My pregnant small dog is eating socks. What do I need for birth?

Hello, I’m not sure if there was supposed to be a photograph of the male dog attached to this post or not. If you have a large male who breeds with a small female, there is always a concern that she will not be able to have the puppies and will need a C-section. Any small female dog who is having puppies should have radiographs done after day 45 to see how many babies are expected. If you do not want her to have a litter, I recommend calling the veterinarian and discussing getting her spayed ASAP. Some dogs can have a shot to stop the pregnancy but there can be some serious side effects to that. Getting her spayed will eliminate an accidental pregnancy in the future. Getting her spayed also has other health benefits and is recommended for any dog not intended for breeding. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions!

Dogs of her size can have issues with difficult births needing c-sections, eclampsia, puppies with low body fat and low blood sugars as well as other issues like liver shunts. I recommend having a veterinarian confirm that she is pregnant and if so follow the size of the puppies very closely to see if a csection will be needed.

Pregnancy complications really depend on how large the puppies are and how many she is carrying. It is best to work with your vet for regular checkups to confirm the pregnancy, and an X-ray as it gets closer to Riley's due-date to check on the size and number of puppies. Your vet can then recommend if a C-section is needed. Signs to watch out for during labor that may indicate dystocia (difficulty giving birth) include straining for long periods without success, a visible puppy stuck in the birth canal, or no puppies produced after several hours of labor. These are all signs something may be wrong and that Riley should be brought to the vet for care.

I would strongly suggest to keep her monitored during pregnancy as c-section may be needed to deliver the puppies. Radiographs at 40 days of pregnancy will be very useful to assess the size of the puppies and make sure they can be naturally delivered. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

She needs to be eating something, or she will have very little energy for the whelping. Take her to the vet for xrays, then you'll know the size of the litter and will know if she's having trouble or needs a c section. While there, ask for cerenia injections for the next few days, as this is a fantastic anti-nausea drug that has all kinds of benefits. In this case, I'm hoping it will get her eating for you. If she had a dead pup last litter, that tells me she may be dealing with some uterine inertia during labor, and could benefit from calcium or oxytocin injections, but this requires your working with a reproduction veterinarian through this process. Hope that helps, and best of luck!

It is quite common for dogs to become anorexic in the 24 hours prior to whelping. Be sure that Sweetie has a whelping box ready, or a quiet area in your home with plenty of soft towels and blankets, but keep in mind that these blankets may get ruined during delivery! In the 24 hours prior to whelping, some dogs may also become more restless and may hide or try to be alone. I hope that all goes well!

If there are more puppies and no progression of labor at this point then she needs to be seen by a vet. They have medication to give her to stimulate further contractions to continue the process. They can also X-ray her to see how many are there or do a c section if needed Since she didn’t take care of the precious puppies it is best to not let her have any puppies and bottle raise them yourself then get her spayed