# Do nursing mums stay in the whelping box ALL the time. Is my girl acting normally?



## Kazok9 (Mar 14, 2015)

Do new nursing mums stay with their pups all the time? Is mine acting normally?
Hi. I have joined this forum after googling to no avail, hoping for advice from people with experience.
My girl whelped 3 days ago. She is a Maltese and first time mum. Day one and two she was devoted to her pups, I have been taking food and water to her whelping box and waiting on her. I am sleeping in the same room with her and she is acting strange..or is it normal. I have never bred before so its all new.
Last night she woke me goodness knows how many times.. Twice to go out for a wee (fair enough) plus digging the carpet behind the sofa or going behind the curtains and tv unit. 
She seems very restless and getting bored. Is this normal. Should i expect her to lay in with them most of the time? She was even sitting on my chest licking my face at 3am. ( perhaps I was snoring!) 
Her whelping box is in a crate with the door open, blankets over the top. I have kept our other resident dogs out of the room and allowed no visitors. We have a fairly quiet house, I see no reason why she is unsettled. Today she is still going behind the sofa or sitting behind the front room door whinging to come out. 
She ran out earlier and was jumping at her lead hanging up. She's making it clear she wants a walk. Before pups she was used to lots of walks so I'm guessing she's missing what she is used to?
I know the panting and digging can be uterus contractions..I'm worried she will bury her pups. She dug up the vet bedding from underneath them and left them laying on the paper underneath. Luckily I heard them yelling and came running! 
So...is she normal? Should I expect her to lay with her pups (6) most of the time? Or is mooching around, demanding walks and room service normal? She has stopped dashing over to them when they squeak..just now i made her go back in and they've all nursed. All have fat tums but stills I worry. Am I worrying too much? Advice much appreciated...p.s. I know all afterbirths came out as i saw and counted them.
Has anyone else experienced this? Advice much appreciated.


----------



## Tanya1989 (Dec 4, 2009)

I've only read the first few lines but wanted to write this now incase you went offline. Get the dog to the vets to ensure the calcium levels are normal. It's quite common that they become a little fidgety, but unsettled is a warning sign of eclampsia and should be treated as so


----------



## Tanya1989 (Dec 4, 2009)

Given that 6 is quite a large litter for such a small breed, I would definitely get a calcium jab done. It won't do any harm, but ignoring a potential symptom will. Some bitches, including a couple of my own, do become restless, but I would never take a risk and have them jabbed as a precaution


----------



## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Hi.

Is she only a young bitch? Sometimes, a younger bitch can be more easily distracted and not as devoted as an older one.

I used to find my bitches wanted to be with their pups more or less constantly for around the first week and would then start making little forays out of the whelping box, to greet a visitor, for example.

Her digging/scratching behaviour could be caused by pain or mild contractions and she really does need to be examined by a vet to be sure she doesn't have a retained pup or placenta or any infection.

What are you feeding her on? She needs a diet high in fat and calcium whilst she's nursing.


----------



## Kazok9 (Mar 14, 2015)

She is 2.. This is her first litter..yes she seems very easily distracted.. She comes out, mooches about, sits on the sofa, digs up the sofa cushions ( that was normal behaviour though before she was pregnant).. She is going back in to nurse them when they squeak.. She just came out for 20 minutes.. She is on off panting but the room is warm for the pups.. I am feeding her puppy food (as much as she wants) with a few tiny pieces of boiled chicken in to get her going..she's always been a diva with food so want to make sure she gets enough.
I have heard that panting and digging is normal for some up to 4 days after whelping.. As she seems so easily distracted, I am loathe to mess too much and not sure if transporting her and pups would be beneficial ... Of course i will if I should, just not sure.
What do you knowledgeable people recommend.. I dont want to over react. Pups seem fine.. Fat bellies and squeaky at the right moments. Mum in herself seems ok, eating and toile ting fine?


----------



## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

My bitch had one full day with her pups without going out other than for toilet purposes; next day I was taking my other dog for a short walk and she insisted on coming too - just for 10 minutes or so before she wanted to get back to the pups. Other than walks (which became daily from then on, just 10-15 minutes) she stayed close to the whelping box, but by no means in it all the time. By time the pups were a week or so old, she was going in to feed and clean them, but apart from that carried on with life as usual; kept an eye on them from outside the box. Walks gradually got longer and by time they were 3 weeks, she'd be happily staying out for a good hour.

How warm is the room? It might be better to keep the room a bit cooler and just heat the whelping box, an electric heat pad they can move on or off at will, or a microwaveable hot water bottle thing. The room might just be too warm for mum.

Better to get calcium levels checked though, as has been said.


----------

