How to care for a litter of puppies?

I've not read the whole thread but get the jist that this is turning into a typical HHO shoot down, unfortunate really as AAD used to pretty much avoid that even when people voiced opinions. Whilst it's not the way I'd do it, if the puppies are healthy, happy and growing surely that's the important thing??

My JR Millie is now 12 years old, she's a fab dog and I had her from someone who didn't even put in what Patterdale has! She was in a barn in the pitch black, in a rabbit hutch that hadn't been cleaned out, with little to no contact and reared on dinner scraps and bits of bone! Yet they let her out for us to see and she was the most delightful little thing. She was the last of the litter and luckily there was nothing wrong with her. Rightly or wrongly I took her and I have no regrets.

And regarding the tail incident it can happen, Mouse had to have a c-sec after 3 pups of her first litter were born due to the fourth being breach and stuck. Before the vet decided to operate she tried to aid pup out and whilst trying the tip of his tail came off. Unfortunately by the time she got in to get him out we'd lost him, turns out he was actually side ways. But goes to show something like that can happen to a professional, doesn't mean that the owner was doing a bad job whelping the litter!!
 
Having read through this thread I'm laughing my head off at the rubbish spouted by some.

I echo dabdab's post.
If those of you slating patterdale breed such nervous creatures they can't cope with life indoors after not seeing a washing machine in their first 10 weeks or so you should not be breeding.

If you breed pups so delicate they cant survive without artificial heat in the temps we've had and with such a low immune system through their mother they will die without constant steralising of everything you shouldn't be breeding.

A litter of terrier pups, born and reared out of the house in warm dry conditions, in lovely late summer climate, by a responsible owner, is pretty near perfect.

Far preferable to petting, poking and removing pups individually from mum and each other at 10 days old to "socialise" them

Far better than living in sterile conditions with no opportunity to build an immune system, then constantly jabbing them to make up for it.

Puppies born outside will adjust easily to indoor life when they go to their new homes, carefully selected by their breeder.

Those bred in centrally heated homes, kept well away from anything less than sterile will suffer considerably when their new owners, (not so carefully selected by many holier than thou breeders) get fed up and put them out in the shed.

Carry on patterdale. Your doing fine. The world is full of experts who know nothing. As you must know if you have horses.!! :)
 
CaveCanem said:
**Looks into future. Patterdale's puppies are now four years old. This thread is still rumbling on**
Click to expand...

Picklenash said:
Only 4 years? This thread will be going til the next bloody millennium the way people keep going back to poke and stir a bit more....
Click to expand...

922256d1357147498-difficult-choice-help-me-decide-als-pp-other-zombiethread.jpg



Off topic, but I think that your siggy is funny Picklenash :D ("HHO - hypochondriacs here online :p")
 
Blimey. Now I remember why I don't frequent here anymore....

Patterdale, hope your puppinos are okay! Are there photos anywhere?!?
 
Thank you for the very nice things which have been written :)

My puppies are *shock horror* still clinging to life. I'm still forcing the poisonous dry food down their ungrateful necks at regular intervals, and now and then I dunk them in the slurry pit to toughen them up a bit.
Chased them around with a Hoover yesterday though, on a long extension out to the shed, before strapping them all into a purpose built little amphitheatre to watch the washing machine do a few cycles. Had the smelling salts on hand but they all seemed to come through it unscathed, little darlings :)

I can always do a weekly update until they're 4 if people would like? That is - if I can remember which litter it was. Being a puppy farmer, it's easy to lose track! ;) :D :D :D :D
 
Just WOW! Wondered why such an innocuous titled thread had gone on for so long:D
Dogs living and whelping in a barn! Goodness gracious me! Whatever next! Someone fetch me the smelling salts I think I'm about to swoon.
 
Patterdale said:
Thank you for the very nice things which have been written :)

My puppies are *shock horror* still clinging to life. I'm still forcing the poisonous dry food down their ungrateful necks at regular intervals, and now and then I dunk them in the slurry pit to toughen them up a bit.
Chased them around with a Hoover yesterday though, on a long extension out to the shed, before strapping them all into a purpose built little amphitheatre to watch the washing machine do a few cycles. Had the smelling salts on hand but they all seemed to come through it unscathed, little darlings :)

I can always do a weekly update until they're 4 if people would like? That is - if I can remember which litter it was. Being a puppy farmer, it's easy to lose track! ;) :D :D :D :D
Click to expand...

I followed this thread and never replied, to put your mind at rest I bought my terrier from a neighbouring farmer, the bitch had been reared in a coal shed and she is now in her seventh year of not soiling herself whenever she hears "household noises" not crapping when the floor surface changes and not chewing the hell out of everything - unfortunately she does often come into the kitchen with a rat/pheasant/bunny in her mouth, and she also dunks herself in the slurry pit on the not so rare occasion.
I got lynched by the same mob a few years ago for my irresponsible breeding - don't let it get to you.
 
Saw this thread was still going & popped in to check Patterdale wasn't feeding them ragwort - if we could combine the 2 threads it could be a halloween special - the thread that will never die & leap out at you when you least expect it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top