My bitch had 11 puppies this week

LetFly

Hi all,

I was on here a couple of months ago asking for tips on when my bitch would be ready to mate. Thanks to all that replied. I am happy to report that everything went to plan on Monday morning (early hours) my Springer Spaniel bitch had 11 healthy strong pups
5 days on and the mother and pups are all doing very well.
Busy weeks ahead.

andreac

Wow, thats quite a big litter. Thats great that they are all doing well. You should post up some pics soon.:)

LetFly

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LetFly

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easyeason3

Oh my God, I'm getting broody!!!!!!

They are just adorable. I love the first pic when Mummy is looking up into the camera as if to say ''yeah I know, I can't believe I had so many pups either!''.

That is just fantastic!

LetFly

ha ha ha thanks..yeah she does have a strange expression on her face alright
It is her first litter and she did everything herself like she had been doing it for years...nature is a wonderful thing

CreedonsDogDayc

wow thats amazing! They are gorgeous!

I know nothing about looking after a litter, but should you subsidise the pups with ready made puppy milk to help out mummy?
11 pups is a lot to feed and its really going to take its toil on mummy!

Please keep this thread bumped with more cute pics!!!:p

LetFly

I dont think there is any need to subsidise the feeding. I will just make sure that the bitch gets as much top quality food as she needs and monitor her condition. So far so good. But I am keeping a close eye on them all as the days goes by.

tk123

Contrats on your new grandpups

lrushe

Wow, all those puppies are making me tired just looking at them, can only imagine how you ( and their mother) feel
My dog Brook was one of eleven pups and that litter (even with a not so great first time mother) didn't need any extra feeding.
Enjoy the puppy breath, they grow up so fast

teacherspet

Well done to mummy. That is a big litter. Enjoy the all while you can.

lorebringer

Ah, puppies - so much work but always worth it! The first time they do anything is a huge occasion - opening their eyes, swimming around the place on all fours, squeeking, hating their first taste of wormer, eating mushy food... love every minute.

Great to hear mum is doing well, she's prob a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing but insinct is brilliant. When they start to get a bit of independence is when all the fun (and all the really hard work) starts - enjoy the few weeks of calm before the storm! And make sure to take loads of photos, the time will run away and they'll be all grown up.

Don't worry if mum looses a bit of weight - feeding 11 pups will really take it out of her and at times she could eat for Ireland and still loose a bit. Most bitches do loose some after birth, from stress and feeding all the pups, but keep a good eye on her. As long as she is on a good puppy food she (and the pups) will be flying! BTW - she's a very pretty Springer.

Mrs Garth Brooks

If you want any help minding them, il help you out. They are so cute. Keep us updated with pictures.

LucyBliss

CreedonsDogDayc wrote: »

I know nothing about looking after a litter, but should you subsidise the pups with ready made puppy milk to help out mummy?

She'll be okay, she just needs extra food to keep herself nourished, which the OP has said she's getting. Remembering when I was looking after my girl's litter, I think really, unless Mum rejects the babies or seems to be having problems with her milk, it's best to leave well enough alone and not interfere.
Nature really is a wonderful thing. Our girl is very petite and was young when she had them (rescue dog, I hasten to add, pregnant when we got her. I have to say that in case people think I was a bad owner and let her out when she was in heat.) I thought she might reject them or have problems but she took to motherhood so well.
It's beautiful to watch them all together and watching them experience things for the first time, seriously it can be a real tonic. Particularly when they're finding their sea legs and wobble and stagger everywhere with a few pratfalls thrown in for good measure. It was hard work but I kinda miss those days now! I also remember one of my pups would latch onto the mother, really tenaciously and suck for dear life. The mother would be wandering around the room with this pup just hanging on and sliding on its back. It didn't bother either of them.

Thanks for the sharing the pictures. They look adorable.

LetFly

The pups are nearly two weeks old now and all of them seem to be thriving. They are all gaining weight and none of them are weak in anyway. Nature truely is a wonderful thing. I am feeding the bitch on a good quality puppy food and supplementing this with mince that my butcher is putting together for me from liver, hearts and off-cuts. He packs it in 1lb bags that I can put in the freezer.
The pups will be getting their first worm dose this weekend. Everything is going well so far. I will stick up another pic shortly.

morganafay

Awww, so cute. I love springer spaniels.

andreac

LetFly wrote: »

The pups are nearly two weeks old now and all of them seem to be thriving. They are all gaining weight and none of them are weak in anyway. Nature truely is a wonderful thing. I am feeding the bitch on a good quality puppy food and supplementing this with mince that my butcher is putting together for me from liver, hearts and off-cuts. He packs it in 1lb bags that I can put in the freezer.
The pups will be getting their first worm dose this weekend. Everything is going well so far. I will stick up another pic shortly.

Sounds fantastic. Glad to hear all is working out well for you and pups and mom are doing well too.

Cherrycoke

Gorgeous pics!! thanks for sharing them, god the mammy is such a trouper

LetFly

she is definitely a trooper. She is doing unbelieveably considering its her first litter. You can't beat instinct

Sigma Force

Gorgeous pups, and gorgeous intact tails please say you're not going to dock their tails

lrushe

Guineapigrescue wrote: »

Gorgeous pups, and gorgeous intact tails please say you're not going to dock their tails

Pups are 2 weeks old so too old to dock now

Amberjack

Just wondering how the pups are doing, would love to see some new pics of them. I'm a big Springer fan, have 2, which keep me on my toes!

LetFly

Hi Amberjack. The pups are doing really well. They are now 3 weeks old and getting very active. I am going to start offering them some milk replacer in a flat dish this week to get them lapping in preparation for weaning. They are great fun to watch waddling around the whelping box right now. I am going to remove the door from the box this week also and give them an area out of the box to stretch their legs. I will take a few photo's this evening and post them up.

LetFly

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LetFly

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LetFly

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andreac

Wow, the pups look fab, well done.

Amberjack

So cute, great to see them do so well. I'd say you have your hands full with mammy and 11 babies! My 2 eight year old Springers have me worn out, so i can only imagine what 12 of them can do!

LetFly

ha ha ha....make that 14 springers in total...I have a 10 year old and a 2 year old along with the mother and 11 pups
I'm a glutten for punishment ha ha ha...its a fair bit of work at the minute but as its something I love doing, I dont find it hard going at all

wolfpawnat

I'm in love, they are so so so adorable. I thought my Yorkie was suffering with 7 pups, is mummy getting some weight back, my Yorkie took a few weeks to bulk up again!!!!! She had help with feeding though, the cat had kittens the same week and they all lived in the once box and the cat helped feed the pups!

LetFly

Thanks. yes the mother is putting on weight again and is back doing some light exercise. She was very fit before the pups arrived so that helped a lot. I have started to wean them now so she will not be under as much pressure. Apart from the full teeths you would hardly know she had one pup never mind 11