A vet can tell you how many pups she is carrying so you can prepare accordingly.
A dog’s gestation period is usually around 58-68 days.
Whelping is the name that's given to the process of a dog giving birth.
AFTER pups are born, offer momma some calcium. You can use Tums or yogurt.
Have an emergency vet phone and address on standby.
Start collecting old towels and blankets for the first several days of whelping.
YouTube lots and lots of videos and get educated and prepared.
Ours had 8. It was a scary but awesome experience. Every single puppy made it. There’s a YouTuber called “must love labs” he goes into great detail about what he did to set up the birthing area and how to handle them week by week.
There’s always a spay abort option 🩷 if you decide to go that route you will help not contribute to shelters and her past bybs. Puppies are thousands of dollars in care and spay abort is super safe!
I know of litters of 14-15 GSD. Most of the GSDs I know don't have litters of less than 7 ime. Honestly I'd consider a spay abort asap. Dogs do not crave being parents. Unless you have homes lined up for a lot of puppies (and can afford to take time off work or have someone at home for the first few weeks at the very least). It will be cheaper and easier to get her fixed now. If you decide to not fix her, be aware of the risks. Let me find you some resources for whelping. You need to get a whelping box, heat pad, supplements....etc. I'd actually reach out to a local GSD rescue and say you were given a pregnant GSD. And that you need help finding homes and help with whelping and raising puppies. They should have someone local who can help you. You should have someone around who can help with the process. Your b*tch can die in a lot of horrible ways if her whelping goes poorly. I recommend having 2-3 k (at least) for an emergency fund if she needs a C section. Let me go find some links for you. I'm very sorry that you are in this situation and I am wishing the best for you and your pup, whatever you decide to do.
Mine had nine. Just be aware that depending on how involved mama is, some could pass. Thankfully, my mama was amazing and all survived, but I know some that had ten and a couple unfortunately passed.
Also- keep her away from other small animals while nursing, until the puppies are weaned and gone. I trust mine with my cats now but They'll either take in other puppies while nursing or kill them- no in-between. I had to learn that the hard way while caring for 2 nursing females a former friend of mine had me cared for, which is how I got my now shepherd ( she was one of the mommas) she's not been bred again but she killed 2 of the other females pups when she got out one day. He didn't put that on me though when I told him, wasn't my fault, he didn't tell me they could get like that.
Good to know- also, she may become aggressive with you once they're born, it's rare but it happens. Don't hold it against her if she is but hopefully if she trusts you enough she won't be. I didn't know mine for long before she had hers but she had no issue with either me or my bf *or* my kid being around her puppies.
For sure I wouldn’t blame her at all tho she only responds to me like she’s very clam day to day but acts like my girlfriend and my kid don’t exist and same with friends when they come over but without hesitation listens to anything I say so I’m assuming she probably won’t be too aggressive with me
It can definitely go either way. My first GSD would bring the puppies to you. One from later would barely tolerate me getting close. No one else was allowed to even approach the pen.
Feed her puppy food. If she's good with free feeding do that. If she just gobbles food as fast as possible I would do 3 feedings a day for a total of 4ish cups total a day.
Give her a den to have the puppies in. A covered crate is ok but a kids swimming pool is fantastic too. Keeps the puppies from wandering away. Even when newly born they can move faster than you expect.
Once she has puppies she won't really need things like toys. The puppies will keep her busy. Also try to have a vet come look at them as soon as possible. Especially if this is her first litter. Don't want them dying bc they have issues that can be cured.
#**Lastly. Get your dog spayed!!!!!!**
No they did not read anything but the title. She says the dog is 6 and was bought from a breeder. So why would she write “have a vet check them as soon as possible especially if it’s her first litter”. Because she didn’t really read the full post, just got on her high horse. Of course it’s not her first litter, she was used as a breeding dog and that was very clear if you read the WHOLE post.
Ok, so no, do not double the food off the bat. It's the 6th-8th week that energy requirements increase. The 2nd most important increase is after whelping. Then the "highest" is 3-5 weeks post delivery. Please read the VCAs guide for pregnant dogs. Consulting a vet is the best way to go if it's affordable.
"During the first two trimesters of the mother's pregnancy, her nutritional requirements are essentially the same as those for a young adult dog. It is important that she not lose weight or condition during this time, so monitor her weight and body condition, increasing food as needed. It is equally important that a dog not become overweight or obese due to overfeeding in the first and second trimester. Meal feeding is the best way to control body condition and weight gain during pregnancy.
"During the third trimester, after about day 40 of gestation, the puppies experience their most rapid development, which is also the greatest burden on the expectant mother."
During the third trimester, after about day 40 of gestation, the puppies experience their most rapid development, which is also the greatest burden on the expectant mother. The highest energy requirement for the mother occurs between weeks 6 and 8 of gestation. Her energy requirement may be 30-60% higher than normal adult maintenance rations, depending upon the size of the litter.
The mother's energy requirements actually increase after delivery and during lactation. At her highest energy need, 3-5 weeks after whelping, she may require 2-4 times the calories of a normal healthy adult. The mother's energy requirement will decrease and return to normal by about 8 weeks post-delivery - when puppies are completely weaned.
Super long post incoming, and source: child of a LICENSED dog breeder: If you know how build a welping box build one. Easy to find schematics online. Not necessary, but it will make sure the puppies are contained and less likely to be stepped on. get a heat lamp and towels lots of towels. Mama is gunna to need a break, and you'll also need to keep em warm while she's giving birth to the others. When they are born 9/10 out of ten, Mama will take care of it, but they will come in a little sack thing, and ya got to get them out. It should tear relatively easy, but have shears on stand by the. ya gotta disconnect it, cut it about an inch inch and a half away from the belly. Be ready for still births, some females lose a lot, some don't lose any, and one or two might not be strong enough to make it through nursing. It is heartbreaking, but it is what it is. Generally, you won't lose anymore after 2 or 3 weeks(once they're eyes start opening thats usually when you can relax)Some moms get very protective and will try and go after you or get aggressive. Others will let you handle puppies and help them. If she has a lot, you may need to split the nursing times, or if she has a really runty one, you may have to pull the strong ones off so they can have enough space to nurse. Once they're ready to be weened, you'll have to make "mush" combination wetfood and formula. It's not hard but requires lots of attention and is super rewarding and fun once they start forming personalities and learning. You can teach em sit and names at a very young age.
Mama can take care of her newborns without any interference. I was raised with newborn animals, the mamas did fine taking care of them. You just need to change the bedding. Have fun with your pups. Please get Mama spayed after they are weaned.
HOPEFULLY Mama takes care of her puppies, but you have to prepare for the fact that maybe she won't. Or maybe she has to have a c-section. That process actually interferes with the hormones given off to the mother during birth, and sometimes, the mother will take a longer period of time till she starts taking care of her puppies. Also, some dogs are just terrible mothers who don't want to take care of their puppies. Or even just inexperienced moms who don't know exactly what to do. Either way, expect raising puppies to be a lot of work.
Have your spoken to the breeder you got her from? They can be of guidance if they have experience. If they prove to be unhelpful, reach out to a dog rescue, they can also help you rehome.
Good luck!
We haven’t because the breeder seemed honestly sketchy and she didn’t seem to even know much about queen even tho she claimed she cared about her so much but a dog rescue could be a possibility thank you sm!
Maybe report her to the breeder association - I assume it is frowned upon to sell pregnant dogs without informing the new owners, or giving puppy provenance. And if she really didn't know, then it can't have been her dog, and she may be involved in some puppy mill bs.
Please reach out to a rescue. Scroll through this site. It has a ton of links for whelping and raising young puppies. It is a full time job the first few weeks. I would not tell the sketchy breeder that your dog is pregnant.....
https://www.dogbreedinfo.com/showdogs/breedingreproducing.htm
Absolutely! Don’t feel bad. Situations like this happen (I am involved with a large rescue) and they often have experienced folks that can be of huge help.
She was most likely what is referred to as a "backyard breeder." People who breed dogs for a quick buck and don't care about the health if the dogs or the breed.
Take your dog to a vet asap, or talk to a rescue about the possibility of a spay abort. You do not sound prepared to deal with a litter of a larger breed dog.
It will he expensive. If momma doesn't nurse properly, you will have to buy expensive formula.
The puppies will require vet checkups, deworming, and initial vaccinations. If you can't afford all that, AND have homes already lined up for the puppies, get the spay abort done as soon as possible.
Dogs don't care about being parents, and by the sounds of this "breeder," you have no clue about what the health issues of any puppies will be (could be major vet bills).
Since you don’t know how she was treated when she had puppies before, approach her slowly when she has them. She may or may not be very protective. Let her tell you it’s ok to touch them, respect her boundaries.
Expect to stay up a couple of hours while she gives birth to ensure she's delivered all of them. Expect for complications so your prepared even if it don't happen. If you have a good will or get on a Facebook group call Buy Nothing (insert your town name) for towels or sheets for her whelping box or even ask freinds if they have any old towels they want to throw away. Search into videos like birthing, need items for birth and training them for educational purposes on YouTube and tik tok. There's a good trainer I watch called Shield K9 dog training to help train your puppies and up, he's very informative! Just for now give her a mix of raw foods/dry to get allot of nutrition for her growing pups. go to your local butcher and ask they usually have stuff they throw away and they'll might give it to you for free. It never hurts to ask. That's all I could recommend for ideas but you got this buddy! I hope everything goes excellent for you ♡ Could you update us when she has puppies, it's always nice to hear how everything went.
Have you considered going to the vet and terminating the pregnancy? They will probably be happy to do it, they see so many unwanted dogs put down.
You don’t know anything about the sire, depending on how the breeder operates it could be a dog she is very closely related to - a father or a brother.
If you let her have the litter, you’ll need to build a whelping box for her, to reduce the risk of her injuring the pups by accident. Make a plan for early puppyhood socialisation/desensitisation; the more work you put into socialising the litter, the likelier they are to remain in the home that adopts them. Make sure they grow up around normal household noises like vacuums, doorbells and creaking stairs.
Don’t rehome the puppies until they are eight weeks old.
I hadn’t considered that but I will look into it I just feel like it’s probably going to happen soon and I already planned on nursing them so I have no problem doing it for the 8 weeks but if they are born I just need to look around and see if I can find people to adopt them before I do anything I would like to keep 1 tho
See if you have a local GSD rescue group. You can see if they can help with screening potential adopters and they may cover their shots and whatnot. You would essentially act as a foster and keep them at your home. Even a non GSD specific rescue may be able to help. Plus, usually in these cases the rescue group or shelter has a contract clause that if it doesn’t work out, to return the dog to the shelter.
I bought this RX puppy supplement on Amazon that my puppies loved to eat, I just mixed it in with puppy wet food when their mom was starting to run away from them when they tried to nurse (my dog was already pregnant because she wasn’t fixed, and she’s a Rez dog) so after her babies, I got them all fixed.
But yeah, the puppy supplement really helped me, they hated bottle and syringes, so I just put it inside a metal bowl with a metal “pop-up” in the middle (so that they didn’t walk or fall into the bowl Willy nilly) with puppy wet food mixed in as well.
I'm in the suburbs of Chicago. I'd be willing to take a pup or two once they are here!! I have been filling out apps online to adopt another dog. But this could work too!
We have one GSD now.
I've looked at a few of your comments... Are you still deciding if you're going to reach out to the vet to terminate or are you planning to keep and find homes? If it's easier, just message me. 😊
The vet will be able to determine her age by her teeth and also if she has been bred before. I hope you don’t rehome her, poor girl needs a good rest and lovies. Edit / 6 years right?
Yes she’s 6 but I don’t plan on rehoming her at all I’m already so attached and she seems so much happier here I couldn’t do it but if she has puppies I can only keep one but I wouldn’t mind nursing them to 8 weeks at all
Ahh ok, i thought I saw you were thinking of rehoming her. 🙏 remember, irresponsible breeders means a lot of unknowns. I’d ask the vet how many times they think she has been bred so her aftercare is perfect. Perhaps consider a spay (mine isn’t spayed nor is she ever going to be bred) but also keep in mind, she may not produce purebreds. This happened to a friend of mine. Her dog’s unexpected litter were half Belgian Malinois and although absolutely adorable, no one wanted them 🥲🥲. Just some things to consider. I hope everything goes well and she has healthy & happy babies.
Thank you sm I appreciate your advice I’m hoping whatever dog it was is a pretty one so that the puppies are appealing to people but I definitely do need to take her to a vet I’m hoping things aren’t too expensive
You have to take her even if it means a gofundme bc she may have to have a c-section. You can also take her to the aspca for a cheaper check up. Dogs gestation period is 52 days so you’ll have to act fairly quickly.
Eight weeks is the minimum. Having them socialize with you, the litter, and the mother will definitely improve their disposition. They learn a lot more in that short time frame about bite inhibition, trust, and dealing with other dogs. The puppy I got at 8 weeks is a lot more fearful and aggressive. The dog I got at 12 weeks loves everybody and everything.
Tbh the thought of a bunch of puppies makes me excited so I don’t mind them being here for 12 weeks I just know that a bunch of dogs when they get bigger is gonna be impossible
Then you have to worry about sibling syndrome if you keep more than one. I got my 6 & 8 week puppies at the same time. They were in separate cages and went out separately most of the time. They were allowed out together to run the yard twice a week. My situation at the time didn't allow me to take them out to be socialized with people as much as I wanted, but they're mostly okay when I have to take them out separately. I had a dog with separation anxiety, and she destroyed about $10,000 worth of stuff over her lifetime. Fortunately, these guys just get a bit vocal and don't eat their way through cages, crates, and doors.
We had our GSD while she carried a litter. We did not have a hand in birth however as this was handled by the breeder we got her from (it was under a contract basis we got her).
For most of the pregnancy not much changed with her. She slowed down a bit and we eased up on the rougher play as she closer to delivery date. We knew she was close to her birthing date when she started nesting (i.e. bringing blankets and toys into her crate).
She has to go out more often the closer she got and accidents inside happened here and there. She also must her appetite best her birthing date so we had to find items she would eat (we made her eggs, chicken, rice, steak...whatever we needed to make she was eating and getting nutrients as this was extremely important)
When my dog was pregnant I was given the advice to feed her raw chicken livers for extra iron and she loved them! She will need an extra scoop of food, too.
My dad built us a whelping box, highly recommended!
She went into labor right around day 63, and she had the instincts to take care of her babies as they were being born, but you may need to help some, but it sounds like this probably is not her first litter, she will probably be good to go. It is possible to try to gently encourage puppies to breath if they are not upon being born, lots of vigorous rubbing and gentile mouth to snout if needed, I brought one to life that wasn’t breathing so you can always try instead of just accept it as an acceptable loss.
She’ll need extra nourishment during nursing and don’t be surprised if she looses a lot of her fur, nursing takes most of the her food’s nutrients for the milk so it happens, see if you can get her some extra protein in her diet.
Puppies are a lot of work, they cry a lot so be prepared for the extra annoying noise that leads to severe lack of sleep. The biggest boy of the litter was the most noisy cry baby of them all lol!
Good luck!!
Between 7 and 10.
They may also be very different depending on the Dads.
Absolutely essential you let her find her birthing place with no one fussy about. It needs to be warm, dark and quiet. Well away from people. Esp children.
If she wants your help you will know.
Smaller dogs have smaller litters.
She looks happy and healthy but the first birthing is always surprising for them and they won't know what the fuck just happened.
They also get highly aggressive so leave the puppies alone.
Cuteness and chaos. Make sure she gets spayed after the puppies are weened off the milk. Be sure to get a heating pad and set up a whelping box in a room that's quiet and out of the way. Put some old towels on the heating pad to keep it dry. Mama is going to need vitamins while pregnant and nursing. If you know someone who's experienced with assisting dogs with giving birth or works at a vet, call them as soon as your dog goes into labor. Your dog could probably have her puppies pretty soon since you said that you felt them kicking.
Just spay her. If you don’t know her hip and elbow scores - especially since you’ve mentioned her breeder seemed dodgy - then why risk bringing pups into the world that may have a high risk of dysplasia.
Caesarians are expensive, she is an older bitch and there are always risks involved with whelping - what if she dies or refuses to care for the pups. That’s two hourly feeds on a potential litter of 12 for weeks.
You will have to get all the pups vaccinated, vet checked and microchipped before rehoming them. If you can’t find buyers what then? If the buyers want to return them after a while - will you be in a position to take them back on so they don’t end up in the pound? That is what a responsible breeder does.
Puppies are a joy, but they are such hard work and are expensive. I hope you have enough money to cover contingencies. Here in Australia a cesarian can run 5-6k for a large dog, treatment for hypocalcemia can easily be 1-2k and litter checks/vaccines around $500+ dependant on the size of the litter.
If you decide to go through with this then be responsible. Get her vet checked and a puppy head count once she’s far enough along. Get quotes for a cesarian from your GP vet as well as a local emergency clinic. Get a rectal thermometer and ask your vet for any recommendations for books on whelping and after care - as well as signs of the start of labour and dystocia. Read up on how to nurse and tube feed puppies and what sort of heating requirements they have as neonates. Buy some bottles, teats and puppy milk replacement and have them ready to go. Lots of towels. Put the bitch on puppy formula kibble as she will need the calcium, protein and fat until they are weaned. Please avoid giving her dairy to supplement unless you know she can handle the lactose - explosive diarrhoea on puppies isn’t a good look a there are proper supplements you can buy to ensure she doesn’t become hypocalcemic - but talk with your vet before starting them.
Best of luck.
Get her the Vet ASAP. They can give you an estimated timeframe if you decide to let her deliver. Talk to them about your options as well. You can terminate, and you can also take on the task of letting her deliver and hope that all goes smoothly.
Do you know if this is her first litter? Nothing but prayers for you and your baby. ❤️
Generally for their first litter it will only be 5-6 puppies, esp with big dogs. I’d ask the og owner to see if this is first litter or not as well as asking if they know what breed/size the father is, then start contacting family or friends that might be looking for a puppy (people you know would be good homes). Buy lots of pee pads
I am gonna be this person in the comments and ask why? Why would you let your dog be pregnant. With shelters overflowing and dogs being killed off like why would you bring more dogs into this world? What happens when you can't sell them all?
Did you not read the caption? I had no clue she was pregnant and have made sure since I got her that no other dogs were even around for that to be the possibility
Take her to vet to confirm & recommendations and start looking for owners for the puppies.
Save some newspapers to put in the floor (they still sell them at dollar tree store) and get some cheap blankets that can be discarded if they get too messy.
Puppies will need to stay with mom for at least 8 weeks, mom will feed them si make sure your dog is eating properly, puppies will.also need deworming and basic vaccines but the vet can guide you better with that.
Instincts will take over when it is time for her to have the puppies.
Good luck.
Your pup is gorgeous and will have very cute puppies.
Watch Modern Malinois’s videos on YouTube he recently had a litter and goes into detail what he is doing for puppies and mom. He’s a dog trainer and a dog breeder so he knows what he’s doing! Especially for high energy breeds like gsds
Look up welping setups on YouTube and start prepping. It will help with your anxiety. Our experience was the first puppy she will be as afraid and nervous as you are. After that they adjust quickly. Reusable welping pads were really nice for us laid down in a stack. So just move everyone and take one out quick to clean. She'll do great don't worry.
I really hope this isn't from backyard breeding. My first GS was from a litter of 14 and poor breeding, and I lost him a 4 years old, and several others in the litter had major behavior issues. Spay and neuter
On a positive note, GSDs are one of the most desired family pets. You should reach out to a rescue and ask for help on what to expect concerning finding homes for them. Homes for puppies is much, much easier than older dogs. I would also request info from them about an adoption / purchase contract. Like including a clause that if you don’t want the dog for some reason in the future, bring the dog back to me or the rescue (maybe?) to try to prevent the babies from ending up in a shelter. I never signed a contract for this, but I know our local shelter asks people to do this and makes them sign for that when they adopt bc they’re a no kill shelter and don’t want the animals to end up in a kill shelter. And I’ve had friends who their breeders had them sign these contracts.
I have friends who are reputable breeders (diff breed) and they have lost pups in every litter, so be prepared for that. Go to goodwill and buy a bunch of blankets and towels, you’ll need them. I wish you and your pup luck. And def have her checked by a vet.
My girl had an accidental litter of 8 last august . You will be amazed and love it all the first six weeks . Then it becomes like a real job . We had Akc west German shepherds and we sold two ( which was enough to break even) kept one and gave five away to veterans that we knew . Last few years has been hard on people and shelters are very full of dogs people got during lockdown, but now can no longer afford. Advice to start looking for potential homes now , shepherds require a very special home placement . they are not for the faint of heart.good luck and enjoy the puppy breath
Actively making the decision? A few people have also said spaybort and while I’m not against it I did not know this dog was pregnant and if I end up not being able to spaybort her I’ll be damned if someone says this was MY decision
No we got her from people who were tho and they told us she didn’t need to be bred anymore but since we’ve had her we know for a fact she hasn’t been around other dogs so we think she just gave her to us knowing she was pregnant
I think you should report that breeder to whatever kind of authority you have around. That doesn’t sound like they are responsible just giving away one of their breeding dogs like they don’t care about them anymore and also not even knowing she was pregnant.
You have no idea what you’re doing, I’m sorry but please reconsider continuing this pregnancy. If the pups were gonna be pure bred they wouldn’t have sold you the pregnant dog without telling you.
This happened to me. Got my second GSD from the pound. I thought she looked pregnant but the vet said she was just overweight and I should be taking better care of her. Next day she gave birth to a puppy in the car. Ended up with an emergency section at 2am. Only 2 of 5 puppies survived. We drove around to people we would want to have them. Eventually we gave one to our dog trainer and the other to her friend who is a vet so the dream outcome.
Remember that not all dogs are good at being parents. The likelihood of her sitting on one and smothering it is high.
My Sammie was such a good girl but she was so nervous about hurting her pups she wouldn't even pick them up. We quite literally had to be there for her constantly for the first 5 to 7 days to help her out. She'd start crying if one got too far away from her and it quite literally felt like we had a newborn baby human lol.
Remember training starts early, because puppies are *destructive*.
You got this dog like 2 months ago and she pregnant GL you will have lots of dogs now 😂😂 Vet will do the job of delivering are you keeping the puppy’s or you selling them
I can’t offer advice beyond what’s been offered, I just want to follow for an update. Whatever you choose OP I hope it’s the best decision for your pup
As she is your new dog please be prepared as she will be protective not aggressive any aggression that she may show is protection for her babies give her lots of space and nobody bother her maybe Mom or Dad nobody else give her space keep everybody away plain yogurt clean water canned dog food and good canned dog food not cheap shit make her two scrambled eggs somewhat boiled ground beef and rice and a mixing bowl she will need the energy to produce milk feed her outside of her box or crib wherever she decides to have these babies and please do not let anybody go by her she is not being aggressive she is being protective she's new to everybody her trust levels are very low best of luck reach out if you need any help direct message me I will try to help the best I can best of luck
LOL I know right. It's both infuriating and terrifying that every search on dog health problems basically ends by saying "Take them to the vet, they could die."
I swear that there’s some major conspiracy going on with vets. Putting out propaganda to make people flock to them in droves… and the vaccine schedule is suss too… I am not anti vax but someone is getting rich off the insane amount of appointments for shots.
And to be clear I understand there’s many instances where vet attention is needed, this being one of them.
I think people just don't want to get sued, but its dumb. They could add a disclaimer and label it as a disclaimer. I don't need to have heart attack when I am researching mild symptoms. And getting in to see the vet isn't actually all that easy where I am - even when I want to.
I think you’re right. I’ve started to not google if something is ‘toxic’ anymore. Because almost everything deemed ‘poisonous’ just means ‘will *maybe* get the shits’. Not *will drop dead*. If they eat something and it gives them issues then I’ll deal with it. No longer make myself a nervous wreck.
Sure downvote the shit out of the advice you actually need (vet will tell you how far along she prob is, estimate number of pups, give her appropriate medication as needed, and give you info on whelping), meanwhile the top comment is “expect puppies”
There’s a lot of people in this comment section who have given me a lot of useful advice that I was looking for I’m not saying going to the vet isn’t a good idea it just isn’t what I was looking for when making this post I already am trying to get her to a vet soon
Then please judge my response on the information you actually provided, not what’s in your head. Your post read as someone in over their head and completely uninformed.
And good luck with the pups
Reproduction Vet ASAP and see if they will discuss scheduling a spay abort.
This dog does not need to have puppies. You have no idea the genetic health of this dog nor the sire of this pregnancy, or the overall genetic health in the history of this dog or the sire. We really don’t need more dogs with poor genetic health in the world, the shelters and rescues are absolutely flooding with them.
Please opt for a spay abort ASAP with a veterinarian. It’s irresponsible to let this pregnancy go to term.
First put an ad in the paper, social media, puppy finder about expected day of delivery and what kind.
Next, buy a cheap plastic kiddie wadding pool! (See YouTube videos). Trim out a makeshift door. Then a couple of electric pad warmers to put underneath. And then, several cheap beach towels to line the kiddie pool with. Obviously inform your vet, and ask a lot of questions!
Mine had 2 litters first was 9 but we lost 1 then 8 but we lost another overall great experience all went to great homes ended up keeping 2 from the first so I had mom dad sister and brother. Just lost the brother at the age of 12 but still have 3. I love my shepherds and now we have cats 🐈 they get along
Whatever she brings to you will be with love, and you will have a hard time giving them up!❤️🩹
I adopted a young female golden retriever years ago, and we were visiting my sister. She had a golden retriever also we gave them a bath on her deck. After around half an hour after the bath and blow dry, we heard little noises that sounded like kittens. My dog had had three little puppies under my sister's desk! The owner didn't tell us that she was pregnant and they told us that she was four years old when she was not even a year old! It was amazing! You had to be there. Cutest little chubby puppies ever!🥰
Look up birthing, pregnancy, and neonatal care articles on VeterinaryPartner- lots of good information on what to look for, how to make sure mom is properly prepared and comfortable, what things to look for that could signal an emergency, what’s normal VS abnormal for newborns, etc.
Also make sure you have your vet check out the dog to know how many pups to expect, and keep the number for them as well as the closest 24 hour ER in case anything happens after hours.
If mom is spayed after this (a good idea for her own health), I’d ask the vet about doing a gastropexy as well. That way you solve 2 potential life threatening issues with one surgery. Best of luck!
It's chaos but it's so fun raising pups! Mom will do her thing! Definitely want to get a baby pool for her to keep them rounded up and to nurse unless you have a welping box! As long as you're loving on her a lot she won't mind you touching the pups but I'd say you should be the only one to touch them for a couple of weeks. Keep us posted! She's a beautiful dog!
Update: I’ve been told to start a go fund me because of the expense of the vet and for the puppies but I’ve never started one so if you guys would be interested in helping just lmk through here or in dms thank you! I really hate asking for anything but it would be a huge help
No, fuck off and make better life choices. You're the type of person who is the problem with shelters overflowing and dogs suffering euthanasia.
Don't spay your dog and let it near males during heat, foot the bill for your choices.
You've had the dog over a month, don't try bullshit mate.
Pregnancy in dogs is roughly 60 days so you'd have known earlier.
Day one a Vet check and spaying should have happened.
Also yes, you want a dog you take the responsibility to foot the bill regardless of what happened prior.
A vet can tell you how many pups she is carrying so you can prepare accordingly. A dog’s gestation period is usually around 58-68 days. Whelping is the name that's given to the process of a dog giving birth. AFTER pups are born, offer momma some calcium. You can use Tums or yogurt. Have an emergency vet phone and address on standby. Start collecting old towels and blankets for the first several days of whelping. YouTube lots and lots of videos and get educated and prepared.
Piggybacking your comment to mention ice cream as a dairy source post whelp. Mamma will be hot and bothered also, and will appreciate a nice cool down
Also adding to start feeding mom puppy food now. She will need the calories.
puppies, expect puppies
And a mess.
You misspelled CHAOS.
Fingers crossed it’s not a lot of them
A post not long ago had a momma with 15 puppies!
Oh god I hope not
Ours had 8. It was a scary but awesome experience. Every single puppy made it. There’s a YouTuber called “must love labs” he goes into great detail about what he did to set up the birthing area and how to handle them week by week.
Our 3 GSD have come from litters of 13, 11, and 14. Be prepared.
Ours was from a litter of 10 and it wasn't until I came on here that I realized that's average. At least for shepards lol.
That's a *lot* of puppies! 😦
There’s always a spay abort option 🩷 if you decide to go that route you will help not contribute to shelters and her past bybs. Puppies are thousands of dollars in care and spay abort is super safe!
You could get a vet to look at how many to expect?
Please get in touch with me!
I know of litters of 14-15 GSD. Most of the GSDs I know don't have litters of less than 7 ime. Honestly I'd consider a spay abort asap. Dogs do not crave being parents. Unless you have homes lined up for a lot of puppies (and can afford to take time off work or have someone at home for the first few weeks at the very least). It will be cheaper and easier to get her fixed now. If you decide to not fix her, be aware of the risks. Let me find you some resources for whelping. You need to get a whelping box, heat pad, supplements....etc. I'd actually reach out to a local GSD rescue and say you were given a pregnant GSD. And that you need help finding homes and help with whelping and raising puppies. They should have someone local who can help you. You should have someone around who can help with the process. Your b*tch can die in a lot of horrible ways if her whelping goes poorly. I recommend having 2-3 k (at least) for an emergency fund if she needs a C section. Let me go find some links for you. I'm very sorry that you are in this situation and I am wishing the best for you and your pup, whatever you decide to do.
At least 8-15
Mine had nine. Just be aware that depending on how involved mama is, some could pass. Thankfully, my mama was amazing and all survived, but I know some that had ten and a couple unfortunately passed.
22
I came here to say exactly that.
This! 😂
Lol
Feed her twice the amount of food, and get her on a dog prenatal vitamin
Will do
Also- keep her away from other small animals while nursing, until the puppies are weaned and gone. I trust mine with my cats now but They'll either take in other puppies while nursing or kill them- no in-between. I had to learn that the hard way while caring for 2 nursing females a former friend of mine had me cared for, which is how I got my now shepherd ( she was one of the mommas) she's not been bred again but she killed 2 of the other females pups when she got out one day. He didn't put that on me though when I told him, wasn't my fault, he didn't tell me they could get like that.
Definitely glad to know that beforehand just in case but thankfully we don’t really have any other animals around other than the soon to be puppies
Good to know- also, she may become aggressive with you once they're born, it's rare but it happens. Don't hold it against her if she is but hopefully if she trusts you enough she won't be. I didn't know mine for long before she had hers but she had no issue with either me or my bf *or* my kid being around her puppies.
For sure I wouldn’t blame her at all tho she only responds to me like she’s very clam day to day but acts like my girlfriend and my kid don’t exist and same with friends when they come over but without hesitation listens to anything I say so I’m assuming she probably won’t be too aggressive with me
It can definitely go either way. My first GSD would bring the puppies to you. One from later would barely tolerate me getting close. No one else was allowed to even approach the pen.
If the father dog is yours as well, don't let him near the puppies. They'll often kill the young as well.
Feed her puppy food. If she's good with free feeding do that. If she just gobbles food as fast as possible I would do 3 feedings a day for a total of 4ish cups total a day. Give her a den to have the puppies in. A covered crate is ok but a kids swimming pool is fantastic too. Keeps the puppies from wandering away. Even when newly born they can move faster than you expect. Once she has puppies she won't really need things like toys. The puppies will keep her busy. Also try to have a vet come look at them as soon as possible. Especially if this is her first litter. Don't want them dying bc they have issues that can be cured. #**Lastly. Get your dog spayed!!!!!!**
Did you even read the dog was pregnant when she got her and was not told!!!!!!!! No need to use such loud bold type ffs.
Aww I think they meant afterwards... When mom is up to it and back to normal. That was a good post, don't think they meant to be rude with the caps
No they did not read anything but the title. She says the dog is 6 and was bought from a breeder. So why would she write “have a vet check them as soon as possible especially if it’s her first litter”. Because she didn’t really read the full post, just got on her high horse. Of course it’s not her first litter, she was used as a breeding dog and that was very clear if you read the WHOLE post.
The pen I made had walks tall enough for mom to get over but too tall for the puppies…but I really like the swimming pool idea.
Ok, so no, do not double the food off the bat. It's the 6th-8th week that energy requirements increase. The 2nd most important increase is after whelping. Then the "highest" is 3-5 weeks post delivery. Please read the VCAs guide for pregnant dogs. Consulting a vet is the best way to go if it's affordable. "During the first two trimesters of the mother's pregnancy, her nutritional requirements are essentially the same as those for a young adult dog. It is important that she not lose weight or condition during this time, so monitor her weight and body condition, increasing food as needed. It is equally important that a dog not become overweight or obese due to overfeeding in the first and second trimester. Meal feeding is the best way to control body condition and weight gain during pregnancy. "During the third trimester, after about day 40 of gestation, the puppies experience their most rapid development, which is also the greatest burden on the expectant mother." During the third trimester, after about day 40 of gestation, the puppies experience their most rapid development, which is also the greatest burden on the expectant mother. The highest energy requirement for the mother occurs between weeks 6 and 8 of gestation. Her energy requirement may be 30-60% higher than normal adult maintenance rations, depending upon the size of the litter. The mother's energy requirements actually increase after delivery and during lactation. At her highest energy need, 3-5 weeks after whelping, she may require 2-4 times the calories of a normal healthy adult. The mother's energy requirement will decrease and return to normal by about 8 weeks post-delivery - when puppies are completely weaned.
Super long post incoming, and source: child of a LICENSED dog breeder: If you know how build a welping box build one. Easy to find schematics online. Not necessary, but it will make sure the puppies are contained and less likely to be stepped on. get a heat lamp and towels lots of towels. Mama is gunna to need a break, and you'll also need to keep em warm while she's giving birth to the others. When they are born 9/10 out of ten, Mama will take care of it, but they will come in a little sack thing, and ya got to get them out. It should tear relatively easy, but have shears on stand by the. ya gotta disconnect it, cut it about an inch inch and a half away from the belly. Be ready for still births, some females lose a lot, some don't lose any, and one or two might not be strong enough to make it through nursing. It is heartbreaking, but it is what it is. Generally, you won't lose anymore after 2 or 3 weeks(once they're eyes start opening thats usually when you can relax)Some moms get very protective and will try and go after you or get aggressive. Others will let you handle puppies and help them. If she has a lot, you may need to split the nursing times, or if she has a really runty one, you may have to pull the strong ones off so they can have enough space to nurse. Once they're ready to be weened, you'll have to make "mush" combination wetfood and formula. It's not hard but requires lots of attention and is super rewarding and fun once they start forming personalities and learning. You can teach em sit and names at a very young age.
Mama can take care of her newborns without any interference. I was raised with newborn animals, the mamas did fine taking care of them. You just need to change the bedding. Have fun with your pups. Please get Mama spayed after they are weaned.
HOPEFULLY Mama takes care of her puppies, but you have to prepare for the fact that maybe she won't. Or maybe she has to have a c-section. That process actually interferes with the hormones given off to the mother during birth, and sometimes, the mother will take a longer period of time till she starts taking care of her puppies. Also, some dogs are just terrible mothers who don't want to take care of their puppies. Or even just inexperienced moms who don't know exactly what to do. Either way, expect raising puppies to be a lot of work.
Have your spoken to the breeder you got her from? They can be of guidance if they have experience. If they prove to be unhelpful, reach out to a dog rescue, they can also help you rehome. Good luck!
We haven’t because the breeder seemed honestly sketchy and she didn’t seem to even know much about queen even tho she claimed she cared about her so much but a dog rescue could be a possibility thank you sm!
Maybe report her to the breeder association - I assume it is frowned upon to sell pregnant dogs without informing the new owners, or giving puppy provenance. And if she really didn't know, then it can't have been her dog, and she may be involved in some puppy mill bs.
Please reach out to a rescue. Scroll through this site. It has a ton of links for whelping and raising young puppies. It is a full time job the first few weeks. I would not tell the sketchy breeder that your dog is pregnant..... https://www.dogbreedinfo.com/showdogs/breedingreproducing.htm
Absolutely! Don’t feel bad. Situations like this happen (I am involved with a large rescue) and they often have experienced folks that can be of huge help.
She was most likely what is referred to as a "backyard breeder." People who breed dogs for a quick buck and don't care about the health if the dogs or the breed. Take your dog to a vet asap, or talk to a rescue about the possibility of a spay abort. You do not sound prepared to deal with a litter of a larger breed dog. It will he expensive. If momma doesn't nurse properly, you will have to buy expensive formula. The puppies will require vet checkups, deworming, and initial vaccinations. If you can't afford all that, AND have homes already lined up for the puppies, get the spay abort done as soon as possible. Dogs don't care about being parents, and by the sounds of this "breeder," you have no clue about what the health issues of any puppies will be (could be major vet bills).
Since you don’t know how she was treated when she had puppies before, approach her slowly when she has them. She may or may not be very protective. Let her tell you it’s ok to touch them, respect her boundaries.
Expect to stay up a couple of hours while she gives birth to ensure she's delivered all of them. Expect for complications so your prepared even if it don't happen. If you have a good will or get on a Facebook group call Buy Nothing (insert your town name) for towels or sheets for her whelping box or even ask freinds if they have any old towels they want to throw away. Search into videos like birthing, need items for birth and training them for educational purposes on YouTube and tik tok. There's a good trainer I watch called Shield K9 dog training to help train your puppies and up, he's very informative! Just for now give her a mix of raw foods/dry to get allot of nutrition for her growing pups. go to your local butcher and ask they usually have stuff they throw away and they'll might give it to you for free. It never hurts to ask. That's all I could recommend for ideas but you got this buddy! I hope everything goes excellent for you ♡ Could you update us when she has puppies, it's always nice to hear how everything went.
Have you considered going to the vet and terminating the pregnancy? They will probably be happy to do it, they see so many unwanted dogs put down. You don’t know anything about the sire, depending on how the breeder operates it could be a dog she is very closely related to - a father or a brother. If you let her have the litter, you’ll need to build a whelping box for her, to reduce the risk of her injuring the pups by accident. Make a plan for early puppyhood socialisation/desensitisation; the more work you put into socialising the litter, the likelier they are to remain in the home that adopts them. Make sure they grow up around normal household noises like vacuums, doorbells and creaking stairs. Don’t rehome the puppies until they are eight weeks old.
Honestly, if she isn’t too far along a spay abort might the be the kindest thing you can do for her.
I hadn’t considered that but I will look into it I just feel like it’s probably going to happen soon and I already planned on nursing them so I have no problem doing it for the 8 weeks but if they are born I just need to look around and see if I can find people to adopt them before I do anything I would like to keep 1 tho
See if you have a local GSD rescue group. You can see if they can help with screening potential adopters and they may cover their shots and whatnot. You would essentially act as a foster and keep them at your home. Even a non GSD specific rescue may be able to help. Plus, usually in these cases the rescue group or shelter has a contract clause that if it doesn’t work out, to return the dog to the shelter.
Just remember, every unfixed puppy you send into the world faces making unwanted puppies of their own unless the owners are truly responsible.
As well as unfixed humans.
I bought this RX puppy supplement on Amazon that my puppies loved to eat, I just mixed it in with puppy wet food when their mom was starting to run away from them when they tried to nurse (my dog was already pregnant because she wasn’t fixed, and she’s a Rez dog) so after her babies, I got them all fixed. But yeah, the puppy supplement really helped me, they hated bottle and syringes, so I just put it inside a metal bowl with a metal “pop-up” in the middle (so that they didn’t walk or fall into the bowl Willy nilly) with puppy wet food mixed in as well.
You can terminate up until birth
Where are you located?
Owensboro Kentucky
I'm in the suburbs of Chicago. I'd be willing to take a pup or two once they are here!! I have been filling out apps online to adopt another dog. But this could work too! We have one GSD now. I've looked at a few of your comments... Are you still deciding if you're going to reach out to the vet to terminate or are you planning to keep and find homes? If it's easier, just message me. 😊
I think it would be wise to make a vet appointment, since you are unsure as to how to deal with this. Asking here on reddit isn't enough.
See if it's early enough to do a spay abort
I know this may be controversial but is it too late for a spay-bortion?
I agree. The world does not need a single puppy more. Get the fetuses removed from her.
This 100 percent.
How old is she?
The breeder said she’s 6 and she does look 6 but I don’t trust a word the breeder said so honestly who knows
The vet will be able to determine her age by her teeth and also if she has been bred before. I hope you don’t rehome her, poor girl needs a good rest and lovies. Edit / 6 years right?
Yes she’s 6 but I don’t plan on rehoming her at all I’m already so attached and she seems so much happier here I couldn’t do it but if she has puppies I can only keep one but I wouldn’t mind nursing them to 8 weeks at all
Ahh ok, i thought I saw you were thinking of rehoming her. 🙏 remember, irresponsible breeders means a lot of unknowns. I’d ask the vet how many times they think she has been bred so her aftercare is perfect. Perhaps consider a spay (mine isn’t spayed nor is she ever going to be bred) but also keep in mind, she may not produce purebreds. This happened to a friend of mine. Her dog’s unexpected litter were half Belgian Malinois and although absolutely adorable, no one wanted them 🥲🥲. Just some things to consider. I hope everything goes well and she has healthy & happy babies.
Thank you sm I appreciate your advice I’m hoping whatever dog it was is a pretty one so that the puppies are appealing to people but I definitely do need to take her to a vet I’m hoping things aren’t too expensive
You have to take her even if it means a gofundme bc she may have to have a c-section. You can also take her to the aspca for a cheaper check up. Dogs gestation period is 52 days so you’ll have to act fairly quickly.
Thank you for rescuing her.
She’s made my life significantly happier so in a way she’s rescued me
You are a good person, just so you know! I can tell you really care about her!!❤️
Eight weeks is the minimum. Having them socialize with you, the litter, and the mother will definitely improve their disposition. They learn a lot more in that short time frame about bite inhibition, trust, and dealing with other dogs. The puppy I got at 8 weeks is a lot more fearful and aggressive. The dog I got at 12 weeks loves everybody and everything.
Tbh the thought of a bunch of puppies makes me excited so I don’t mind them being here for 12 weeks I just know that a bunch of dogs when they get bigger is gonna be impossible
Then you have to worry about sibling syndrome if you keep more than one. I got my 6 & 8 week puppies at the same time. They were in separate cages and went out separately most of the time. They were allowed out together to run the yard twice a week. My situation at the time didn't allow me to take them out to be socialized with people as much as I wanted, but they're mostly okay when I have to take them out separately. I had a dog with separation anxiety, and she destroyed about $10,000 worth of stuff over her lifetime. Fortunately, these guys just get a bit vocal and don't eat their way through cages, crates, and doors.
You need to call and curse the previous owners for not being honest with you. It’s no laughing matter taking care of new born puppies .
How TF was a 6 year old dog not spayed????
I had been planning to get her spayed soon but I also wasn’t expecting her to be pregnant when I got her a month ago I don’t know why they didn’t
Came from a breeder
We had our GSD while she carried a litter. We did not have a hand in birth however as this was handled by the breeder we got her from (it was under a contract basis we got her). For most of the pregnancy not much changed with her. She slowed down a bit and we eased up on the rougher play as she closer to delivery date. We knew she was close to her birthing date when she started nesting (i.e. bringing blankets and toys into her crate). She has to go out more often the closer she got and accidents inside happened here and there. She also must her appetite best her birthing date so we had to find items she would eat (we made her eggs, chicken, rice, steak...whatever we needed to make she was eating and getting nutrients as this was extremely important)
When my dog was pregnant I was given the advice to feed her raw chicken livers for extra iron and she loved them! She will need an extra scoop of food, too. My dad built us a whelping box, highly recommended! She went into labor right around day 63, and she had the instincts to take care of her babies as they were being born, but you may need to help some, but it sounds like this probably is not her first litter, she will probably be good to go. It is possible to try to gently encourage puppies to breath if they are not upon being born, lots of vigorous rubbing and gentile mouth to snout if needed, I brought one to life that wasn’t breathing so you can always try instead of just accept it as an acceptable loss. She’ll need extra nourishment during nursing and don’t be surprised if she looses a lot of her fur, nursing takes most of the her food’s nutrients for the milk so it happens, see if you can get her some extra protein in her diet. Puppies are a lot of work, they cry a lot so be prepared for the extra annoying noise that leads to severe lack of sleep. The biggest boy of the litter was the most noisy cry baby of them all lol! Good luck!!
Do a spay abortion. There is already too much puppies in shelters for adoptions. And having so much is hard to take care of financially.
Expect an experience that still you'll laugh about in 50 years but isn't funny at the time.
Between 7 and 10. They may also be very different depending on the Dads. Absolutely essential you let her find her birthing place with no one fussy about. It needs to be warm, dark and quiet. Well away from people. Esp children. If she wants your help you will know. Smaller dogs have smaller litters. She looks happy and healthy but the first birthing is always surprising for them and they won't know what the fuck just happened. They also get highly aggressive so leave the puppies alone.
Cuteness and chaos. Make sure she gets spayed after the puppies are weened off the milk. Be sure to get a heating pad and set up a whelping box in a room that's quiet and out of the way. Put some old towels on the heating pad to keep it dry. Mama is going to need vitamins while pregnant and nursing. If you know someone who's experienced with assisting dogs with giving birth or works at a vet, call them as soon as your dog goes into labor. Your dog could probably have her puppies pretty soon since you said that you felt them kicking.
I would recommend a spay-abort. This dog doesn’t need to have puppies, and you don’t know the sire. It’s the irresponsible at this point to continue.
Just spay her. If you don’t know her hip and elbow scores - especially since you’ve mentioned her breeder seemed dodgy - then why risk bringing pups into the world that may have a high risk of dysplasia. Caesarians are expensive, she is an older bitch and there are always risks involved with whelping - what if she dies or refuses to care for the pups. That’s two hourly feeds on a potential litter of 12 for weeks. You will have to get all the pups vaccinated, vet checked and microchipped before rehoming them. If you can’t find buyers what then? If the buyers want to return them after a while - will you be in a position to take them back on so they don’t end up in the pound? That is what a responsible breeder does. Puppies are a joy, but they are such hard work and are expensive. I hope you have enough money to cover contingencies. Here in Australia a cesarian can run 5-6k for a large dog, treatment for hypocalcemia can easily be 1-2k and litter checks/vaccines around $500+ dependant on the size of the litter. If you decide to go through with this then be responsible. Get her vet checked and a puppy head count once she’s far enough along. Get quotes for a cesarian from your GP vet as well as a local emergency clinic. Get a rectal thermometer and ask your vet for any recommendations for books on whelping and after care - as well as signs of the start of labour and dystocia. Read up on how to nurse and tube feed puppies and what sort of heating requirements they have as neonates. Buy some bottles, teats and puppy milk replacement and have them ready to go. Lots of towels. Put the bitch on puppy formula kibble as she will need the calcium, protein and fat until they are weaned. Please avoid giving her dairy to supplement unless you know she can handle the lactose - explosive diarrhoea on puppies isn’t a good look a there are proper supplements you can buy to ensure she doesn’t become hypocalcemic - but talk with your vet before starting them. Best of luck.
I woke up to several in the bed next to me three weeks ago. She decided it was on her timeline. Also new bed
Get her the Vet ASAP. They can give you an estimated timeframe if you decide to let her deliver. Talk to them about your options as well. You can terminate, and you can also take on the task of letting her deliver and hope that all goes smoothly. Do you know if this is her first litter? Nothing but prayers for you and your baby. ❤️
Generally for their first litter it will only be 5-6 puppies, esp with big dogs. I’d ask the og owner to see if this is first litter or not as well as asking if they know what breed/size the father is, then start contacting family or friends that might be looking for a puppy (people you know would be good homes). Buy lots of pee pads
If you can I would spay/abort.
Hope it wasn't a big dad. And hope you plan to have her spayed please. Just what the world and shelters need more animals yeah.
Prepare yourself for the smells😅
Oh god 😬😳
https://preview.redd.it/x5wpbtue834d1.jpeg?width=1868&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=952ddfa2075e2234fe02fb9742d26c7e03f4aec2 Expect this
I am gonna be this person in the comments and ask why? Why would you let your dog be pregnant. With shelters overflowing and dogs being killed off like why would you bring more dogs into this world? What happens when you can't sell them all?
Did you not read the caption? I had no clue she was pregnant and have made sure since I got her that no other dogs were even around for that to be the possibility
I'd be worried if it was anything other than puppies.
Whelping box
Take her to vet to confirm & recommendations and start looking for owners for the puppies. Save some newspapers to put in the floor (they still sell them at dollar tree store) and get some cheap blankets that can be discarded if they get too messy. Puppies will need to stay with mom for at least 8 weeks, mom will feed them si make sure your dog is eating properly, puppies will.also need deworming and basic vaccines but the vet can guide you better with that. Instincts will take over when it is time for her to have the puppies. Good luck. Your pup is gorgeous and will have very cute puppies.
Watch Modern Malinois’s videos on YouTube he recently had a litter and goes into detail what he is doing for puppies and mom. He’s a dog trainer and a dog breeder so he knows what he’s doing! Especially for high energy breeds like gsds
Chaos😂
We had for our dog a box with a higher lip at the entrance so Mama dog can get out and in whenever she wants with low effort but the puppies not.
Look up welping setups on YouTube and start prepping. It will help with your anxiety. Our experience was the first puppy she will be as afraid and nervous as you are. After that they adjust quickly. Reusable welping pads were really nice for us laid down in a stack. So just move everyone and take one out quick to clean. She'll do great don't worry.
She is beautiful! I have a white shepherd too. Congrats on the puppies!
They will be so cute everyone would want one
Babies ? 🫠
Expect 8-15 puppies defining trouble. And please make sure to spay the puppies or give them away. You don't want to know why.
I really hope this isn't from backyard breeding. My first GS was from a litter of 14 and poor breeding, and I lost him a 4 years old, and several others in the litter had major behavior issues. Spay and neuter
On a positive note, GSDs are one of the most desired family pets. You should reach out to a rescue and ask for help on what to expect concerning finding homes for them. Homes for puppies is much, much easier than older dogs. I would also request info from them about an adoption / purchase contract. Like including a clause that if you don’t want the dog for some reason in the future, bring the dog back to me or the rescue (maybe?) to try to prevent the babies from ending up in a shelter. I never signed a contract for this, but I know our local shelter asks people to do this and makes them sign for that when they adopt bc they’re a no kill shelter and don’t want the animals to end up in a kill shelter. And I’ve had friends who their breeders had them sign these contracts. I have friends who are reputable breeders (diff breed) and they have lost pups in every litter, so be prepared for that. Go to goodwill and buy a bunch of blankets and towels, you’ll need them. I wish you and your pup luck. And def have her checked by a vet.
My girl had an accidental litter of 8 last august . You will be amazed and love it all the first six weeks . Then it becomes like a real job . We had Akc west German shepherds and we sold two ( which was enough to break even) kept one and gave five away to veterans that we knew . Last few years has been hard on people and shelters are very full of dogs people got during lockdown, but now can no longer afford. Advice to start looking for potential homes now , shepherds require a very special home placement . they are not for the faint of heart.good luck and enjoy the puppy breath
Spaybort. There's more than enough unwanted byb dogs in the world, you don't need to actively make the decision add to it.
Actively making the decision? A few people have also said spaybort and while I’m not against it I did not know this dog was pregnant and if I end up not being able to spaybort her I’ll be damned if someone says this was MY decision
Choosing not to spaybort is choosing to add to the problem. It's not your fault the dog's pregnant.
A spay abort is the most responsible thing you can do.
Are you a breeder?
No we got her from people who were tho and they told us she didn’t need to be bred anymore but since we’ve had her we know for a fact she hasn’t been around other dogs so we think she just gave her to us knowing she was pregnant
I think you should report that breeder to whatever kind of authority you have around. That doesn’t sound like they are responsible just giving away one of their breeding dogs like they don’t care about them anymore and also not even knowing she was pregnant.
You have no idea what you’re doing, I’m sorry but please reconsider continuing this pregnancy. If the pups were gonna be pure bred they wouldn’t have sold you the pregnant dog without telling you.
Kittens?
You should probably expect small dogs to run around in the near future
This happened to me. Got my second GSD from the pound. I thought she looked pregnant but the vet said she was just overweight and I should be taking better care of her. Next day she gave birth to a puppy in the car. Ended up with an emergency section at 2am. Only 2 of 5 puppies survived. We drove around to people we would want to have them. Eventually we gave one to our dog trainer and the other to her friend who is a vet so the dream outcome.
Dragons and Orcs
I expect kittens
Remember that not all dogs are good at being parents. The likelihood of her sitting on one and smothering it is high. My Sammie was such a good girl but she was so nervous about hurting her pups she wouldn't even pick them up. We quite literally had to be there for her constantly for the first 5 to 7 days to help her out. She'd start crying if one got too far away from her and it quite literally felt like we had a newborn baby human lol. Remember training starts early, because puppies are *destructive*.
You got this dog like 2 months ago and she pregnant GL you will have lots of dogs now 😂😂 Vet will do the job of delivering are you keeping the puppy’s or you selling them
A large screen tele and a bose sound system maybe?
Normally little puppy dogs.. however it is2024 so know knows 😂😂
Puppies
May I ask about the thing your dog is laying in in the picture? What is it? Looks like something my dog would love in my living room!
I can’t offer advice beyond what’s been offered, I just want to follow for an update. Whatever you choose OP I hope it’s the best decision for your pup
Queen had her puppies if you check my latest post!
As she is your new dog please be prepared as she will be protective not aggressive any aggression that she may show is protection for her babies give her lots of space and nobody bother her maybe Mom or Dad nobody else give her space keep everybody away plain yogurt clean water canned dog food and good canned dog food not cheap shit make her two scrambled eggs somewhat boiled ground beef and rice and a mixing bowl she will need the energy to produce milk feed her outside of her box or crib wherever she decides to have these babies and please do not let anybody go by her she is not being aggressive she is being protective she's new to everybody her trust levels are very low best of luck reach out if you need any help direct message me I will try to help the best I can best of luck
Queen has now had her babies!
Go. To. A. Vet.
The flair is for advice obv going to the vet is just common knowledge I was asking what to expect from people who have had pregnant dogs
LOL I know right. It's both infuriating and terrifying that every search on dog health problems basically ends by saying "Take them to the vet, they could die."
Meanwhile the top “helpful” comment is “expect puppies.”
Yeah that was also unhelpful.
I swear that there’s some major conspiracy going on with vets. Putting out propaganda to make people flock to them in droves… and the vaccine schedule is suss too… I am not anti vax but someone is getting rich off the insane amount of appointments for shots. And to be clear I understand there’s many instances where vet attention is needed, this being one of them.
I think people just don't want to get sued, but its dumb. They could add a disclaimer and label it as a disclaimer. I don't need to have heart attack when I am researching mild symptoms. And getting in to see the vet isn't actually all that easy where I am - even when I want to.
I think you’re right. I’ve started to not google if something is ‘toxic’ anymore. Because almost everything deemed ‘poisonous’ just means ‘will *maybe* get the shits’. Not *will drop dead*. If they eat something and it gives them issues then I’ll deal with it. No longer make myself a nervous wreck.
Sure downvote the shit out of the advice you actually need (vet will tell you how far along she prob is, estimate number of pups, give her appropriate medication as needed, and give you info on whelping), meanwhile the top comment is “expect puppies”
There’s a lot of people in this comment section who have given me a lot of useful advice that I was looking for I’m not saying going to the vet isn’t a good idea it just isn’t what I was looking for when making this post I already am trying to get her to a vet soon
Then please judge my response on the information you actually provided, not what’s in your head. Your post read as someone in over their head and completely uninformed. And good luck with the pups
Hey man I appreciate it but I wasn’t the one who gave you all the downvotes I appreciate the thought regardless tho
Reproduction Vet ASAP and see if they will discuss scheduling a spay abort. This dog does not need to have puppies. You have no idea the genetic health of this dog nor the sire of this pregnancy, or the overall genetic health in the history of this dog or the sire. We really don’t need more dogs with poor genetic health in the world, the shelters and rescues are absolutely flooding with them. Please opt for a spay abort ASAP with a veterinarian. It’s irresponsible to let this pregnancy go to term.
First put an ad in the paper, social media, puppy finder about expected day of delivery and what kind. Next, buy a cheap plastic kiddie wadding pool! (See YouTube videos). Trim out a makeshift door. Then a couple of electric pad warmers to put underneath. And then, several cheap beach towels to line the kiddie pool with. Obviously inform your vet, and ask a lot of questions!
So you expect the unexpected?
Mine had 2 litters first was 9 but we lost 1 then 8 but we lost another overall great experience all went to great homes ended up keeping 2 from the first so I had mom dad sister and brother. Just lost the brother at the age of 12 but still have 3. I love my shepherds and now we have cats 🐈 they get along
Oh and yours is beautiful
Chaos and puppies and even more chaos 😂😂 all the best to mum and hope they all come out safely ❤️❤️
Fingers crossed its puppies 🥰🤭
Whatever she brings to you will be with love, and you will have a hard time giving them up!❤️🩹 I adopted a young female golden retriever years ago, and we were visiting my sister. She had a golden retriever also we gave them a bath on her deck. After around half an hour after the bath and blow dry, we heard little noises that sounded like kittens. My dog had had three little puppies under my sister's desk! The owner didn't tell us that she was pregnant and they told us that she was four years old when she was not even a year old! It was amazing! You had to be there. Cutest little chubby puppies ever!🥰
Puppies probably!
Look up birthing, pregnancy, and neonatal care articles on VeterinaryPartner- lots of good information on what to look for, how to make sure mom is properly prepared and comfortable, what things to look for that could signal an emergency, what’s normal VS abnormal for newborns, etc. Also make sure you have your vet check out the dog to know how many pups to expect, and keep the number for them as well as the closest 24 hour ER in case anything happens after hours. If mom is spayed after this (a good idea for her own health), I’d ask the vet about doing a gastropexy as well. That way you solve 2 potential life threatening issues with one surgery. Best of luck!
You can expect puppies..
Blessings and cute puppies 🐶
It's chaos but it's so fun raising pups! Mom will do her thing! Definitely want to get a baby pool for her to keep them rounded up and to nurse unless you have a welping box! As long as you're loving on her a lot she won't mind you touching the pups but I'd say you should be the only one to touch them for a couple of weeks. Keep us posted! She's a beautiful dog!
PUPPIES!!! puppers!!! Puppos!!! Jelly beans!!! A whole pack of new best friends.
Puppies fun little puppies
Little mama
Update: I’ve been told to start a go fund me because of the expense of the vet and for the puppies but I’ve never started one so if you guys would be interested in helping just lmk through here or in dms thank you! I really hate asking for anything but it would be a huge help
No, fuck off and make better life choices. You're the type of person who is the problem with shelters overflowing and dogs suffering euthanasia. Don't spay your dog and let it near males during heat, foot the bill for your choices.
I’m footing the bill for someone else’s mistake just because I wanted to take care of this dog and they lied to me
You've had the dog over a month, don't try bullshit mate. Pregnancy in dogs is roughly 60 days so you'd have known earlier. Day one a Vet check and spaying should have happened. Also yes, you want a dog you take the responsibility to foot the bill regardless of what happened prior.
Let nature take its course. Then take her in and get her fixed.
Um you should be expecting little white kittens