PLEASE HELP ME -bitch ate 3 pups - Page 5

4pack, couldn't find it-is funkybunch supposed to be there twice in the address?

So gald to hear the pups are doing great. I've dealt with that with cats as well (yes, some of us do live in both worlds...:-) ). The nice side effect of all of this is that they'll be nice and people orientated.Just remember that in a couple of weeks when you figure you just can't do this anymore! You'll have to post some pictures when you can!

yup it's correct. I just copied and pasted and it worked fine.

Yes ,definately pictures when you can! I hope you are taking some now while they are little too.

Hi all. Taking lots of pictures and the pups are doing well, gaining weight. They are really starting to dislike the bottle feedings. Syd has nursed them all day today and is doing a wonderful job. Thank you to all of those people who have helped me through this most trying time. As soon as my website is up and running, I'll let you know. It's a work in progress while I'm raising these puppies. They are so beautiful and unique. I can really see their distinct personalities. They are going to be awesome dogs. Maybe I'll keep them all:)

Hello ColeHaus, glad your pups are ok, and most of all that you found a way not just to bottle- feed them. I might have missed something here. That a bitch eats her pups is actually not so uncommon. It is just not much talked about, because some breeders have the feeling, potencial puppy buyers will be offended by the idear that the bitch ate her offspring. On top of it some peopel might think that the breeder took not to good care during the whelping process. So i believe it is a good thing that you brought it into the open. There are a few questions i have. Have you been absolutly sure that the eaten pups were healthy ? How short was the timespan between pup# 1 and pup#2 ? Since i just started breeding, but beeing around GSD's a long time i have read a lot and i talked to a lot of breeders. Many of them have experienced this, and the most common thing i was told was as follows : Many times a breeder realizes that something goes wrong and they take a weak pup out of the whelpingbox because the female wont let the pup drink. They start bottlefeeding but the pup still died after 1-3 days. Many times pups are born and eaten right away by the female, cant even figure out if the pup was alive when delivered. I know this might sound harsh, but it seems to me that nature took his way. Look for instance at a litter of foxes. Many times the litters are 8-10 big, check the litter a couple of month later there wont be 8 anymore. one more thing a vet explained to me was, that by eating the pups the bitch keeps the "nest" clean and keeps preditors away by elemenating the odor.Also a female will not be able to leave the "nest" for a few days, so the eating of pups provide food & even more important liquid (sorry,dont know a better word...meaning drink).This does not mean a bitch will eat a healthy pup, she will just "weed out" the ones she determens not to be fit enough to survive. Annother thing the vet mentioned was : The breeder should be "lucky" as his bitch has not lost her natural instincts ! I very well know, what i wrote sounds cruel, but i do believe that only the healthy ones should survive. As i was told by breeders it sometimes turns out that pups that were ONLY bottlefed had all kinds of healthproblems in their later life. Again ColeHaus, i am glad it worked out for you, and i cross my fingers for the rest of your pups. Kind Regards Ulli Dresbach

Thanks Ulli!! I've learned so much from this and the pups are doing so well. They are chewing on each other, playing growling and I couldn't be happier. The next time I breed, I will definitely know a lot more. I do believe nature has its way and no, I don't think your comment was cruel at all. Here on the farm, I've seen lots of things go wrong with births of pigs, cows, and our other dogs. Not that I'm jaded, but I've seen a lot of stuff go wrong. Thank you for all that you have to offer to this site.

Hey ColeHaus, i am glad your pups do allright. As i was reading on other posts, they are allready exploring the new world! Great ! Remember, there was never ever a breeder who knew it all from beginning ! They all achieved their knowlege by doing and learning ! If you want to continue about breeding, maybe we can be of help for each other. Since i cant change my profile, here is my e-mail : ulli@vom-sankt-martiner-tal.de . Best Regards Ulli Dresbach

Thank you so much. I will email you soon. You seem so knowledgable and well respected on this site. Regards, Cole H.