Last night my 2 year old mixed dog had her first litter of puppies. All day she has been feeding them and curled up with them. She came out to eat and now when she went back into her dog house she's not curling up with them she has her back to them. She hasn't been really acting like herself today either. Is this normal?
By Belynda from Baton Rouge, LA
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I respectfully disagree with "patches", if your dog only turns her back to her new puppies on occasion. She's been through an experience she has never known and is tired, tired, tired after giving birth. If she continues to ignore her puppies, consistently, of course you need to take action. If she merely wants a few hours sleep while still sharing space with her pups, she's just plain pooped and needs a break.
By all means, call your vet if you suspect the puppies are being totally ignored, but give the girl a break if she just wants to sleep for a few hours. With all due respect, I just don't agree with "patches" that a dog needs to be "evaluated by a vet" mere hours after giving birth as she still sleeps with her puppies but simply chooses to not expose her food supply for a few hours.
Bottom line, it's your call. If you think the puppies are being totally ignored of course you need to contact your vet. If the mom just decides to sleep with her back to the pups for a few hours, I suspect she needs the rest and the puppies will be just fine resting with her. Again, just make sure she tends to the pups on a regular (although not necessarily clock work) schedule. Good luck and best wishes.
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