Singleton Protocol
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Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.
Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.
Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.
Q: I had a mom that has had no problems with two prior litters and out of 7, 2 were born alive then darned if mom didn’t lay on one a week later. The puppies were totally mature with no peeling of coat or anything, and there was greenish liquid with each birth. My vet has no answer. Would you have one? Also, now I have a singleton that I want to do the best care possible. I have a litter a month older and have put one of those puppies with her, but he wants to play with her and she is only 2 weeks old. I have had the older one nurse with her to give some form of normalcy for her and also keep mom from drying up. Any advice?
A: It is heartbreaking to lose puppies, no matter what the reason. The statistics that breeders need to keep in the back of their mind is that there is the norm of approximately a 20% loss of life during the first 3 weeks post whelping. The fact that we can manage that to reduce the number through good husbandry practices and working closely with our Veterinarians is the good news. Not all puppies who make it through the gestational period are equipped to be born and viable. There is everything from uterine/placental insufficiency to birth defects that simply do not allow life past the uterus. Additionally, you can have premature placental detachment that leads to death during birth too, as there is only a finite length of time that a puppy has to be born and be viable once the placenta detaches. The greenish liquid is from the placental belt and is a color I would expect to see in this situation.
In response to the second question about your singleton, I would not put another puppy in with it that has a significant size or age difference. So, my rule of thumb for dogs 8-10wks and under is no more than a 10% weight difference and no more than 5-7 days difference in age. Development in this age span is so rapid that you can find one puppy bullying the other simply due to the age/size difference, and that is not fair to either puppy. For the singleton you might consider weaning earlier than you normally would if the bitch is not producing sufficient nutrition for the puppy. Singletons can be a joy as you are their focus, and they learn so fast. Use lots of toys for stimulation, and you will be fine. Avidog has a wonderful webinar called “Raising Sound Singletons” that I highly recommend too.
