Any suggestions for pregnant dog

[Anonymous]

Hi ..........Rosie my 4 year old cocker spaniel is due to whelp soon, she has been scanned and we have been told it's a large litter,...........the problem we have is she is so big, she seems to get out of breath really easily, is there anything we can do to help her, keeping her in the kitchen/dining room seems to help on the cool floor, ..........any suggestions please                      

[Jane S]

There isn't much you can do, Sharon - it goes with the territory. Bitches carrying large litters do get out of breath & uncomfortable. Perhaps a fan might be helpful in this warmer weather we've been having lately. I'm sure you are already feeding her several small meals throughout the day so as not to make Rosie feel even more uncomfortable than she already is. Apart from that, all you can do is keep an eye on things & be prepared for the litter to be early as this seems common with larger litters.                    

[Anonymous]

Thanks Jane!  Actually Rosie hasn't been eating very well at all during this pregnancy (or the last one) so I'm lucky to get her to eat at all some days, but my vet has said she has enough 'stores' to keep her going........I think she was trying to tell me she is well covered.    Rosie had 7 pups last time and delivered exactly to date, so do you think this time she 'may' deliver slightly earlier?  I am prepared, whelping kit sorted, towels, box for pups with heated pad.......and most important the vet knows and she has given me her home phone number as she only lives 5 minutes away.  I'm also trying to keep her away from my other girls, we don't want too much excitement either.                    

[Jane S]

Rosie had 7 pups last time and delivered exactly to date, so do you think this time she 'may' deliver slightly earlier?  

It's certainly possible in my experience so I would be taking her temperature several days before her due date just in case. With big litters, bitches can often get tired halfway through & may need help to deliver the rest of the pups. I have found the homeopathic remedy Caulophyllum can help keep things moving so it's worth having in your kit                    

[Anonymous]

Hi Jane

Yes I do have some Caulophyllum, I'm a regular customer of Dorwest....so it will be at hand should the need arise!

Thanks once again.                    

[shaendix]

Yes you need to watch out for her becoming tired. Rosa's last litter was 7 and she was exhausted by the 3rd and just wanted to lay down and do nothing.  Took some encouragement for her even to take notice of the later pups as they arrived.