litter size - Page 1

my female, 2 1/2 years old just whelped 9 pups; she's barely 57 lbs; gain 10 lbs through her pregnancy; she's done very well in the whelping process (approx 6 hours) and after 24 hours the pups are clean, healthy and strong with healing cords; my concern is the litter size and the ability of the mom to get them through their first weeks of life; do the pups need supplements; if so, what would you supplement them with? any tips on what to do the first 2-3 weeks of their life; the mom seems to be doing pretty good and not needing any help, but still, not sure if she will be able to handle this litter size. thank you, Max.

Max, congratulations on a large litter from a very normal-sized GSD bitch. Mom needs to make plenty of milk for the babies so she must stay well hydrated. One (1) thing that I do, especially with a large litter is mix some goat's milk (from powdered) form to normal strength and use it to hydrate her, along with water of course. She needs to eat large-breed puppy food-as much as she wants. Watch the amount of goat's milk though, as if she develops a very loose stool then that is an indication that she is receiving too much. The best way that I know to tell is if the puppies can nurse fully and have firm bellies after several minutes of nursing, and quickly fall asleep. A dam usually has ten (10) funtioning mammary teats, but all do not provide the same amount of milk. Usually eight (8) of the ten (10) produce well. It seems true, at least in my experience that the dam can hold her own with a large litter for at least the first three (3) weeks. Our retired bitch had one (1) litter of ten (10) puppies and another litter of eleven (11) puppies. Both times her milk production was sufficient for the first three (3) weeks, but I did have to supplement the babies with just a bit of warmed goat's milk after the end of week Nr. 3 through the weaning process. It is interesting, as I think there is still a published recommendation by the S.V. that a litter that is large than eight (8) puppies must use a foster dam to provide enough nutrition. Of course; how many of us have a canine wet nurse available for a couple of puppies when we need it? Not a bad rule but an old rule. Good luck with the new litter, Bob-O

Thank you Bob! i know it's early and i assume pups will take turns on feeding but i notice that the crowding is too much for the pups to fit under the mom's belly; nonetheless she surprises me on how diligently she tries to nudge the together and stimulate them through constant licking. what are your thoughts on cow's milk? i know cow milk is not safe in babies (human babies that is)... how about cow milk with added protein in the form of say egg yolks? thanks again, Max.

Max, I do not suggest using cow's milk at all. While all dogs like it, it is difficult for any of them to digest. With puppies, this is critical, hence the recommendation of the goat's milk. The goat's milk is very close to the dam's milk as far as nutrients are concerned. As far as using egg yolks, I would wait until the puppies approach the weaning stage. It is best to introduce them to new diets on a gradual basis. I never use egg yolks, but others do and it must work well. At the age of three (3) weeks their teeth will start to appear, and some supplementation can be done in the form of softened puppy kibble, wet food, goat's milk, raw egg yolks, etc. Again, the important thing is to introduce each component bit by bit so it can be removed if the puppies develop loose stools. As far as taking turns on feeding, a good dam will continually rotate the puppies so they all receive enough milk. Good Luck, Bob-O

Thanks again, we'll see how she does... speaking of rotating them; i noticed how she picks the stray pup with her mouth and puts him with the group; doesn't seem to amaze me!! as you can tell i'm a novice in whelping litters :) Max.

tired this late... i meant to say "doesn't cease to amaze me! Max.

Max, Congradulations !! The only thing I would add to Bob-0's Most excellent advice is you can sure assist with nursing time in the first week, by encouraging or "plugging in" smaller pups first when mom comes in from potty/eating breaks, for the first week, we always assist mom back to the whelp box and plug in pups more nursing = more milk produced. You should do fine and sounds as though she is doing a super super job with her babies, again Congrats and get sleep while you can :-)

Dear BOB-O, this is not correct with the rules from the SV. A female can have more puppies then 8, but after raising up them all together, she has to have a rest. It's not possible to breed her in the next heat, she has to have a rest of 6 months before breeding. Congratulation Maxll for this full litter and the good mother, which take care for the puppies. My female Mariella had 3 litters, always with 12 puppies and all worked well. Sorry for my languagemistakes. This night my old female Vreni( 7 years) got her last litter with 8 puppies. We are very happy, all looks okay.