Remember the husky that i have been helping my friend and her boyfriend place. Well I took pictures of her a week ago to post her on an online classified add. Well, my friend called me today and said, "um...i think we have a problem, aphrodite kinda looks pregnant." So i just stopped by to see her. Well....she is sooooo pregnant! I cannot believe that a week ago she looked as slender as ever. Well, not only is she big already...i checked her nipples and she is already producing some milk. I called the vet and they said if she is already producing milk then plan on in the next few days having some puppies...!



Well they no NOTHING about having pups, so i told them no matter when it was to call me when she starts going into labor. I figure i have watched Thats My Baby on animal planet enough i might be a little more informed than them to helping if needed. We are setting her up in one of the empty bedrooms with a baby gate up so she can get in or out, but so the other dogs won't come in and bother her. Then we are just going to set her up a little area in the closet so she feels comfy and safe. Also, just by chance, she actually was switched to a puppy food about 2 1/2 weeks ago.


Now its time for all the good advice anyone can offer!

Ummm, well, putting her in another room so she can give birth and feel safe from the other dogs is a good idea. Also, birthing is messy, so I highly advise you to at least get one of those plastic kiddie pools and set her up to give birth in there (I also added an old blanket but be sure it's not unsafe for pups)
That will make clean up easier as well as keep the pups corralled for a few weeksn anyway--they wont walk for weeks but they can "swim" away so if you'd rather she not have to pick them up....
Keep the birthing room WARM, really warm, and just watch carefully. I personally wouldnt interfer unless you have reason to believe she needs help.

I sure don't know why, but the large breeds seem to do that...Have NO belly one day and than WHAM...they are huge the next. I would not be 100% sure that she will have them in the next few days but be prepared for the next few weeks. A lot of Mommies will make milk a while before-hand.

May sound strange...but watch (or have your friends) watch her bowel movements. Their poo almost always becomes loose or extremely dark just prior to the onset of labor. My hubby always makes fun of me about this, but one look at pre-delivery poo and I can tell you for sure that a female is about to whelp!

I second the idea of a plastic kiddy pool. I have seen the delivery of large breeds and there is a WHOLE LOTTA fluids and other rather icky stuff that comes with it. That placenta green can stain something terrible, so have plenty of old towels and clothes around to soak it up (and lots of soap handy to scrub your hands-- or latex gloves. Nothing like wearing green placenta stains on your hands to gross you out).

One of the bulb syringes (like the kind for children's noses) will help if you have a pup with alot of fluid in it's mouth. Unwaxed dental floss (to tie off the umbilical cords), a good pair of scissors(to cut the cords) and some iodine to dip the navels in.

PuPzRuS- sounds like you have some experience. Your description gave me the heebee-jeebees. Gross.
haha.

I'm not in favor of the kiddie pool except as a last resort, they don't have pig rails. I used to use large boxes like the type that dishwashers come in, but my bitch accidentally smooshed a pup that got behind her, so I HIGHLY recommend a pig rail. This is a barrier that runs along the sides of your box, it is about 4-6 inches high and set up so that a pup that gets caught up in that situation can slide under the rail and not get smooshed. There are plans available if you google search whelping boxes. you can also buy them online, but it would be cheaper to make one. As for the poop, I never noticed, but a bitch's temp will drop from the normal 101-102.5 down as low as 97 degrees 12 -24 hours before labor. at the onset of labor, your bitch will pant and be anxious. This can last as long as 12 hours, so don't worry if it seems to take forever. The closer she gets, the more she will try to hide somewhere, but keep taking her to the box. I would use shredded newspaper for the delivery, and clean it out and replace it with old blankets that can be washed everyday, for after all the pups are born. Keep your room warm,it sounds like an ideal place for her, and remember, no more that 2 hours between each pup. any more than 2 hours, call the vet.
Good luck and let us know!

I did the same offer for my friend with her Toy fox terrier. She was intentionally bred, but they havent the first clue about any of this.....I said call anytime and if I'm not at work I will come over.

3:30am....grrrr, lol. 5 healthy little things, and the owner was totally grossed out by it. The mom is very anti-people, so she had to reach in and hold her down or hand pups to me as needed.
She (owner) would not touch the pups while they were still slimy, and would only touch them or pick them up after I was finished with cleaning, stimulating, suctioning, etc...she wanted them all nice and clean/dry....lol. Hope she has her fixed now!