Hello! I am not a professional breeder just a concerned dog owner. For quick context Luna is NOT just my Shiba she is my family dog. I argued multiple times with my mother, father, and older brother about getting her spayed when I was working (I said i would throw money into her procedure). However they "didnt know" yet if they wanted her to have a litter or not as it's "apart of life" in their words. We got a male dog about 8 months ago who is turning a year in 2 days. My older brother refused to get him fixed even though I again stated that he should get fixed or her spayed before something happened. My family has been in a bit of a rut as far as finances go and i didn't see it best for them to have a liter. Fast forward to today my 4 year old shiba inu is pregnant expecting 5 puppies from my male 11 month old dog Whiskey. Both pure bread shiba inu's. This is the first time any of us have experienced any kind of whelping or live birth and etc. For context I am F(20) and my older brother is M(24) we rarely see eye to eye on things and my family is chaotic and argumentative. We aren't in agreeance as to where my dog should settle down and whelp or how to go about preparing or anything as such. I'm not looking for negative comments or anything honestly, I genuinely had no say in the matter as i was outvoted 3-1. I just want advice as to where to go from here. Luna is expecting to give birth anywhere from May 22nd-24th. Any amount advice helps! I don't know anything about new borns so literally any info helps. I've been doing research and watching videos however i'm very confused. One site will tell me one thing and another will contradict the other. Please help
@laarni I would be most concerned with the actual birth at this point in time. How many puppies are you expecting, or has there not been any vet visits/exams to determine the number or condition of the developing pups at all? Do you have a vet you can go to or contact in the case that an emergency c-section or immediate medical intervention is needed? A lot can go wrong in a live birth, and having this in place is probably the best precaution you can take to ensure that if the birth doesn’t go smoothly (or it takes way too long), then at the very least your dog will get the care she needs. If not an actual individual, a veterinary ER that is equipped to deal with delivery complications would be at least some option.
In terms of newborns, given they are currently alive and make it through delivery and have no obvious health concerns or deformities, I’m sure others here who have more experience than I can chime in with advice and suggestions. Most of what I know about this part is just not going to be helpful to you. So sorry you are in this situation, and I hope you and mama get through this alright!
@jackcampbellstoryteller Thank you for the kind words! She's expecting 5 puppies, she's had 3 vet visits. Blood work and everything ran, she's in perfect health. The vet had us start feeding her puppy food saying it's the best for the nutritional value for the pups A whole list of 24/hr animal hospitals was also supplied in her last visit that she had x-rays for.
@laarni Okay, awesome! Hopefully others here will give you some feedback more about newborn care, but so good to hear she’s been getting prenatal care and that you have an emergency plan in place!
@laarni Supporting mom is your main priority right now. Be prepared to spend a lot on her if things go wrong during labor/delivery. As far as a makeshift whelping box, I know sometimes people use kiddie pools lined with pool noodles (and of course spare towels and things are placed as bedding). Keep an eye in babies to make sure they're thriving. Have an external heat source also.
Since genetics are already unknown, make sure to get those puppies used to things. Play everyday noises on YouTube while they're young, introduce them to challenging, age appropriate toys, etc.
@laarni Are there specific questions you have regarding the differing information? You need to setup a whelping area that is safe and secure for her sooner rather than later so she can start getting comfortable in her whelping area. Using a plastic kiddie pool is great for medium sized breeds. I highly recommend getting on amazon and purchasing Myra Saavant Harris books on material care and whelping.
@drsharles My main concern is like products and stuff that help? Or materials to have on deck. Idk how long before the puppies will start eating hard food or when i can bathe them/touch them bare handed. A lot of sites and videos have been saying different things.
@laarni A kiddie pool and puppy pads will help with clean up, line the area they’ll be in after birth with puppy pads as well. You’ll still be doing lots of cleaning though. Pups normally will start the transition around 4ish weeks? Don’t bathe them until they’re at least 4 weeks but as long as mom is okay with it, start handling them at birth. Around 6 weeks you should start adding puppy food to her food and after birth she should be on puppy food while breastfeeding. Make sure their water bowl is shallow.
Socialization is really important to giving the puppies the best chance of working out in the homes they are placed in and reducing the chance of them developing fears and phobias.
@laarni Both books recces are great, but I'd also recommend Jane Killions Puppy Culture DVD and workbook as very useful, less so for whelping but excellent for raising well socialized babies. The puppy Culture group on FB might also be useful for you.
@laarni I like the Dan Rice book as it is more reassuring but the Myra books come in very handy when you need to figure out what to do at 2 AM on s Saturday night. Dan is take the dog to the vet, that is not always possible.
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