need info on prenancys

I won't state the obvious about leaving a bitch in heat outdoors....males have been known to go through windows, so an outdoor kennel seems like nothing for the determined male. As you now know average gestation period is about 63 days but can be anywhere from 56-68. IMO This stage is late to abort as suggested, and it's a very personal decision. One must now concentrate on the health of the mother to be and the pups. As well as ALL the responsibility of making sure they are healthy, fed well, continuously handled and exposed to new situations.

The expense of keeping them all will be huge, I don't think you realize you could have 10 puppies. Even if you are financially able MORE IMPORTANTLY keeping all of the puppies is NOT good for their social & mental development. This is a serious concern. One person does not have the time in a day to allow them to thrive to their maximum potential, pups need and deserve more. They need exposure, socialization, individual walks & exercise, obedience training, crates, vet care, family time - times it all by 10...... For the first few weeks you will feel like you can do this with ease.......lol but after the real work starts you may reconsider......although you will only know this by going through it yourself and when the wear and tear of puppies takes its toll, you'll be glad you found homes. Better to be prepared now and change your mind later if you really feel you will keep them all, rather than scrambling to find any homes when the pups are 8 weeks old. This link is about raising two puppies together http://home.att.net/~pvee/dbltrbl.html , never mind an entire litter. You owe it to the young mother who is still growing and developing herself.

It is the responsibility of the breeder to know YOU are responsible for these pups now for the length of their lives (10+ years) and need to own up to the responsibility of finding good forever homes and take them back from the owner at any stage of their lives if they are no longer wanted and to prevent them from having puppies or adding to the shelter over-population. MyPetTherapyDog's application is an excellent start. Make sure you meet each and every person and everyone who is in the home. One of the most important things is to know that the people who are adopting the pups are familiar with the traits & characteristics of both of these breeds. Both of these breeds are not right for everyone.

Yes, its going to be a lot of work but don't be one of those people who cop out....
Best of luck hope everything goes smoothly for the mom.

 

Not your fault, I can see how you wouldn't think they would do a spay/abort that late, and I tend to agree with what you say about not doing it that late term, but there are cases where I think it is best. I know a few instances of rescue groups finding pregnant females in shelters which they would take in and adopt out, but either the female was not in good enough shape to handle having the pups, or they didn't have a home prepared (not to mention money, that many more mouths to feed, spay/neuters to have done, vaccs, etc, taking in a litter for adoption is very money and time consuming, and some rescues just don't have enough support to do it) to care for a momma dog and dozen pups, so it was either spay/abort and adopt out the dog, or not, and all of them would die anyway. If it's between saving one dog and saving no dogs, I know what I'd pick every time.

Shyangel, pit bulls are known for having large litters, and given the fact that pit bulls and pit mixes are often dog agrgessive, keeping a mother and entire litter of pups is a huge undertaking. I hope you're prepared for the possiblity of having to keep 5+ dogs seperate for their entire lives, as it may well become a reality for you if you keep all the pups.

 

Shyangel, please read each of these posts carefully and give it all very serious thought. There is a lot of very good advice in these posts and throughout this website. Don't take any of this as a personal attack ... please, put the well-being of your Codie and her innocent puppies first. They each deserve nothing less. Please do a lot of soul searching and do not make an emotional decision that will have life-long effects on everyone involved. Good luck to each of you.

 

jas, pleasepleaseplease make a stickey about pregnancies.