Cleanliness in whelping question

[ABK]

I am wondering - I know that providing yout bitch a clean area to whelp her litter is essential. But what about canids like wolves, wild dogs & even stray domestic dogs? Don't they whelp their litters in dens or depressions dug out of the dirt? How do their pups survive in such a literally "dirty" environment? I'm sure they get dirt in their fur as well as their nostrils & umbilical cords. I know mother licks her pups, but that can't keep all the dirt out. So how do the whelps survive in such an unclean setting?

Any insight?

(Oh & BTW before anyone asks, NO I am not considering letting my dogs whelp outside in the dirt. All my pitties will continue to whelp in a nice clean house, thank you. I'm just curious. ;) )

[bighead]

My vet and I got talking about this idea with reguards to my horses.....

He said that the sun is a great natural sanitizer.....that when we stall or confine animals in a small area that we think is clean there are actually a large number of bacteria and germs still present. He said that a nice open field was an ideal place for animals to deliver......that is was sanitzed by the sun's "bleaching effect"

Then again how much sun does a den get???

[fitzpit]

im betting that in-door breeding results in all around healthier pups.
and have a greater chance of making it to 8wks old,for the reasons listed.

i dont know the stats though :)

[JRSPITS]

I was wondering the same thing Wednesday while watching Animal Planet. What about heartworm? Wouldn't a lot of wolves die from heartworm or are they somehow immune?

[ABK]

I would think a den would get little - if any - sun at all. So the original question still goes unanswered. The sun would not be strilizing anything. Yes, momma washes them, but that won't wash all the dirt off. So how do they survive?

:confused: :confused: :confused:

As for wolves & heartworm, I would not guess HW would be a big thing in wolves since most live in areas where HW is not a bad problem. I'm sure some wolves do die from it, but due to the mild climates in which most wolves live, mosquito season would be short & most mosquitos would die off each season resulting in what I would assume to be less of a HW risk for the wolves.

[Bullyson]

I would guess that a wolves immune system would be much stronger than a common house dog. You'de think that 100's of years of living in an environment with parasites would get there bodies use to the conditions.

[Old Timer]

I am wondering - I know that providing yout bitch a clean area to whelp her litter is essential. But what about canids like wolves, wild dogs & even stray domestic dogs? Don't they whelp their litters in dens or depressions dug out of the dirt? How do their pups survive in such a literally "dirty" environment? I'm sure they get dirt in their fur as well as their nostrils & umbilical cords. I know mother licks her pups, but that can't keep all the dirt out. So how do the whelps survive in such an unclean setting?

Any insight?

(Oh & BTW before anyone asks, NO I am not considering letting my dogs whelp outside in the dirt. All my pitties will continue to whelp in a nice clean house, thank you. I'm just curious. ;) )To be honest with you i think times have just changed and peoples mindsets have also changed.when i was a boy if my father or grandfather bred a litter of pups they were born where the bitch lived at always in the spring time so they wouldn't cath a draft or get a chill ,and that was usually a large pen with a dirt floor.their reasoning behind it was it put undue stress on a bitch to whelp out of her usual living quarters.they said the ground was clean there,she was used to it and her scent was all over it so it was better for the pups and the mother.myself i never seen a problem with it but i have my litters in a whelping area i have had set up for the last 40 + years,do i say the pups fair any better than the litters i remember from my childhood nope,they are cleanier but not any diffrence in health or survival rate.i think what it really boils down to is we just do not want to see pups born in the dirt crawling around getting all dirty,i don't think the dogs mind it as long as they are warm and getting a nipple but we the people just don't like to see it.

[The Watcher]

here is how my six weeks old pups are getting along.
they are right next to my bed... ;)

this does not mean that I think they would be at jepardy outside.

[Old Timer]

Picture of health Watcher,very nice looking dogs.

[Michele]

here is how my six weeks old pups are getting along.
they are right next to my bed... ;)

this does not mean that I think they would be at jepardy outside.
I don't know you all that well but I have to say that besides Marty, you are one of the most careful apbt owners that I know when it comes to the pups. :) Whenever I see one of your pupcams, those pups living quarters are really clean. No offense to anyone else. I just haven't seen pictures of anyone else that posted their pups.

[bahamutt99]

With regard to the wolf pup analogy, I read that they have a very high mortality rate. I think it was that 60% die young. Whether that's because of famine or disease, I don't know.

[lockjaw]

well in brazil there is no real animal control..and it always made me wonder how theses dogs breed outside and live outside and the dogs and the pups eat garbage ..and i see the pups grow up no shots ,no parvo, no dewormer and they live...then you go and buy a pup from a clean breeder and baby the hell out of it and it seems if you breath to hard they get parvo..i think that dirt on the surface is dirty dirt..and the down deep dirt might have good bacteria..or maybe the pups feed on the mother longer????????

[The Watcher]

thanks.

I typically use the cedar wood chips till I take the mother out. just to messy with her gone. more messy = more $$$. so at 5-6 weeks I line the puppy crates with free ;), newspaper out of the bins. works well for me this way.

Picture of health Watcher,very nice looking dogs.
thanks.

thats all that matters. ;)
besides Marty, you are one of the most careful apbt owners that I know when it comes to the pups. :) Whenever I see one of your pupcams, those pups living quarters are really clean.

[NCPatchwork]

Ok...from my thoughts only, I may be wrong. When dogs where domesticated, we started keeping them alive no matter what. In the wild, only the strongest survived, which in turn (most believe) that they produced stronger, healthier dogs. Wolves and wild dogs may have more immunity to things than our domesticated dogs due to the fact that they have nature selecting the pups that can/will survive..

maybe?


PS. Watcher...how is CJ coming along? Being a crazy baby or what?

[The Watcher]

PS. Watcher...how is CJ coming along? Being a crazy baby or what?
CJ is raring to go.