Bad news about Hadley from Austin

M

marymrumfelt

Forums Enthusiast
Sooooo Hadley came to us a month ago last night. The owner said she was healthy, trained, and spayed. The first and the last one have been in no way true. Last night, Hadley started acting weird and wouldn't leave the closet and was very nervous... then she started digging... then she started panting heavily... and now I have 5 puppies in my apartment!!! I called the previous owner who swore she was spayed (really?) and offered to take her back... like I'd give my dog back to that evil woman!! We payed way too much for her as it is, but I knew she needed better care then she was receiving. Should I sue her for the $200 back we paid for her? I know it's petty but it's the principle of the matter. She knew this dog was pregnant... or at least not SPAYED! I'm so stressed and don't know how, being a full-time student, I'm going to let five puppies grow up in the apartment. Also, I have a trip planned this weekend where we were going to take her.... don't see how that will be happening :(

Anywho, is there any special care I should be taking of Hadley since she just gave birth? She's so dirty it's not even funny, but I don't think she'd appreciate a bath right now at all. Maybe try to brush out some of the junk in her fur? Any advice?
 
Yes, there is a lot of special care that you need to give Hadley and the puppies. You need to feed her puppy food as opposed to dog food; choose a high quality puppy food and feed her LOTS more than you would normally feed her. In the first day after birth I usually give my girls chicken broth in addition to water; as well as cooked brown rice (white rice is ok too). She's going to eat about 3x her usual amount of food while nursing the pups; and the puppy food has higher fat and calcium which she will need to prevent serious health issues.

Get a large box to use as a puppy box (at least 3.5' x 3.5') and cut an access on one side so that the mommy can jump in but the puppies can't crawl away. And be warned...they can crawl away right now, day one. You don't want to step on one! SAMS club and WALMART frequently have huge boxes that work perfectly (we use a watermelon box). Some folks choose to use a hard plastic child's pool for the pups.

Keep the room with the puppies warm; newborns get chilled easily. Line the box with something absorbent and easily changed. Some folks use newspaper but I prefer to go to Goodwill and get towels, blankets, and comforters to use.

Time to contact your vet, cancel your trip, and check with your friends/family for support in taking care of your unexpected brood. Congrats to you for having five live unexpected births. Please PM me if you have questions.
 
Oh dear!

Can you call a rescue in the area and see if they can come over and give you a hand. Most people will be more than willing to come out and help with a litter of puppies. They may even have someone with lots of puppy experience that can foster mom and pups for you for awhile.

Anyway in the Austin Area know of a Sheltie rescue that can help her out????
 
As for cleaning her up....do what you can with a wet cloth and trim out some with scissors. I wouldn't bathe her as she'd stay wet to the skin and it would chill the pups. She should stay with them most of the day this first week, only going out to potty or to eat and drink. She's going to have drainage/discharge for a while and that's just nature. Keep tidying up as best you can.
 
Yikes! I'm sorry you're in this situation - you weren't planning for puppies, and now here they are!

Newborns and mama will need special care. A bath is in order for Hadley (brushing it will just smush the mess around). Just wash down between her back legs and get her really dry - you don't want the pups getting damp or chilled. Shelties are good moms, but ours have never had a problem with letting us handle the babies. Switch Hadley over to a food formulated for puppies (it has the extra nutrition that she needs right now) and make sure she's getting lots of water (dump water on the kibble to make a stew or soup, in addition to what's in her bowl). Now is the time to order the puppy formula that you'll use during weaning, because you'll want to add some to Hadley's food, too (again, extra nutrition): this is an excellent product, and it's what we use.

For right now, Hadley will do most of the work. Make sure that she and the babies are in a place that isn't drafty, and keep an eye on everyone to make sure that all of the puppies are being fed. Get yourself a kitchen scale and make a daily record of each baby's weight - weight loss can be your first clue that something is wrong. This might not be feasible for you, but it's policy for my mom and I that there is someone on the floor next to the whelping box (nest) 24/7 for the first ten days or so. There are too many (very-preventable) things that can go wrong when the pups are that young.

Living in Austin, you have some in-person resources available to you:
Austin Sheltie Rescue
Sheltie Club of Austin

The Sheltie Club, especially, will be able to put you in contact with an experienced breeder who can walk you through the coming weeks and hopefully help you find good homes for these puppies.

I don't know what you should do about the person you got Hadley from. Given that a bitch's gestation lasts only sixty-three days, though, and that you got her a month ago, it is entirely likely that this lady had no idea that the bitch was pregnant. We sometimes don't know for sure whether she's pregnant right until we do x-rays at a week before the due date - at one month in, the signs are very subtle and not always apparent.

At the same time... you were told that you were sold a spayed bitch, and she obviously was not spayed. And raising a litter is, in the end, going to cost you rather a bit more than the $200 you're considering suing her for.
 
Every one has gave you good advise I just wanted to add if you could I reccomend the bio sensor puppy program on them. I used it on my first litter, and all the puppies were very outgoing, and unphased by strange things, including going to their new homes. Everyone said they walked in like they had been there forever. http://www.angelfire.com/ca/curlycr/2001pups2a.html
 
Yike! :eek2: What a surprise and unfortunately not a pleasant one.

You have gotten some excellent advice from some of the breeders on this forum about what you have to do NOW! so both mom and pups are comfortable.

My first instinct, which has been tofu pup, was to reach out to a rescue or the local Sheltie club - the the Sheltie club being the first choice. Breeders who are members of their local club are likely to be responsible breeders with a depth of knowledge about the breed. Its a great resource for you since you inherited someone else's issue.

As for suing for the money, you'd have to talk to a lawyer on that one. At the very least, you have her on lying about the dog being spay. Proving whether or not she knew about the pups may be more difficult. There is also the fact that she offered to take the dog back and you refused (understandably so - I'd do the same).
 
Silaria said:
Yike! :eek2: What a surprise and unfortunately not a pleasant one.

You have gotten some excellent advice from some of the breeders on this forum about what you have to do NOW! so both mom and pups are comfortable.

My first instinct, which has been tofu pup, was to reach out to a rescue or the local Sheltie club - the the Sheltie club being the first choice. Breeders who are members of their local club are likely to be responsible breeders with a depth of knowledge about the breed. Its a great resource for you since you inherited someone else's issue.

As for suing for the money, you'd have to talk to a lawyer on that one. At the very least, you have her on lying about the dog being spay. Proving whether or not she knew about the pups may be more difficult. There is also the fact that she offered to take the dog back and you refused (understandably so - I'd do the same).
Click to expand...

i was going to type this out but figured it was easier to just quote Sileria :lol:
She said the exact thing I was going to say!
 
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