[indy_bratt]

A friend of mine has a pitbull that is about to have puppies and he has real idea of what to do. He talked to his vet & got some info, but I've known him for years & he's not great with details. He's never owned a dog before this and has never seen any kind of dog give birth.

He will be calling me as soon as he knows (or see/realizes) that she is laboring so that I can come over to help him (he thinks she's going to have them sometime in the next 4-10 days). I have helped with other dogs in the past, but never a pitbull. His (less than smart) friends are telling him it's no big deal & they just let their dogs "drop the puppies outside so it's not messy." He does not approve of that & neither do I. I know he is getting a small back room ready for her - not sure what his idea of that is but will try to find out.

So, can someone please give me a crash course in pitbull whelping? The dam in question is a very gentle, sweet natured dog & this is her first litter. What should we expect? List of supplies? Is a box absolutely necessary? I need to know everything you guys can tell me because I want to make sure everything goes well & safely.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[American_Pit13]

Whelping Puppies is Whelping puppies regardless of the breed... Unfortunate the dog is having puppies at all, but I am glad hes not letting them "drop" outside

INSTRUCTIONS FOR WHELPING
Breeding, Whelping, and Rearing Puppies
Whelping Puppies, Woodhaven Style
Whelping Puppies, Breeding Dogs

 

[performanceknls]

Here is my favorite site for whelping scroll to the bottom and you will find all the pages you need about whelping. Then tell your friend to spay her dog!

Whelping Kit

 

[beccaboo]

The sooner he has the "box" or whatever he is setting up the better. She will start nesting and get comfortable. Since this is her first litter I would just suggest that she not be left alone. Try to keep it quiet and peaceful for her and when the time comes when she is in active labor be calm and quiet. You can pet and reassure her if she seems scared or uncomfortable. She make have trouble figuring out what to do with the pups when they come out. I had to break the first few sacks and cut the first few cords with mine til she figures out what to do. Put the pup in front of her to clean and then help the pup find milk. The sooner they latch the better. Good luck and strongly suggest gettin the bitch spayed soon as the pups are weaned

 

[Sampsons Dad]

Invest in powdered goats milk.
Mix it with butter milk and give it to the mother.
She will need the extra calories to feed the pups.
I give my females and pups 3 bowls, one with water, one with the goats milk, and one with adult dog food.

 

[indy_bratt]

Thanks so much for all the tips, website info, etc. I am hoping she doesn't start until someone is home - my friend is a single Dad of 3 little ones who works construction full time, so no one is there from 7a - 5p. That's where I come into play - I'm just finishing my degree so I can be there anytime/all the time once she starts. And my friend is absolutely planning on getting her spayed. Actually she was scheduled to be spayed when he found out she was pregnant.

Speaking of that, should he keep his kids away from her & the puppies at all? They are 7th grade, 5th grade, and 4yrs old.

Thanks again

 

[aimee235]

Kids should only be near the puppies if there is adult supervision and if the mother is comfortable with them being near her young.

 

[beccaboo]

I would say to let her figure out what she's doin first. No kids by the pups for the first week or more and after that it's up to how the momma reacts to ppl with the babies

 

[companionnotmenace]

Accidental tie up

My female is gonna drop her pups in about thirty days. This is my first litter of pups. My male and my female are the best of friends. I know i cant let him go near the puppies, but i can i let the male and female near each other at all? Say to go outside and play together?

 

[::::COACH::::]

If you are even asking these questions....you clearly should not be breeding dogs. How old are they? What was your purpose in breeding them? Are they show dogs?do you do any sports with them like hunting, agility, etc.? Do you have any titles on them?

 

[Carriana]

If you are even asking these questions....you clearly should not be breeding dogs. How old are they? What was your purpose in breeding them? Are they show dogs?do you do any sports with them like hunting, agility, etc.? Do you have any titles on them?

The subject line (on the post, not the thread) did say accidental tie up...

 

[Odin`s_BlueDragon]

I would suggest 2 things. Spay abort and nueter. Problem solved.

 

[companionnotmenace]

NO i dont need titles on my dogs besides guard and family buddy. but the breeding was not on purpose.. i have assisted in whelping before with a friend who is an established bulldog breeder.. i just dont hae experience with the male in such close proximity... I do not appreciate the attitude i asked for help and advice not an argument session coach.. They are both papered.

 

[Black Rabbit]

Papered is not the same as titling. And for the record APBTs make terrible guard dogs. Because of their loving nature towards people they are often terrible at the job.
Anyone who breeds with out titles, purpose, and proper health testing are nothing more than back yard breeders who are adding to the many problems the breed faces. And by health testing I don't mean a good vet check, I mean OFA hip, cardiac, ect....
I have said this once before and I'm sure this won't be the last time, but if you can not afford or can not care for every single pup in that litter that you have no business bringing them into the world. Can you really afford to keep and raise every dog you produce? Here's why I ask. This breed is one of the most over bred and destroyed dogs today. You breed your dog and have 6-8 puppies, then their owners say oh I love it, best dog ever bla bla, we only want one litter, they breed now there's a possibility of about 64 pups all from your dogs 1 litter.
Reputable and responsible breeders will take back a pup at any age no matter what, their dogs do not get sent to shelters to die. That's why many go on co-own or spay/neuter contracts. This ensures they are not contributing to the overpopulation problem many rescues and shelters are faced with. Often times people think it'll be all good, they can just give them to friends and family, but a lot of times as they start to grow and aren't cute pups anymore people give up and give them away or dump them in the pound. Are you prepared to take back any pups that are given up on? Can you ensure none will be bred and die in the shelter? This is serious issue that people keep turning a blind eye to but if you can't answer those questions honestly than IMO spay/abort is the best thing to do. This is not just about you and your dog, this is about a breed we love being destroyed daily, and many of us truly care for the future of this great breed.

 

[BlueBuddy]

Ugh. I hate how people breed these dogs just to breed. Look in the paper ads, Craigslist, and the shelters and all you see are Pitbulls. My county will spay and neuter Pitbulls for free yet no one ever take advantage of it.

 

[Emily Rugburn]

First of all, nobody said the pups were purposely bred. These things happen, and you people seem to think they can jump into a time machine and get her spayed in time, or perhaps you think if you do not already know what to do then you don't deserve to be helped. This person is simply trying to help her friend and all she gets for trying to help is rude, judgemental comments. In my opinion, an accidental pregnancy is more worthy of help than those of you who purposely breed dogs for a profit, and claim that just because you're rich, that it's ok, but if you're poor, you don't deserve the love and affection from a dog who was already alive because someone else was irresponsible.

 

[angelbaby]

Noone was being rude, nothing wrong with the advice given. And so you know this post is old so to stir up old drama is really not needed.

 

[Carriana]

”you people”? wow, way to make a lasting first impression.

I'd say welcome to the forum but I doubt you'll be back now that you've put ”us people” in our place. *chuckle* I hope you feel better now that you've gotten that off your chest.

 

[Emily Rugburn]

I do, actually. My pit bull got pregnant because someone else was irresponsible and let their non neutered dog roam the neighborhood. My girl never gets out of the yard, ever. Well, upon searching the internet for advice, all I seemed to find was posts like this one where someone was in a situation they never meant to be in and it is so hard to weed through the rude comments to get to the helpful answers. I take it very personally because (i'll quote it in a moment) I seen someone had said get her an abortion and have her put down. Can't remember if it was this post or not but I'll find it. And "you people" was aimed at the ones who made rude comments, not to everyone, obviously... So I do sincerely apologize to anyone who took that personally. I love my dog like she were one of my kids. If my son got some girl pregnant, I would never ever suggest an abortion, and the same goes for my dog. She's gonna have these pups any day and I have to figure it out all on my own unfortunately, because my trucks broke down and we are 30 miles from town. I just don't understand how people who claim to be proper dog owners are the ones more likely to treat em like live stock rather than family members. Sorry but a cow will never lick your tears when you cry, or dance around when you get home, because a cow doesn't experience love. A pit bull has as much love in their heart as a person. So I'm not generalizing everyone who answered this post, only taking up for the original poster, as I'm sure any of you "good people" would, and even though it's an old post. Can I have another chance? I'm not a bad person, and I can always admit when I'm wrong.

 

[Emily Rugburn]

If you are even asking these questions....you clearly should not be breeding dogs. How old are they? What was your purpose in breeding them? Are they show dogs?do you do any sports with them like hunting, agility, etc.? Do you have any titles on them?

This is the first one I wanted to quote.