I guess I'm in for it now..... - Page 1

I have had a little glass of Jameson's to brace myself for the slaughter; but I have a BIG concern to share with you all, & I need advise. As most of you know, I have 2 beautiful GSDs, Kalie, my almost 4 year old bitch, & Beckett, my year & 1/2 old boy. Well, lately, Kali has been putting on some weight. I mentioned to Carl (my husband, who has always wanted to breed her & have puppies) that I thought she lookes pregnant. His reply? Well she ought to, I put her in with Wolf while he was here.(Wolf the DDR male that we adopted just after New Years Day, that now lives with my step-daughter, and is doing very well, I might add). He swears up & down that  he never let Beckett near her while I was at work, so that would make January 3rd the only day possible that she was bred. She was at the end of her heat cycle at the time. After much discussion, I managed to convince him that Kalie will be spayed after this. I  have also discussed this with her breeder, to determine length of her dam's gestation, & to glean whatever details I could from her about Kalie's dams' whelping experiences, etc. After all our conversation she surprised me by asking if she could have a puppy back from Kalie, to which I replied, if all goes well, of course. Kalie will be going to the vets to confirm my suspicions. I believe she can be x-rayed soon. i was upset & angry at first, but Carl is so happy & excited,  I can't stay mad at him, & now I'm feeling excited, too. (And nervous) My questions are myriad...obviously these will be pet puppies, we will have to swab Wolf for DNA to confirm he's the father,(I already sent Beckett's sample in when he was registered) Kalie is OFA'd, but I have not been able to locate any info on his hips/elbows(one of the reasons I wasn't going to consider him for a mate for Kalie)....so, what are my next steps? I am looking for a reproductive-specialty vet,(ours would not be available in an emergency), I am looking for a blueprint for a whelping box, trying to assemble a whelping kit......what else? Kalie is healthy and affectionate, but showing, she looks like a tank! Is it still safe to feed raw?  Ok guys--rip me a new one, if you must, but I love my girl, and I want her to get through this OK, then she'll be fixed so this won't happen again....jackie harris

I would neuter your male. That should fix any future problems. Yes, the two legged one.

ROTFLMAO!!!

Accidents happen and whats done is done.  No reason for anyone to make you feel bad or for yourself to feel bad. 

Pregnant females will have enlarged nipples, thinning of the hair on the tummy and a swollen thingie LOL. 

If she is preggers, I would buy a Dura-Whelp whelping box or use a large kiddie swimming pool.  Find a vet that has an emergency number and is available in the middle of the night in case you need a c-section.  IF she was bred at the end of her cycle, it is possible she may have a small litter.  If she has 1-2 pups and they look big; do a planned c-section.  Do an x-ray at day 52-54.  It is still OK to feed raw, though I would supplement it with a high quality puppy food.  For whelping, you need ribbons or yarn to identify the puppies, LOTS of med. size kitchen towels, an aspirator to remove fluid from the mouth/nose when the puppy comes out (get the one intented to remove ear wax, it has a long nozzle and works the best), some large & thick bedding to line your whelping box, some dull kiddie scizzors and dental floss for umbelical cords.  You need to keep the room at around 85* or so, so a heater or a heat lamp is reccomended. 

I would have Wolf x-rayed and either get a vet oppinion or OFA as thats pretty much the only question pet puppy buyers ask (whether both parents have good hips). 

LOL, puppies really arent very complicated :) Just lots of work and sleepless nights!!!  Make sure you get lots of sleep now!

Yeah, well.....what can you do? He's 76, and he's wanted puppies since we got Kalie. I kinda thought  that he would be dissuaded by all the work associated with just caring properly for the adult dogs, BUT NO! When I put up barriers, he (obviously), undid them! No sense in castrating him now, I already ripped him a new butt, and the thing that gets me the most, is that Kalie would never do more than growl at male dogs when I was around, but she'll do anything for Carl..(again, obvoiusly!) I'm, well, just, (throws her hands up).. don't know what to do with him besides love him! jh

If Tasha hadn't been spayed BEFORE I got married, I think the same thing would have happened to me, Jackie! Roger often moaned about how he would have LOVED to have had a pup from her. Never mind she was a pedigree-less rescue, of totally unknown bloodlines! He loved her to death, and wanted her pups!

Guess it's a 'guy' thing!

But, yeah, I would've SO ripped him a new one!

And made sure he did his fair share of 'puppy-watching', feeding, cleaning, etc.!

O'kay., then just him a whiskey and a cookie.

make him start learning all about whelping a litter and tell him he gets to help.  this too will make him think twice about wanting another litter.

john

End of the heat cycle is THE most fertile time

dont give that breeder a pup - a breeder that takes a pup from an accidental CROSS breeding is not worth a damn and should ripp you one instead of asking for a pup - PLUS you have not gotten the dog Xrayed either.  

Set up a nicely soft bedding private quiet area at minimum 2' x 2' area with one opening only and an entrance so you and your dog can easily get in and out.  a whelping box is not worth it for a one time birth and for me, they're not large enough so I don't use them.  My dogs whelp in my oversized bathroom shower which is perfect for me to watch them and wait while it starts happening.   And its cleaner with all the tile for after cleaning.  OF COURSE they are whelping on comforters NOT on the tile ok....  and certainly not on newspapers as I see so many pictures of.  

I use baby receiving blankets to help dry off pups.  You need to get ready for a couple of nights of no sleep and as far as the vet, yes you need one on hand -  isn't there an emergency 24 hr vet in town?  

www.askabreeder.com/Dog+Gestation+Calculator   for eta of the pups

STAY ON RAW food,  of course.  

start reading about how to whelp pups and

yes neuter both males, 2 and 4 legged

Jackie, to put it in the vernacular - shit happens.  Don't beat  yourself up over it. Olga has given you good advice and I can't add to it.