Newborn Siberian Huskys

lippy11

Hello!!

My boyfriends husky just had her pups, very small litter, just two!
We're completely new to caring for puppies and all that goes along with it.. Could anyone maybe give us some tips or any information about caring for the pups would be of great help!
Thank you

andreac

Ok firstly, did you do any research on breeding before breeding the bitch?

Is the mother on a good quality lactating food?

Have you a whelping area so she can feel safe and secure?

Have you other dogs in the house?

You need to monitor the bitch and the pups closely for a few days, as she could risk squashing the pups and killing them.

lippy11

Hi,
Yes we have her on correct food, purchased and prescribed by the vet.
We also have them in a secure enviroment, purpose built whelping area. She seems content there now at the moment.
We have two husky's, the other one is outside at the moment. This is also another question I have, whats the situation in introducing the pups to him or could you give any advice about this? He seems to miss his partner.
I have been worried about her squashing them, resulting in me checking them every few minutes.. I feel like a worried new mother myself haha! She's seems to be taking good care of them so far so hoping that continues.

andreac

To be honest, i wouldnt be letting him anywhere near her or the pups for another couple of weeks. Even though they are good friends bitches can be very protective over her babies so you need to be careful.

Did you do all the relevent health checks for your dogs before breeding, ie Hip scores etc?

lippy11

Ok, thank you. I was worried about the situation with him so atleast I know now.
Yes, she had been in the vets prior to us finding out that she was expecting. Vet said all was good with her thankfully. Also, had her and the pups in the vet yesterday and she said all seems to be perfect!
We just don't want to do anything wrong and would like to care for them the best we can.

lippy11

Meant to also say that we also had the dog in the vets along with herself and he got a full check up too so yes, both dogs are in good health!

andreac

No, thats not the same. Did you get the dog and bitch hip scored and x-rays evaluated?

Getting checked over by the vet is not enough, thats only a basic health test. Its not the same as getting them screened for health problems that the breed suffers from and hip scoring should be a must before breeding Huskies.

portgirl123

lippy11 wrote: »

Meant to also say that we also had the dog in the vets along with herself and he got a full check up too so yes, both dogs are in good health!

thats great that she is in good health but i think what andreac meant was she health checked for genetic problems that dif breeds of dogs suffer from, like hips eyes etc. if not your dog should really not been bred from. there is enough dogs around with probs without adding to it
dont mean to sound harsh but i got a st bernard thats mother had nothing done to it and at only 5 months old the health problems that she has suffered from is terrible

lippy11

Just called my boyfriend after reading both of your replys regarding the xrays etc. He said all testings were done and nothing of concern showed up in the xrays either!

portgirl123

lippy11 wrote: »

Just called my boyfriend after reading both of your replys regarding the xrays etc. He said all testings were done and nothing of concern showed up in the xrays either!

what was her hip score?

andreac

Did the vet send them off the BVA in the UK to get them scored? Thats the only place they can be evaluated and given a result.
It really is important to ensure all these tests are carried out before breeding as you risk passing on health issues to the pups if they arent done.

lippy11

7
To be honest, I will admit, I am not as highly educated in dog care as the both of you are. Thats why I am here.
I've no idea if 7 is good or bad. Good as far as my boyfriend is concerned.
Or as he was told. We're learning as we go along.
He is the dogs primary carer, I walk them with him and feed them.
We just want to look after the pups well too.

portgirl123

lippy11 wrote: »

7
To be honest, I will admit, I am not as highly educated in dog care as the both of you are. Thats why I am here.
I've no idea if 7 is good or bad. Good as far as my boyfriend is concerned.
Or as he was told. We're learning as we go along.
He is the dogs primary carer, I walk them with him and feed them.
We just want to look after the pups well too.

to be quiet honest i dont know if 7 is good or not, just like i said i got a st bernard whos parents had nothing done to them and my poor boy is in a bad way with lots of probs including very bad eyes that will never be right. i knew this when i took her on as in the end she was giving the pups away as they were all suffering.
just find it very strange your b/friend went to the bother of hip scoring and yet never looked into how to look after pups when they born?

andreac

lippy11 wrote: »

7
To be honest, I will admit, I am not as highly educated in dog care as the both of you are. Thats why I am here.
I've no idea if 7 is good or bad. Good as far as my boyfriend is concerned.
Or as he was told. We're learning as we go along.
He is the dogs primary carer, I walk them with him and feed them.
We just want to look after the pups well too.

Is that for the mother or the father as both of them need to be done or should have been done.

If both of the parents have been scored then thats ok, as long as the results are average or below average.

Are you planning on keeping the pups or what was the reason for breeding?

Cherry Blossom

OP, have you just been going on advice from your vet or did you buy any books on the subject?
Try not to get too obsessive about it but definitely keep dad away from the pups. I wouldn't be letting any dog other than mum near the pups until they have been fully vaccinated by which time they will probably have gone to new homes (unless you are keeping one or both). Dad can pick up all sorts of things from being outside and the pups would have no immunity to these diseases. Did you have the vet check mum over after the pups were born to make sure all was well and she isn't still carrying a dead pup? Two pups seems a very small litter.

Cherry Blossom

I'm sorry OP, but can you just clarify please, when you say she has 'just' had them, do you mean right this minute, hours ago, within the last 24 hours, a few days ago or longer? :eek:

lippy11

We were quiet surprised at how small her litter was two because when we initially got her scanned vet said she could see 3 so when my boyfriend brought her in yesterday just to make sure there was no more pups scan was clear. The two she did have are quiet big though!

We are keeping one and the other one is going to my brother.

We know what to look out for as in puppies weight, their temputure etc etc. I just came here to maybe see if others could share their experiences or give me some advice.

lippy11

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

I'm sorry OP, but can you just clarify please, when you say she has 'just' had them, do you mean right this minute, hours ago, within the last 24 hours, a few days ago or longer? :eek:

No sorry, I should have phrashed that better! She had them early yesterday morning!

barbiegirl

Op congrats on the new litter and on your determination to ensure they are being well looked after. The hip score of 7 according to Google is average, so that should be all good.

Do perhaps check the issue with the low number of pups though, maybe give the vet a quick buzz

Enjoy the babies

Cherry Blossom

lippy11 wrote: »

We were quiet surprised at how small her litter was two because when we initially got her scanned vet said she could see 3 so when my boyfriend brought her in yesterday just to make sure there was no more pups scan was clear. The two she did have are quiet big though!

Well that clarifies the situation a bit. Breeding is a bit specialised, you won't really find a lot of people that post on a general pet owners forum that are very knowledgeable about it (at least as much as you would need). I would keep doing what you are doing and keep in contact with your vet. There is some information in this thread though.

lippy11

barbiegirl wrote: »

Op congrats on the new litter and on your determination to ensure they are being well looked after. The hip score of 7 according to Google is average, so that should be all good.

Do perhaps check the issue with the low number of pups though, maybe give the vet a quick buzz

Enjoy the babies

Thank you Barbiegirl, we intend too

lippy11

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Well that clarifies the situation a bit. Breeding is a bit specialised, you won't really find a lot of people that post on a general pet owners forum that are very knowledgeable about it (at least as much as you would need). I would keep doing what you are doing and keep in contact with your vet. There is some information in this thread though.

Thank you for your help, that will do perfectly for some lunch time reading

aisher

Good luck with the pups - so much workand I dont envy you but I am sure it will be worth it in the end!

tatabubbly

Congrats on your new puppies!

The only advise I will give is lots and lots of soft soft toys to help with them tricky teething weeks As well as that, for mammy, I'd give a wee bit of whatever food you will give to the puppies, the extra nutrients and proteins and fats will help give mammy some help in getting back to tip top shape!

enjoy them when there wee and still only crawling about..

boxerly

ahemmmm any pics

lippy11

Hey guys,

Just an update.. Mammy and pups are doing brilliantly!! Puppies are getting so big, turning into little monsters over night . They were a week old yesterday! Boy and a girl... My boyfriend reckons the girl is a typical female, she likes to whine on occasion.. haha!!
I did find myself at the start getting up during the night to check on them :rolleyes:. But I have all trust with their mammy now, she's taken to motherhood like a duck to water!!
The real fun starts when they start to walk I'm sure!!! Looking forward to it .

Here's just two pics of Mammy out for a little walk on Sunday and babies doing their thing (pic taken on Monday) I swear they've gotten bigger since then!!

Mia1.jpg

Pups.jpg

andreac

The pups are lovely, look really healthy and strong.