The pups at 6 weeks
http://sherwoodbasenjis.com/puppies6.html
The pups at 7 weeks
http://sherwoodbasenjis.com/puppies7.html
I have to say, Arlene, I have never had that reaction from any of my bitches… typically they become "softer" and more loving.... that is really a strange reaction....
Well, she is more loving with me. She's just become very hostile towards the other dogs and other people. BUT, I'm going to take the baby gate down and put up the door. That may alleviate some of the issues. That way she can't see down the stairs or out the back door. Hopefully that will bring down the excitability somewhat. I'm also going to take her temp in a few min. While I don't suspect a fever, you never know.
Her temp is 98.3. I'll take it over the next few days as well to see if it changes any. I put the door up, so we'll see if that makes a difference as well.
98.3 degrees is sub normal temp for a dog. They should be between 101-102.5 degrees. I would temp her again but wait until after she has defecated (assuming you are temping rectally). Her behavior, if related to breeding/pregnancy and not ill health will probably only get worse when pups come.
Any idea if her dam showed similar behavior when she whelped/reared pups?
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Nope. I was there almost every other day. She was a good mother. I will temp her again tomorrow. I am also puzzled by the low temp.
Please let us know what her follow-up temp is. If it stays low then a trip to the vet would be a good idea.
I just got home at 1140 pm. I took Damisi's temp and it is up to 99.1. I will take it again in the am and see what it is then. I will be taking her in to the vet to see if she's okay. I'm worried about infection, but apparently she's been better tonight. Not growling as much. Does anyone know if she does have an infection, at this stage, will she spontaneously abort? And will I notice it?
It would depend on the type of infection. If something like pyometra the signs can be very subtle (lethargy, lack of appetite, increased drinking) and bloodwork and ultrasound would be needed to help diagnose it.
Thanks Lisa, I don't know if it would be pyro. She's ravenous-even for her, and definitely not lethargic, she's actually a little bit more busy than before. She's definitely also jealous if the other dogs come over to me or play with me. I did go away this past weekend and am wondering if that would have had anything to do with it also. There's so many variables here. But I will be taking her in to the vet. I'll call tomorrow to get an appt for a checkup.
Good luck at the vets, hope all is well with her. Maybe its just the hormones.
Good luck, I hope she just had a spell and that nothing is wrong with her, infection wise. Sending her good vibes, hoping for a great outcome..
Her temp is now 99.5 at 2pm. Here's hoping all is well.
I am glad her temp is going up.
Are you still thinking about taking her to the vet?
I did phone the vet and asked the Dr his opinion of bringing her in for testing. He said at this point, don't bother. She's eating-has never really stopped and her temp is more near normal, so rather than pick something up there, just wait it out. If her temp was down again and she wasn't eating, then he would be more worried. He said right now the fetus' are implanting so a drop may be normal for her. Her biting may have been because of jealousy at the baby gate/door. I had a baby gate up by the back door. My doorway has three steps down to a small landing that leads to either downstairs or outside. She could see outside, so I put the door back up, and she's been a bit better with the doorway thing. The one girl was petting all of them over the baby gate and I'm thinking Damisi got jealous and went to bite Shadow and hit the girl instead. And Sam (my daughter) was moving all of them away from the baby gate with her leg, and Damisi bit her then, but, again, I'm thinking Damisi thought she was biting at Shadow. She's better with the other dogs if I'm not here, she doesn't snark as much at them. But if I'm here, she wants to be right beside me all the time. Last night/yesterday, she laid in my arms for hours at a time, which is definitely not like her. So, it may be a bit better now with the door up there's not as much anxiety over what's at the back door. I asked the vet about an ultrasound (they do them at 28 days) but he said don't stress her out anymore right now, just to leave it be. I'm hoping to get her eyes done on Nov 13, they are having a clinic then, and I think that should be enough for her to get stressed out about. Hopefully, we have turned the tide now!
I am surprised that an eye exam or an ultrasound would be all that stressful. My dogs really don't mind eye exams except Rio and that is only because she had a bad cat scratch to her eye and now doesn't like drops in her eyes. She isn't really "stressed" as much as she is a "difficult patient" because she squeezes her eyes shut extra tight every time she sees the dropper bottle. Nicky just had his CERF exam yesterday and he just stood there patiently waiting for the doctor to be done. He thought it was a great outing, he got alone time with me while we waited for his eyes to dilate and I bought him a chewie as treat for the drive home for being such a good dog.
I think because she is acting the way she is, that he is worried about other dog's and not her per se. If she's jealous of the other dogs here, what will she be like with a bunch of them around her that she doesn't know? I don't take her to the vet all that often either, so she's really not used to it there, and it is a new vet for her as well.
Okay, it's official. Damisi is pregnant. I still have three weeks to go and by now usually they look sort of the same as normal-maybe a little pot. Especially with a first time bitch. HOWEVER, Damisi is getting big already! Not only does she have a pot belly, she is widening on the sides and her butt is getting wider. All her teats are out. No, I did not miscalculate the dates. If she has 8 puppies, I'm going to kill myself. LOL I can't even find good homes for the extras I will have yet, never mind a bunch more! (There is just a lot of weird people out there right now) I can just see it now-me with 5 b/w puppies forever. LOL
On a lighter note, I am getting her eyes CERF'd tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Hey Arlene,
Has her behavior settled down?
good to hear that she is pregnant and that things are moving along nicely. Good luck on the Cerf..
Hey Arlene,
Has her behavior settled down?
It's better than it was, but she is still testy. She snarks, but not as loud as before and there hasn't been any more unpleasant behaviour. She throws up quite a bit, so I've changed her feedings to 4 times per day. She was getting 1 1/2 cups a day and now she is getting about 1 2/3-2 cups somewhere in there. And I've just changed it two days ago.