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Whippet Litter Sizes

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~Annie~

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Just wondering what people think qualifies as a big litter ... nine, ten, eleven, twelve ?? What's the biggest whippet litter anyone's come across? And if a bitch has a big litter is that likely to be a one off or is it possible/likely that two or more consecutive litters will be big? Oh, and are big litters more likely to include still born pups?
 
I would class anything over 7 as a big litter for whippets.
 
my Tia had a litter of 9 ,but she wasnt with us then we didnt get her till she was nearly 3
 
All of my whippets have come from litters of between 4 to 6 pups apart from Irie, who came from a litter of 9, if I remember correctly :blink:
 
I know of two litters, one of 11 and another of 12, all pups lived but were given extra food. They were a good size too. Sadly the dam of the litter of 12 died when they were 4 weeks old, her heart gave out, poor thing.
 
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bertha said:
I know of two litters, one of 11 and another of 12, all pups lived but were given extra food. They were a good size too. Sadly the dam of the litter of 12 died when they were 4 weeks old, her heart gave out, poor thing.
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:'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
 
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bertha said:
I know of two litters, one of 11 and another of 12, all pups lived but were given extra food. They were a good size too. Sadly the dam of the litter of 12 died when they were 4 weeks old, her heart gave out, poor thing.
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that is so sad :(

Blue is from a litter of 8
 
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Kennett came from a litter of 9, and Eskil's was 9 as well if I remember correctly.

one of the last Kaymark litters was huge though, what was it - 12 pups?
 
it really depends on the fertility of both sire and dam, whether she was caught at the right point of her season etc whether there will be more than one bumper litter. a larger litter does often mean a greater chance of stillbirths purely because the last couple might not get out in time after their placenta detaches, and people ive spoken to often say the last few, whether still or alive, seem to be smaller and possibly less developed, which begs the question of whether they were from eggs fertilized a little after, as sperm can live for several day. something else which makes a difference is the viability of the eggs themselves, with pups that are abnormal in the womb often dying and being reabsorbed, with breeder none the wiser, or some trauma to the bitch during pregnancy having the same effect. then, on the human side of it, there is a difference between births and registrations in many breeds, some down to various causes of death in pups, clefts, swimmers, walrus pups, and some unscrupulous breeders 'doing away with' pups of incorrect colour. not a problem with whippets, but it does happen in other breeds, because breeders dont want to sell such pups, or advertise that the fault is in the bloodline. generally i'd think that between 4 and 6 is the usual litter size. hope that helps in any way?
 
Noise said:
what's a walrus pup?
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its a description. some pups come out bloated, 'walrus-like', believed to be some kind of water retention (as ive been told it from other breeders) which affects the brain also, and that they invariably die as it cant be treated. no newborn pup ive seen is chubby to begin with, that comes once mum is feeding them. as an aside, that initial lack of podginess stage is when some breeders like to choose a rough pick of the litter, when they can see bone structure and shape. so a pup that comes out bloated may have this problem. swimmers on the other hand, if front legs are tied together to bring them into the correct position in mild cases, can be treated, but severe cases they might be internally affected (down to the flattened chest cavity?)

often you'll find a bitch knows when a pup isnt quite right, even if you cant tell yourself, so if a pup is being deliberately pushed out of the nest while the others are getting the best care, be warned.
 
Noise said:
what's a walrus pup?
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its a pup that has loads of flued undrev the skin it looks about twice the size of its litter mates or has the apperance of being blown up like a ballon there very week pups when there born but didnt know they occured in whippets
 
fallenangel said:
Noise said:
what's a walrus pup?
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its a pup that has loads of flued undrev the skin it looks about twice the size of its litter mates or has the apperance of being blown up like a ballon there very week pups when there born but didnt know they occured in whippets
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im not sure if it does either, just one of those things i got told can happen, likewise read about under general breeding complications etc :unsure:
 
All my 4 girls come from litters of 7 :)
 
pur phoebe was one of 11 and her sister ( different litter ) millie was one of 10 , all survived :)
 
We have had 4 litters 2 of 8 pups 1 of 9 pups and 1 of 10 pups.
 
My dog WCRCh Terraquinn sired a litter of 9 :wub:3 months ago

20-9-09037.jpg
 
I'd say anything over 7 is a big litter. 5 or 6 seems to be the norm in non ped whippets.

It's impossible to say whether litter size has anything to do with stillbirths, there's just so many different reasons for it and every litter is different. I was at the birth of a friends litter of 9 and the last pup born was the biggest birth weight and turned out the biggest in the litter, all the litter thrived from early on but the dam was a big bitch, the same happened in my litter of 5, the birth weight of the 5th was on a par with the biggest, so i don't think where they are in the queue has any relevence in a straight forward labour. On the other hand there's bitches having small litters 2/3 and the pups have struggled / died.
 
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