hi everyone, im new to this forum, just comin gon a bit of advice.

Mum had 3 pups on tuesday and they are feeding and growing lovely (toy breed).
mum was a bit frantic at first but settled on day 2, vet said it was a combination of hormones and inexperience (first litter).
Anyway i have not left the whelping room (its my bedroom) had very little sleep as always fear the worst.
Last night mum was restless, she had the runs and panted quite a lot.
Now i have aired the room today as my oh said it is too hot for her.
She had meat yesterday (chopped pork) which she has never had before and think this could be the cause of the runs.(?) She has not been eating her puppy kibble (RC) that shes had since week 5, and just eats chicken, ham, beef and eggs.
she is on a vit with calcium prescribed by vet on day 2.
i have given her, vit d drops and calcium easy absorable tablet today just incase. She has no shakes, no trembling, no stiff joints, no strange gait.
I have read that some bitches will pant for a few weeks after whelping(?)
My main worry is this morning after the restless night i caught her with one of the pups in her mouth going under my bed! i was shocked and replaced pup and mum back in whelping box.i have secured it so she cant get under anymore as she was scrathing n digging under there proir to whelping.

so, why would try relocate her babies? the whelping box is in a corner, no through traffic, blanket covering to create cave like haven, clean, warm (maybe too warm hence airing the room, its hot in yorkshire this past few days) and only oh and me handle the pups.

i am very tired and now super paranoid that when/if i manage any sleep i will wake up n she will have moved pups and they will perish :-(

why oh why no matter how much research i have done (2 years worth) i seemed to have forgotten everything?

sorry for long post, thanks for reading.

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hi thanks for replying, mum is maltese

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Is she used to being in the bedroom? That would be my initial thought.
Is it bright in the bedroom? Mums hide babies as they get older in the dark to encourage their eyes to open sooner, so keep lighting to a minimum.

Personally with a small breed I wouldn't be giving calcium (unless she had a large litter, but 3 isn't a large litter for a toy, its about the norm). Don't suddenly stop the calcium wean her off it over the space of 10 days. I'm not sure why the vet has given her vitamin D either, not in addition to calcium, its usually one or the other, rarely both.

Maybe put a fan outside the box, on really low, but leave the box covered, just a small opening for mum to get in and out of.

On the other hand. Mine don't like dens (I've always had odd bods ) and mums would much rather see that I am there. I normally sleep with the bitch, rather than the bitch with me (if that makes sense) and sleep with my arm draped over her so if she moves, she'll wake me up.

As awful as it sounds, its a bit of case of trial and error. If she has been declared medically sound (ie no retained pups/ matter, no eclampsia etc) then it is just "newbie nerves".

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SOMETIMES YOUR KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR IS MERELY AN IDIOT WRAPPED IN TINFOIL

hi tanya for your reply, as i read your post abput the lights, i turned them off, curtains have remained closed but have had lamps on.
she has always slept in my room since a puppy which is why the whelping box is in here.
there is a lovely gentle warm breeze in the room today, not cold and not near box, but airing room nicely (nice for me too).

saw vet 36 hours post whelp and was really happy with tilly and pups, no signs of anything sinister but am aware theycam come along later on.

think your right about me being nervous, very unlike me

i do need to catch some sleep so may put the puppy pen up and put whelping box in there tonight, then mum can still toilet on pads outside the box but be confined so cant take pups out ????

Yes. Wee and poo times are difficult at first and most mums need dragging or carrying out to go toilet as they are reluctant to leave their babies.

It does get easier though. Before you know it, she won't want anything to do with them

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SOMETIMES YOUR KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR IS MERELY AN IDIOT WRAPPED IN TINFOIL

As I understand it calcium needs vitamin D to be taken in conjunction to aid absorption.

I agree with Tanya. I dont give mine Calcium at all as Teigan is on a Good puppy food which have all the vitamins and calcium in there. I keep a check on her nipples to make sure they are NOT hot and tender. I have a thermometer next to Teigans bed, we have had hot weather here and our house is so hot anyway, so I have had to take the heating pad out as they were NOT using that part at all, the temp in the bedroom was 98 for the first week from just the heat of the weather, (I kept an eye on the temp gauge incase it dropped too much in the night) then I put a fan on over the other end of the bedroom to cool the room down a bit in the second week (90). If it got alot cooler which it did do a couple of days from the rainy weather so I put the heat pad back on again. I slept by mum and babies (and still am) just to make sure she and the babies are ok and the babies are latching on properly and not being knocked off from Tiegan toileting them. It is normal for mum to pant a couple of days after birth, Teigan did it for 3 days, I offered her water as she wouldnt go to get a drink, mums dont like to leave the box to have a pee/eat/drink so you have to bring it to her. I also put Teigan out for pee or she wouldnt go.
How is she settling in now, have she stopped trying to move the puppy to under the bed???

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siggie by Dawn............Smudge'smummy

Glitter Text Maker

hi there

no more puppy moving happened since, just the one time, i gave calcium tab as she is not eating her puppy food and hasnt since she started whelping, she will eat chicken, beef and ham and eggs, being fussy just now.

i have blocked under the bed off and if it happens again will bring the puppy pen up and put the box inside so she cant move them, i slept for about 2 hours last night, so do watch her almost 24/7.

think it was the box/ room was too warm, i have tried to cool the room down today and the lovely weather (which i have missed lol) is set to leave and cooler from tomorrow, so we'll see.

i have posted some pics of the babies if anyone wants to see them, i am totally biased they are lush! lol