At the time of the first birth, the litter is of 4 to 7 pups.
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The Puppies
At birth, these little dogs are blind and have their eyes closed. You will have to wait about 10 days before they open their eyes.
Unfortunately, you have to sacrifice some of the puppies. At the first whelping, the mother will only be able to take care of 3 puppies. Definitely remove from the mother the less well formed and apathetic looking puppies.
This sacrifice, although very difficult, is absolutely necessary for the health of the mother and for the quality of the litter.
Subsequent pregnancies may allow you to keep the entire litter, which may be 7 or even 8 puppies. But again, don’t keep the ones that are obviously malformed.
You will have to eliminate them immediately.
Euthanasia will probably be difficult, so ask your veterinarian to do it.
The best way to do this is to inject a very strong anesthetic, so the procedure is quick and painless. Do not choose drowning, it is a cruel and savage method.
You will have to remove the sacrificed puppies while the mother is out walking.
The bitch will take care of her puppies by herself, but always be on the lookout to be ready to help her, especially if it is her first litter.
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Breastfeeding For Dachshund Puppy
Puppies will instinctively find the teats, which are very prominent, under the belly. Only the mother’s milk is suitable for the nutritional needs of baby dogs.
The colostrum will purge the puppy and will be the means for the bitch to transmit her natural antibodies that will protect him against the diseases of the “first days”.
Colostrum is essential to the puppy: statistics show that approximately 85% of newborns that do not receive colostrum for some reason die quickly.
It could be that the bitch is intolerant with her puppies, which could affect their growth. In this case, consult your veterinarian who will advise you to use mild sedatives, as this intolerance is due to hypernervousness.
If the intolerance turns into an aversion, you will have to feed the puppies artificially. Only in this case, or of course in the case of poor lactation, can you feed the puppies. This is not easy and there is no guarantee that you will be able to do it.
You will have to prepare a milk that resembles mother’s milk, otherwise the puppies, confused, will refuse it.
The weight of the baby normally doubles in less than 10 days, proof of the richness of breast milk.
Ask your veterinarian for advice; he or she may be able to recommend a ready-made formula that is available on the market or that he or she can make up. Whatever he decides, follow his instructions.
