New mum won't settle at night

[Rosie Mesher]

HELP! my 3 year old bitch gave birth to a litter of two on Thursday. She has struggled to settle. She is tending to the pups and feeding great. However at night she pants and is very stressed. I have tried to sleep with her downstairs and also brought her and puppies up to my room where she usually sleeps. Nothing is working. She cries and is so unsettled. Any advice would be great

 

[JoanneF]

Could she be too hot?

 

[Rosie Mesher]

Could she be too hot?

I thought this so I took away the hot water bottle. I also removed a blanket so now she has one blanket in her bed. It seems to be only at night as soon as everyone goes to bed. I thought it was because she wanted me with her but she just cries all night and digs. She just seems so unsettled.

 

[excuseme]

Hello.
Is your whelping box/bed large enough for mum to get away from or stretch out with the puppies. Are you using a heater, can mum care for her puppies yet get away from the extra heat herself, but still be in the same bed?
You say that mum has been checked by your vet, has mum been checked by your vet since the birth, or was this before?
Where is her bed situated, is she in a place that is quiet and with a secure feeling?
Has she been outside for a wee or done any toilet yet?
There are so many questions to ask and the answer could be quiet simple.

I would be inclined to ask my vet for another thorough check, maybe there is a retained afterbirth or even a puppy still inside !
Have you taken her temperature?

 

[Biker John]

I've never bred a litter so cant suggest any thing except, contact your bitches breeder, they will most likely have some experience and advise.

 

[lurcherman]

Same as john, sorry.

 

[Hemlock]

I have bred litters, and I would suggest a vet check in case there is a retained pup or piece of placenta, as Excuseme suggests. Also there is a slight risk of eclampsia, which your vet can check too.

Having eliminated those possibilities, have a run through Excuseme's other suggestions, as there are so many things it could be.

 

[JudyN]

Question for the experts: do bitches ever get anything similar to baby blues, or post-natal depression, or just be particularly anxious mums? Obviously all possible physical causes need to be ruled out as a priority though.

 

[Hemlock]

I can only speak for my own bitches and those of friends, though that does add up to quite a number.

Some post-birth trauma is physical in the way that the whelps' suckling causes contracting of the bitch's reproductive innards. Pups don't develop in the uterus but in the uterine horns, so that's a fair bit of contracting. Some bitches find suckling uncomfortable to begin with because their milk bar is too full/not full enough (as do other mammals). Some bitches are far more anxious than others, which translates into either wanting to be with the owner all the time or wanting to be off in the wild woods away from everyone (I've had both). A few are so overwhelmed that they reject their litter. But most sail serenely into motherhood having apparently read the book and watched the film. Amazing really.

 

[Rosie Mesher]

Thank you all for replies.
So was told in pregnancy scan she was expecting 4-5. She had 2 and ate both after births. She want still panting so I thought there were more coming but 3 hours later nothing so I called my vet who said as long as she wasn't straining for long periods then let her get on with it. She ate and drank throughout the night and even went for a toilet. By the next morning no more pups so I took her to the vet and they checked her over and confirmed by scan that she had no more pups to come and sent her home. Her temperature has been good.
So she initially had a large cage. She didn't like it and actually gave birth in her big bed on the sofa as that's where she wanted to seem to have the pups. When they were born I put her back in the big cage. She didn't like it and was still panting heavily. So I put her big bed in there with a hot water bottle and she still wouldn't settle. I removed the hot water bottle. That night when I went to bed she came up panting and crying. Lots of frantic digging so I bought pups up and she still wasn't happy.
Yesterday she settled in her bed in another corner of the front room and we placed a blanket over our sofas to make a den. She was fine all day. Still eating and drinking. Feeding well. Pups are putting good weight on. Last night again she was not happy. I stayed on the sofa next to her bed and she kept jumping up with me and crying and digging. Today she wants to be on the sofa. Obviously I don't want the pups up high so I've had to sit and guard most of the day and she has been more settled but I'm worried the same will happen at bed time. The vet has said she is just an anxious new mum but I'm unsure. She still pants when feeding. I have started calcium tablets just in case it's the start of eclampsia. Again her temperature has been perfect daily so I'm really stuck on what to do. I feel a wellness check at the vets for her and the pups is needed this week and go from there. I'm very tired and this wasn't a planned breeding and I feel so guilty that she is so stressed

 

[JudyN]

Does the sofa have removable seat cushions? I'm wondering if you could move one onto the floor with her bed on it, and if it's still a bit high, surround it with other cushions in case a pup falls out. Or you could remove the sofa cushion and put it in front of the sofa, and put her bed on the sofa frame underneath. Possibly highly inconvenient, but if she has decided there's only one place her pups are safe it might be worth it, at least till she's more settled. (If an experienced breeder tells me this is a rubbish idea, listen to them - I'm just thinking out side the box!)

 

[Rosie Mesher]

Does the sofa have removable seat cushions? I'm wondering if you could move one onto the floor with her bed on it, and if it's still a bit high, surround it with other cushions in case a pup falls out. Or you could remove the sofa cushion and put it in front of the sofa, and put her bed on the sofa frame underneath. Possibly highly inconvenient, but if she has decided there's only one place her pups are safe it might be worth it, at least till she's more settled. (If an experienced breeder tells me this is a rubbish idea, listen to them - I'm just thinking out side the box!)

Haha yes I think this is my next option. I need to recreate the sofa in a safer place. It seems that this is where she wants to be. I think I'll let her sleep on one end and me on the other tonight and try and make a little barrier in case they wiggle near the edge. I'm so tired right now I'll try anything. I have the vets booked for Thursday for a wellness check for her and puppies so hopefully that puts my mind at rest x

 

[JudyN]

The things we do for our dogs!