rock hard, pink, and extra hot like in mastitis. Look for cellulitis type ripples in the skin - not good. Check her rectal temperature to see if it's over 102. If you are concerned, head to the vet. Your pups need to be wormed and checked at this age, anyway.
If all is normal,
She is naturally weaning them. They should have been started on small amounts of gruel at 3 1/2 weeks and this gradually increase as their stomach gets used to it.
Mom is getting more aggressive because 1.) they have sharp little puppy teeth and they are stronger and more aggressive 2.) Unless you have ground the nails back or filed them, those nails hurt! Ever see a lighter skinned Momma dog with red lines from all the scratching of puppy nails ?
3.) She is establishing a pack and it is best that she teach them manners toward a big dog.
At this 4 - 5th week, I take Mom completely away during the day except if +she wants to feed them. She can also stay the night with them if she wants.
The pups should be eating good at 4 1/2 weeks. I do meals about 5 times a day in small amounts. You do not want roly poly pups with large bellies.
I cut waaaay back on Mom's food to like 1/2 cup in a.m. and 1 cup in p.m. with green beans, or other veggies. I do this for about 1 to 2 weeks depending if her milk has dried up. I put on a sturdy t-shirt on her and use the big baby safety pins to snug the shirt up along her back. This will keep the pups from jumping on her. Mom's coat will shed and thin horribly as the hormones and drop in food catches up with her.
Once Mom is dried up - she can go back to playing with them and disciplining them. They will develop a pack order as they get older; this is good and they will also learn how much is toooo hard on the nipping part b/c the other pup will scream and attack back or the others will pile in on the wrestling match. This is one of the reasons breeders don't like to sell pups before they are 7 weeks and (esp. the smaller breeds) even 10 to 12 weeks.
This is also the time to be getting them wormed, teaching them to get their nails clipped, and get used to a collar. Take Mom in with them for a vet check and get +her wormed, too!
I hope you have a good book or several websites to refer to.
2007-08-13 23:51:25 · answer #6 · answered by Dixie Horseman 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Start feeding the pups she is weeing them an you are not helping some soft food for the pups an mom will take care of the rest
2007-08-13 23:26:57 · answer #7 · answered by bigdogrex 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
they are now ready to start to eat on their own; you have to leave out a wet/dry mixture so it is easy for them to lap it up; she is trying to wean them not hurt them; she knows best she is the Mom; it will get less and less until they forget about her and go to the food and water dish; their stools will be different when they eat food and they can have overfill b/c even if the dry food is moisten it may still swell up in the belly and have to come out b/c not enough room; all this is normal and correct
4 small meals a day; as they get a little older then down to 3 meals; 2 meals when they are closer to around 6- 7 months old HELLO to the other person who gave you wrong information about number of meals; 2 meals is starvation to a growing puppy; don't separate them ; she needs to train social skills now as well ; let her do her job ; they are her puppies; she is training them to know their order in the animal world , siblings do it and Mom will do it ; stay out of the mix
2007-08-13 23:54:46 · answer #8 · answered by sml 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This can be normal weaning process although a bit early or it can be the reflect of a health concern:
Mammary pain may explain this behaviour. Get her checked out for mastitis.
Do you feed the puppies? If not then start and talk to your local vet about this as well whe you get your dog checked over.
2007-08-13 23:26:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 1⤋
Is she hot or inflamed at all as some dogs will do this if they have mastitis, It would be very painful for her to feed the puppies if she has and a trip to the vets would be needed.
Do th puppies have long nails that are scratching and making her bleed? If this is the case you can cut them with some baby nail clippers or scissors. Just dont go too near the dark bit (quick) as this would bleed if cut.
Have you started to wean them at all yet? If not i would.
2007-08-13 23:28:56 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
This sounds perfectly normal. Your dog knows that at 4.5 weeks now, they're ready for real food, and can eat off mom less. That's just her way of teaching them, "Hey, this isn't free reign anymore"
Those puppies are old enough to eat solid food on their own... I wouldn't worry, she's just doing what nature taught her to do. Even if shes starting to growl and nip at them, that's normal.
2007-08-14 06:28:32 · answer #11 · answered by Kristin B © 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋