OMG, Bitch ate newborn puppy??!! - Page 1

I can't believe what just happened.I thought I did everything right,quality dogs,food,time,etc.Now finally the whelping day.Puppy #1 is born,looks good,mother caring for well.Next pup born three hours later,bitch begins usual licking,eating placenta,next thing you know she's chewing up the puppy from the back up.This puppy never did breath but I did not even have a chance to retrieve it before it was in her jaws.Why on earth would she do this?This is her second litter and she was an awesome mom the first time.Someone please help.I'm so disgusted right now and don't know what to expect when the next one comes out.

Lisa, Could have been that something was wrong with the puppy. Dogs often have a sixth sense about those things. Don't judge her too harshly. It may have even been born dead. HOWEVER, that being said, you need to be sitting BY HER SIDE right there with her until she is done having this litter! Keep a close eye on her and be right there when the next one is born. You may want to take the pup away as soon as it's born and clean it off yourself, then give it back. I stay witht with each dog that I have that whelps, and have never lost a puppy yet! If you need to call me, or want me to call you, feel free to shoot me an email.

Thank you so much for being there.I am kind of shaken up right now but you are right,I am going to be watching closely now until she's done.Thanks again.

Different females behave differently. I have been fortunate that even with the sick or dead puppies, my older female just sets them aside/apart from the litter and ignores them. Makes a quick and easy pick up for me. Two litters ago, one pup(male) was extremely small and weak, and I wanted to intervene and take it to the vet. Everytime I reached for it, the mother would gently hold it in her mouth(holding her head erect and proud) and growled when I tried to take it from her. Whenever I came in the room, she would snatch the weak pup up and hold it in her mouth, with a far away look in her eyes. After 2 days the pup died, she set it aside, and let me pick it up and take it off without any resistance. My mentors have told me I have been extremely lucky. They have had dogs that have chewed up entire dogs(like yours), or chewed off an arm or a leg, only. One had a female that picked up the pups by the rear and smashed the heads on the floor(After chewing the cord off), killing every pup of a litter of 5, after each was born. I agree with the sixth sense or keen intuition of the mother, "knowing" things that we can not see on the surface. Good luck with the whelping process. Hope you have a healthy litter. Stephen

VomFesenHof is correct about the bitch sensing that something may be wrong and that the puppy was possibly born dead. Usually they do not eat the puppy, but they will continually push it aside so it cannot nurse. Evenso, I know it must be a terrible thing to see. I have been fortunate and never had the dam refuse a puppy. You have our sympathies. Bob-O

Sometimes the bitch eats the placenta and thinks the puppy is part of the placenta as well and mistakenly eats the puppy too. This can happen when the pup has just come out and she is trying to chew off the placenta. So she thinks everything is the placenta and eats it. It is unfortunate though.

i had one do the same thing last year. first pup born fine and taking care of it. long time in between the pups and second one was born dead. she started eating it. yeah, it makes you sick, but it is normal for them to do that with a dead one. i ended up taking her to the vet for xrays to make sure she had no more dead ones left inside and gave her oxytocin to clean out and bring on the milk. it was not a good time. better luck next time?

I have similar experience. This bitch of mine eats her dead pups. This is her way of keeping her kennel clean. Its the animal way which we humans find disgusting. Next time this happens check out the health of the puppy. Maybe its already dead. Maybe the mother is weak and she feels she cannot handle a big litter. Maybe its just 6th sense that she knows the puppy is not normal and well. One way is to reconcile to the fact and thank your stars that you do not have a sick pup with bad hips etc with you. I know its difficult and painful but you will have be careful. Get your bitch examined thouroughly. Blood, stools etc and also check her Uterus.If its happened once its likely to happen again. Miss the next heat and mate her after only the Doc certifies that she is well to handle a litter.

IF THIS BITCH EAT HER PUP OR PUPS SHE SHOULD NEVER GET BRED AGAIN, SPAY THE BITCH AND LET HER LIVE THE REST OF HER LIFE AS A PET!!! JAMES

James is over reacting obviously... She was fine with her first litter after all. here my 2 cts: You will have to step in with the remaining pups as been said before. Have floss ready to tie off the umbilical cord because IF it was bleeding too fast and she cut it off too close then that may have been why she continued up the cord into the belly. Just sit with her, feed her if she takes food during whelping (mine do it seems) offer them water, (i do pedialyte) and keep their system at an optimum. Take her outside for a break if she will too. and keep watch for the next 48 hours just in case. Hang in there ok