What do new puppies need? And then there was one... Pictures!

Today our Rhodesian Ridgeback had puppies, which is way cool as we were expecting the little beggers any day now. The last count was 4, but there may be more now. Pictures to come.

This is our first experience with puppies this young as we have always gotten our dogs when they were 12 weeks old or so.

What do I need to provide for the puppies? What shots and when?

Any helpful advise?

Deworming should start at 2 weeks, as far as vaccinations... some start at 3 weeks, some at 5 weeks. Your vet should advise you on protocol.

We start our vacs at 5 weeks.
We never use LEPTO in any dog under 1 year of age. Best to stick with 5-ways if possible.

De-worming - depeding on dewormer...
We use fenbendazole 3 days in a row every 3 weeks. For LGD's we continue the program til 16-20 weeks. You must use pup dose.
Remember to de-worm the momma also.

A word of advice- let no-one touch, handle, or come in contact with your pups until at least 2 series of vac have been given.
Parvo is easily spread and you'd be surprised at how often pups end up with parvo from outsiders coming in.

Our start weaning process at 3 weeks and are fully weaned by 5.
Momma help with this process. Of course our dogs are big dogs and mature quickly... a small lapdog would not wean as soon. Since the RR is a rather large dog I would estimate a similar time-frame for weaning.

CONGRATS on your litter!
I love Rhodesians. Awesome breed! Can't wait for pictures!

There are eight little pups, four brown and four black all with the ridgeback.

Dad was a Black Lab handsome stranger from the neighboring ranch.

All doing well. Mom would appreciate a bath, which will come later. She is doing very well, very tolerant of me going in and touching the pups.

I've started the savings accounts, one for college and one for orthodonture, getting the DipTet organized, and have reviewed our live insurance policy

Mom doesn't have any appetite. Is that normal?

Awww! and Uh Oh! She may go in to a back/back heat at 10-12 weeks after having pups..really watch her. Glad she is welcoming you with the pups. Bitches that don't allow their humans near them show instability. This is an interesting cross, definitely not your apt or small backyard dogs. Cool how they were half and half and all with that distinct ridge.

Appetite...normal. They really spend so much time cleaning them, that is how the pups poop...mom stimulates and eats it. She may not eat for several days. Offer her some cottage cheese, goats milk (warmed), cooked scrambled eggs...anything that she may take a bite or two of. Just make sure she is drinking. That is the biggy. When she does start wanting food again use the puppy food that you will be weaning the kids (I meant pups ) onto. This helps prevent tummy issues. Mix the puppy food and her food.
Check her teats often for any signs of mastitis, rare but can happen.

Southern thank you so much for your advise(s). I'm glad you are on this site.

Good to know about Ladybug's appetite. Before she went into labor just about all she wanted was goat milk. Today I got her to eat some Purina Beneful soft dog food that someone had given me. I mix it with some milk and she ate most of it. I'm also tempting her with some "Beggin Strips" which our dogs don't often get. I figured at this point getting anything into her was better than nothing.

I'll pick up the puppy food and start mixing that in with her food. It makes sense to me that the pups would have less transition problems if they had already been "eating" the puppy food.

The pups are real clean so mom must be on the job.

Poor thing looks exhausted.

Yes, these critters are not going to be apartment dogs at all.

Right now we have her in the area we use for the goats' kidding. It is quiet and secure with a 4' fence and gate and very cleanable. How old are the pups when they finally open their eyes? How old should they be before introducing them to our other dog (Red Heeler/Border Collie spayed female)? I feel very ignorant when it comes to newborn pups. If they were goaties I'd be sailing through. Oh well! Chock up another species on my husbandry belt. I'm more a mess than Ladybug.

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

Your welcome.

Their eyes should open by 10 days, usually just little slits and then gradually they will open them fully. Around 3 weeks their teeth will start coming in and that is when mom will let them nurse but will start wanting to get up when she has had enough... those teeth are sharp and hurt that is why you can start intro goats milk mixed with rice cereal or ground up dry food mixed with milk. Warm the milk. Do not be surprised if you see terrible scratches on her teats and belly area during that 3 and over stage. Their nails are sharp and as they push on mom while they nurse they scratch. We check the nails and trim the top by using a file...dulls that sharp point (also beings the positive relationship with getting nails trimmed )

Just a warning about "momma"- she may look really ragged and she also may lose all her hair or some of her hair. Take good pics of her while she is in good shape because sometimes they can look so rough by the time the pups wean and people are visiting and they may go .."WHOA". Not everyone is aware how the dogs hormones are so affected. She will bounce back and the condition of the dog will vary from dog to dog and also from litter to litter.

Introducing the litter... well that is a very individual thing!
We intro at time of walking and hold each pup up for a sniff and that is it. They stay in a pen adjacent to the other dogs (LGD's) and learn about each other slowly. My bitch Amy doesn't like ANY dog near her pups. We do have them in the field with the livestock at 6 weeks but supervised as to protect them. By 8 weeks their momma will let the goats "teach" the pups submission. Do only what you feel comfortable with.

Make sure all your other dogs are up to date on their vacs.
We do not like a lot of exposure til our pups start their vacs. Not a biggy here for us as they all are and are all together in teams. If you have to vac other dogs keep them separate or talk to your vet as many vac are modified live virus.

Around 3 weeks you will start seeing individual traits. At 5 weeks you will really see a difference. Seeing as how they are not LGD's but pets you can do pet temperament testing and they can all go to their pet homes by 8 weeks. PLEASE do not sell them or place them BEFORE 8 weeks. Some states it is legal at 6 weeks and it is really a bad practice. By 8 weeks they will have at least their first 2 shots and will be better protected.

It is also fun to weigh them every week.

Goats are far easier!!!
I LOVE goat kidding. Whelping...
I really do not like newborn stage
3 weeks they are like pups and then by 5 they are fun!
I hope you post updates along the way.

Well it has been a very rough week. We are down to two pups and don't know why. It seemed like Ladybug had enough milk, but now I don't think so. We started bottle feeding the pups but obviously we were not feeding them enough. The two remaining pups, a brown and a black male, seem to be doing well, and we are offering the bottle almost hourly.

Today I was rubbing Ladybug and noticed one of her teats was hard so I'm thinking mastitis.

Any suggestions on how to treat? I'm rubbing her several times a day for a couple minutes which is about all she'll stand for.

Ladybug is being a champ through all this, cleaning the pups, watching over the pups... she just can't make enough milk to feed the pups.

This whole process has been very heartbreaking, discouraging and I feel that I'm a terrible dog mom that I can't tell pups are not getting enough to eat. Last night we brought the pups into the house thinking that Ladybug was rolling over on them while and smothering them. I don't know, but no one died over the night. This morning after feeding them we brought them back to her and she cleaned them all over and all three snuggled in for a nap.

I am lost for anything else to do.

Any and all suggestions are gratefully appreciated.

Have you had Ladybug to the vet? I really think she may need to be seen.

There is the chance she is stepping on them or rolling over on them but I am more suspicious that there is a bacterial issue at hand. Did you send any of the pups for a necropsy? State lab is best for that as they will cross section tissue and can do much more than your average vet has the equipment for and the ability. Un-Vaccinated dogs around can also be an issue.

At this point Ladybug may have some teats getting engorged, keep massaging. Most tell you to put hot compresses on- that is good to help the milk let down and milk out but cold compresses reduce swelling. Milk out what you can.

I am so sorry you are going through this. It really does NOT make you a bad puppy "momma". Unfortunately , try as we might, we cannot control everything and it stinks when we are going through so much loss.

Sounds terrible but you may want to consider euthanizing the last of the pups and having a necropsy done.

Below is a link that you might want to look at- does this sound like what is going on?
http://www.gsdhelp.info/breed/FadingPuppyOURS.html#fading

Southern, thanks so very much for your support. I've read the info from your attachment, and will read it a few more times. Meanwhile I'll work on Ladybug's swollen problem and start feeding her and the pups some of our homemade live culture yogurt. At this point I'm willing to stand on my head if it would help.
Brought the boys in again last night. They are sleeping through the night, from 9pm-ish to 6am-ish and one of them is starting to make little growling noises. Ladybug is quite concerned about them in the house and is very pleased when she gets them back in the morning.
Will keep you posted on our progress. It has to get better.

Well, we still have the two pups with us. They are now called "The Dogger Boys". I took Ladybug and the boys to the vet yesterday. Ladybug is now on an antibiotic for mastitis and the vet said to get at least 25cc into each pup during the day. He wanted me to use Pedialyte (or however it is spelt), but I already had a package of electrolytes and other goodies in my stash so that is what the pups are getting. The pups were a little dehydrated. I got the choice of seeing if I could get them to drink more or setting up a drip bag and going subQ. I went with the former as I felt the later would upset the pups, upset their mom and discombobulate me.

Started them on their worming. The vet gave me the stuff in 1cc syringes with marked lines as to how much each day for three days. The larger brown pup weighed 1.6 pounds. In two weeks I take them back to be weighed and get their next dosage.

The boys are starting to stand on four legs and both have take a couple steps before sprawling down. The sounds I hear most often are more frustration squeaks than hunger screams. Every once in a while we hear a proto-bark and a real good "yip". Eyes are open but I'm not sure how much they can focus on.

All in all, a better report than a couple days ago. We haven't named them yet, but have decided if they survive that we will be keeping the two... which is just fine helps to even out the estrogen and testosterone around here. Maybe things are getting better seems my sense of humor is returning, warped as ever.

A new picture tomorrow. Promise!