Disappearing Puppies

[thornton04]

Can anyone help us solve this mystery?
<O:p</O:p
Our Rottweiler had 6 puppies Tuesday. We keep her in a pen in our backyard. We live in the middle of about 200 acres of field along Little Black Creek. She has a dog house in the pen… its one of those plastic ones from Wal-Mart that are insulated and have clear flaps over the door way. We put some hey in the house and around in the pen for her.
Yesterday morning when I checked on them, one of the puppies was missing. I searched everywhere and could not find it. There was no trace of blood or struggle or digging around the pen. Now this morning there are two more puppies missing!! We are going to move them into the garage today but I still want to know what happened?
<O:p</O:p

[Fish-Bait]

If it was here first litter she might have ate them. They get confused the first go around.

[thornton04]

That was my first thought. But wouldnt there be some blood or something in there?

[Fish-Bait]

That was my first thought. But wouldnt there be some blood or something in there?

No, she'll lick it all up...you won't even no it. Sorta' like when she ate the placenta and all that.

[ComputerDude]

No, she'll lick it all up...you won't even no it. Sorta' like when she ate the placenta and all that.
I think I'm gonna taste that bowl of cereal I ate this morning again.:(

[eyescene]

Yep my thoughts too she ate them!

[Conveyor Belt]

Maybe an owl took them.

[CircusRide]

Check her turds for hair and you'll know.

[Maggie-Doodle]

Most probably a hawk! We saw a big hawk swooping down towards puppies across the creek from us...the pups were too big at that point though...the only way the hawk could have gotten them was to peck them to death and eat them, the pups were too big for the hawk to carry off. Hawks have eaten several of the birds I feed in my backyard...apparently one yesterday..all is left is feathers.

[thornton04]

We thought maybe it was a hawk but they are in the dog house. Unless they are getting out at night and the hawk swoops down and gets em.

http://a590.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/113/l_20dc9f697c10a63c78cc68798c1116fd.jpg (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.editAlbumPhoto&albumID=2771&imageID=921632)

[Fish-Bait]

sometimes they will eat the weaker of the litter I've been told. The only time I have ever seen it though is when my lab ate her first litter. She only had 4 and it was her first time to even go in heat. A frikken mutt POS dog dug under out fence and was laid up the next mornin' right next to her.......It wasn't a good scene....

[thornton04]

She chewed through the fence to get pregnant by a black lab. I noticed the 3 pups left are the ones that looked more like rottweilers so maybe she did eat the weaker ones. The Vet said that i need to take the pups away from her and take care of them myself. I dont know if I could feed em every 2-3 hours and clean up after them for 4 weeks.

[Fish-Bait]

Dogs are crazy like people sometimes...

[hendrixfreak70]

The really weird thing is, of course someone mentioned this already, there is no evidence of any eating. no hair, blood, skin or anything. It really is sickening to think a dog would eat its pups. I kinda threw up in my mouth right there.

[Maggie-Doodle]

Cute pups...they look awful big for the momma to be eating them at this point. I "have" heard of momma's eating pups before but they were newborns... it has to be some kind of critter getting them and I still think probably a hawk unless there are wolves or something of that sort around that is getting in the pen and getting them. put some chicken wire over the top of the pen and wire it down so critters can't get in.

[thornton04]

We are going to move her dog house into the garage this afternoon. That way I can check on them more often. If it is another animal getting them then we will know. If I wake up tomorrow and another one is missing then I am going to separate her from them.

[amanda]

I hate to say, but I have to agree, she probably ate them. :( I had a Ches.Bay Retriever that did so and I promptly gave her to a guy down the road. I chased that stupid dog around the yard while watching her eat one. Sorry, figured I'd share.

[Fish-Bait]

She shouldn't eat the 2nd. litter. usually it's just the first....thornton, is this her first litter?

[Natural Sunshine]

I'm gonna say she probably ate them. They look healthy to be a couple of days old!!!

[hendrixfreak70]

It is her first. Plus she is older than usual I think to be having puppies. She is around 3 or 3 1/2 years old. I could be wrong about the 'too old to be having puppies' part though.

[mac]

sometimes they will eat the weaker of the litter I've been told. The only time I have ever seen it though is when my lab ate her first litter. She only had 4 and it was her first time to even go in heat. A frikken mutt POS dog dug under out fence and was laid up the next mornin' right next to her.......It wasn't a good scene....

Aww, he stayed to cuddle afterwards! At least he was a gentleman.

[58ford]

I'm afraid you may be afflicted with a Chupacabra. Try pouring an unbroken ring of salt around the pen.

[thornton04]

I'm afraid you may be afflicted with a Chupacabra. Try pouring an unbroken ring of salt around the pen.

A What?


She killed another one tonight about 6. This time she was lying on top of them and smothered it. So I took the last two and I am bottle feeding them now.

[firefly]

That is so sad, Thornton! A Chupacabra is a ficticious creature in some central American countries.

[onlyme]

A What?


She killed another one tonight about 6. This time she was lying on top of them and smothered it. So I took the last two and I am bottle feeding them now.

:( Good luck with the remaining two. I hope everything turns out well. I don't know how I would feel about my dog if I witnessed such behavior, as normal as it seems to be.

[hendrixfreak70]

I tossed her big 120 pound ass out on her neck after she killed the last one. Then she began to dig around the foundation of the house digging wires up. So I politely tossed her on her neck again but this time into her pen. I know it is animals' behavior to do this but it still angers me because the puppies are really cute. I told thornton 04 that I wanted to thump them on the head because they were so cute, of course not hard though.

[Fish-Bait]

Aww, he stayed to cuddle afterwards! At least he was a gentleman.

Well, let's put it this way. He didn't have a good "day after" if you know what I mean. Gentleman or not lol...

[Fish-Bait]

I tossed her big 120 pound ass out on her neck after she killed the last one. Then she began to dig around the foundation of the house digging wires up. So I politely tossed her on her neck again but this time into her pen. I know it is animals' behavior to do this but it still angers me because the puppies are really cute. I told thornton 04 that I wanted to thump them on the head because they were so cute, of course not hard though.

She's stressed right now because she can't figure out what is goin' on. She is gonna act weird for awhile, but will eventually snap out of it.
If she has another litter later she will be a much better momma. Try to encourage her and give her plenty of attention.

[ComputerDude]

She's stressed right now because she can't figure out what is goin' on. She is gonna act weird for awhile, but will eventually snap out of it.Tom Cruise and Scientology is all she needs.

[Fish-Bait]

Tom Cruise and Scientology is all she needs.

You know dog's cant understand that kind of stuff.:laugh:

[ComputerDude]

You know dog's cant understand that kind of stuff.:laugh:Tom Cruise knows all. Tom Cruise can fix any mental disorder with his powerful vitamins.

[Natural Sunshine]

You know dog's cant understand that kind of stuff.:laugh:
I'm not sure anything really understands that stuff!!!

[fuzzis]

Interestingly, there's a debate in zoos right now about whether zookeepers should intervene when their new mommas refuse to care for (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia-zaleski/veras-cub-why-some-moth_b_81146.html) (or in some cases actually eat) their young.

[hendrixfreak70]

I sure am glad that thornton04 didn't loss her marbles and eat my youngin.