so, i am a not responsibile dog owner, i have 2 dogs, male and female, female black lab is only a year old, she got pregnant by my other dog, i wanted to sterelize the male, but kept putting it off for later, and didn't see she was in heat...so she got pregnant, on wednesday we brought her to a vet, and he said she has about another month till the puppies come, but guess what, my fiance goes downstairs in the morning today and there they are...4 puppies..one died.. we werent there for her when she was in labour, because she sleeps in the kitchen, and i think one died because she didn't lick the membrane off completely..it was covering its head..or it could of been still born, don't know, sad.. :(
we are not prepared, don't even have a basket (my fiance left straight away to shops, to get a basket with a bed and formula, to make sure the puppies will eat enough...just waiting for him to come back)
the puppies look healthy, and not premature, the mother is very good too, stays with them, lets them eat... i was worried about her mothering them because shes young..but she did great :)
any advice for us? we didn't plan to breed her now, later, yes, with purebred labs, but she got puppies with a mix breed...and shes too young..
its a first time i'm dealing with puppies, i'm trying to read a lot now on the internet, how to care for them and what not.. need advice from people who went through this..
You want to put her bed in a quiet area and away from drafts. She should have access to her food and water nearby. She may or may not want to go outside. If not, leash her and take her out.
I am not a big fan of a lot of loose towels or blankets in with small pups. I usually take a pad (or her bed pad) wrap large towels or a blanket around it and secure underneath with safety pins. I use crates and drape a blanket over the sides for warmth, in cold weather. You don't want the pups to get cold. If they are laid out or spread out and their foot pads are pink, they are fine. Just make sure they are all nursing and she is cleaning them as they need that stimulation to potty. Since you were AWOL during the birth, check the umbilical cords to make sure they are not too short, no bleeding, etc. they will dry up and fall off in a few days. Did you see any placentas or did she consume them? It is important that a placenta was expelled after each pup and nothing was retained which would cause a serious infection. If you notice a green or ***** discharge or she has an odor, that warrants a VET visit ASAP!!
Pups, on average, open their eyes 10-14 days and start hearing then also. Handle them daily but securely.
You will need to do regular wormings and shots, best to take a stool sample to the Vet and get the proper meds. No not use meds from the pet store.
Depending on the maturity of the pups, you can usually start weaning at around 4 weeks. I have always started with canned goat's milk and added boxed baby rice cereal then gradually use a good quality puppy kibble, ground fine in a blender to make a gruel with the goat's milk or warm water and stop the cereal.
Any other questions, we can try to answer them.
Yes, do get your make neutered!
Why do you want to breed your Lab? Breeding is a big responsibility and a lot of science, when done correctly. You need to know what possible genetic problems your breed can have and all pure bred dogs do.