[Ced63]

Could she have ran into something in the yard while playing and I didn't notice yesterday?What causes this? Is this normal? This is my first litter and do not know what to do.

[Wondergirl]

Please take her to the vet. She needs protection from infection and might even need stitches and pain meds. And please don't give her human meds.

Have you read up on breeding a dog? You should not be clueless at this point.

[Alty]

The puppies could have torn her nipple. Take her to the vet to have it looked at. This is one of the many costs of breeding. You should have enough money set aside to handle any emergencies that come up during pregnancy and after.

Your vet is the one you should go to, or your breeding mentor.

[Ced63]

OK. I will do as soon as my parents make it home thanks so much for your assistance.
-ced

[Ced63]

OK, I will do asap. But I'm not a breeder my mom purchased me a puppy for my birthday last year around July, and I didn't realize she was pregnant until about a month ago. But thanks for the suggestions! They are truly appreciated

[Alty]

Please think about getting the puppy fixed. There are enough dogs dying in shelters every year, we don't need more.

I hope that when the time comes you find responsible pet owners for the puppies, and get your dog spayed so that this is her one and only litter. Okay?

I'm not trying to be mean, but I've volunteered at shelters and I'm a firm believer that unless you're a breeder, you shouldn't breed. Over 5 million dogs are put to sleep every year in the US alone because of over breeding by people that aren't breeders.

Let us know how it goes, and I hope all is well with your dog.

[Ced63]

Well I'm sorry that I live in a neighborhood where fences are torn down and do not close. & I can not control what stray dogs or neighbors pet comes in 24/7. But thanks for your concerns and suggestions! Have a bless day sir/ma'am .
-ced

[Wondergirl]

Comment on Altenweg's post Well I'm sorry that I live in a neighborhood where fences are torn down and do not close. & I can not control what stray dogs or neighbors pet comes in 24/7. But thanks for your concerns and suggestions! Have a bless day sir/ma'am.

You CAN control whether your dogs are fixed -- your female wasn't spayed. Your dog, unfortunately, has now contributed to the pet overpopulation problem.

[shazamataz]

I agree with all the above comments, I just wanted to add make sure you keep the whelping box very clean.
Sometimes the mother doesn't completely clean up after the pups and you want to make sure there is no 'mess' in there whatsoever to prevent her getting an infection.

We use flat blankets in whelping boxes for the first week and then once the puppies start moving around and becoming more active we put newspaper in one half of the box and blankets on the other half.
That is the very first stage in toilet training puppies, they will naturally go to the paper and not the blankets that they sleep on.

[alyssabug66]

Thank you! I will do ASAP