My dog killed a puppy. Should I separate her from her other pups?

Yes, if Belle at one of her puppies, I would separate the rest. It could be that puppy was sick and that's why she ate it, or she could be a poor mother. Given the chance that she could be a poor mother, I would not mate her again and have her spayed as soon as her milk has dried up. You may need to bottle feed the puppies, and I can give you a link to the website that details how to do it. Keep in mind that raising them yourself is very labor intensive, just like having a newborn, and is a lot of hard work but that may be their best chance for survival if she has eaten one. http://www.2ndchance.info/orphanpuppy.htm

It is best to keep the puppies away at this point so she does not keep doing that. You can start to bottle feed or lay her down and let them nurse under your direct supervision then take them away when they are done so she can’t hurt them

Hello. Yes, this is fine. Unfortunately, not all dogs make good mothers, so if splitting up the litter makes it easier on the people that have to care for the puppies, then I think this is a good plan. When the puppies are a little older & getting close to weaning age around 3-4 weeks old, you can put them together, if you want. Otherwise, there will be no problems keeping them separated. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

IF you see that she keeps doing that you will have to separate the puppies from her and start feeding them yourself with puppy milk replacer that you can buy from any pet shop. feeding will need to be given every 2-4 hours and you will need to keep them in a warm environment.

I think that the puppy would likely be best left with mom - unless she is actively rejecting him away from her, or showing any agression when he tries to nurse. Give him the best chance by helping him get attached to the nipple to nurse. You can supplement with a bottle, but he will grow best from his moms milk. Also make sure she has a calm quiet place to nurse and care for her pups - if she feels threatened or you are interferring too much she is more likely to reject the puppies. Using pheromones like ADAPTIL can help calm her and the pups and make nursing more successful. Very rarely and for reasons we dont always understand, some bitches will attack their pups. This can be hard to predict or prevent. Be guided by her interactions with the puppy and intervene if she seems cold or aggressive when the pup tries to nurse from her. Best of luck with your litter.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! How old are her puppies? If they are under 4 weeks then you will need to bottle feed the puppies. If they 3-4 weeks start offering canned puppy food along with bottle feeding and have them fully weaned by 5-6 weeks. Without forcing Cali to nurse them there aren't any other options. I would suggest not breeding her again and have her spayed since she is unwilling to continue to raise the puppies and this likely will be a repetitive behavior. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!

I would make sure she has a large enough space that they aren’t cramped. If the space is large and she has still suffocated them then yes you can separate her if she will tolerate this. Some dams will not tolerate being away from their young. I would let her be with the puppies supervised every hour to allow them to nurse if they want and to allow her to clean them. Make sure the puppies have a towel to keep them warm when she isn’t there. I hope this helps!