Sydney Mobile Vet Service
I had the pleasure recently of doing a vet house call to an amazing young female dog who had birthed her first litter of little pups.
My first call to this dog, Melody, several months before was kind of a distress call as she had become incredibly anxious when going into the vet hospital to checkup some hair loss around her eye. Even in her own home she was quite nervous about letting me examine her but we managed to do some testing and found a mite infection which we successfully treated.
I’ve been back a few times for various things and she has definitely settled more and more but is always quite wary.
This time was different – she was now a mother!
Though she was most anxious to get back to her puppies and didn’t want to leave them alone, she was very calm and settled around me and allowed a full veterinary checkup. As soon as I was finished examining her she found the shortest route back to her pups and jumped back in! Quite an amazing transformation from this shy and anxious young dog to a doting and devoted new mother.
Les, the proud “father”, is mesmerised by Melody and her pups and could spend all day watching them. He said it was totally amazing to see her have the pups, which numbered 8 and took 12 hours.
She has been great, immediately attending to cleaning them up and getting them to snuggle up against her to suckle. First time mothers are often bewildered and unsure what to do with their pups and some even totally ignore them.
Fortunately for her pups, Melody is engrossed, taking to them like a duck to water. You can see she wouldn’t be anywhere else for all the doggie treats in the world. The hard thing for Les is deciding which pup he wants to keep as they’re all so cute! It will certainly be great for Melody to have one of her pups around now as her new companion. Hopefully all the others will go to great homes in the local area so they can all meet up at the dog parks.
Pregnancy and whelping advice
Pregnancy and whelping is certainly an amazing thing to experience in your pets and companions.
However it is not something to take lightly at all. I get a lot of questions from dog owners about where they can find a mate for their dog or how best to go about having a litter. To be honest, most of the time I try to discourage them. Though it is an amazing miracle to experience it is a serious undertaking and really should be left to the experienced breeders.
There are many considerations regarding the welfare of the dam (mother) and the sire (father) and the health of the dam must be closely monitored at all times. The whelping (birth) can be dangerous and all the warning signs of any problems must be completely understood and readily recognised. If it goes well then everyone is smiling but if it doesn’t the outcome can be disastrous. What’s more, the pups are usually born in the wee hours of the morning, so don’t expect any sleep!
The situation with cats is even more hazardous and I would strongly urge anyone not to consider having a litter of kittens. Definitely leave this one to the breeders!
If you are thinking of having a litter with your pet, make sure you get a lot of information and are very well prepared prior to starting. This is very important for the health and welfare of your pet and the new puppies, and also for your peace of mind.
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you want to discuss any of this further as I’m more than happy to have a chat. Also don’t forget to checkout the rest of my website for valuable information on my mobile vet services and other interesting information and photos.
