We kind of inherited a pregnant Pitbull. So this is an honest question. Please don't tell me to read up on the breed and all of that or tell me to get rid of her because I don't know what I am doing. If I knew the answers I would not ask.
She had a litter of 8 pups 3 weeks ago. But she is being mean to them, really mean. She was very sweet and non aggressive before the pups were born. What do I need to do?
By Lisa from Northeast, Ga
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There could be any number of reasons why she is 'being mean' to the pups. A little more detail would have been helpful.
If you are handling the pups too much you may be causing the mom stress. When stressed dogs do strange things including killing their young.
It could me that she has no clue what to do. Some dogs just don't. In which case taking the pups away may be the best thing to do. But then YOU will need to take over for mom.
It could be that she knows something you don't, like she may be ill and not showing it yet. She may not have enough milk to provide for all the pups.
Bottom line is it could be anything. If you really DO want to help her and the pups - get the advice of a VET not the net.
Be careful! She is stressed and being a good mama and an obedient pet, and new to your household, too. Sounds to me like there is too much human interference or other distractions happening here. She may be such a subordinate to other higher influence(s) around her that she is simply following nature's pecking order.
Animals naturally take care of their babies, for the most part. They at least let them nurse and will groom the babies as needed. Don't disturb her. Give her some private space; someone can get chewed up. ( For example, my friend's mother who came to babysit her kids for a day; she was a stranger in the newborn puppies area and she got severely bitten by a normally docile little cocker spaniel).
Good for you for trying to help, however, this could be a very dangerous situation for the puppies. She may have had more than she can handle. I would contact a vet or maybe the local animal shelter for advice - don't wait - do it immediately. She may kill her puppies, or if she's not allowing some or all to nurse, they could starve. You may have to supplement with bottle feedings. If you want expert advice, don't look for it on "ThriftyFun" - call the experts right away, before something happens.
My sister discovered a stray dog and 8 puppies in her shed a couple of months ago. After 8 weeks of worry I finally looked under "Shelters Cincinnati" on google and found 75 within 35 miles. I found one nearby that took all of them, put them on TV and found homes for them right away. Use the world wide web! Good luck.
(By the way, my sister adopted one of the puppies and is having a great time with little Coco.)
Call your local shelter for advice right away before she kills them!
Having raised pitts in the past, I've seen females act like this toward their puppies. The ones that acted like this were never good mothers, I don't know what causes it but it happens. You may have to put them with her and stick around while they eat and then separate them unfortunately. Good luck.
Not all dogs are natural-born mothers. We had a Neapolitan (Italian mastiff) whose mother killed all but two of her pups. The owner - a friend of hubby's - was too busy to adequately supervise.
Perhaps your mama dog resents the pups for her pain during the birth. That was the case with the friend's mastiff. But enough amateur analysis.
Crystalmitchell has the right idea: if it's practical for you, separate the pups from mama dog as much as possible, except for feeding... that is, unless she's being aggressive toward them even during feeding. If so, you may have to invest in some Mother's Milk and bottle feed.
As for finding those precious pups homes, A neighbor of ours took in a local stray and simply put a large sign outside his home once the pups were old enough to give away. I think they decided to keep one or two, the rest were adopted within a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, with laws being as they are, this may or may not work with pits.
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How do male Pitbull dogs react to new born puppies inside the home?
By capri from Wilmington, NC
They will kill them if they get a chance. Any male dog will really. You need to keep the puppies away from the older male dogs, really, in my opinion. (My son has pit bulls.)
No differently than any other breed. Mother may start something as she does not usually want anything or anyone around her babies. Best not to disturb with anyone or anything until nursing is over and mom has dried up.
