|
Let me start to assure everybody that I am not trying to
re-open the long and heated debate about neuter - and spay - and what it does to
the dogs, but I have a bit of a problem here.
I had a 2 ½ year old female - Farise - spayed last thursday,
and now she believes she is the mother of my 3 weeks old litter.
Farise was 3 weeks out of season when she was spayed due to
having discharge. Up to the time of the spay she was friendly but not out of the
ordinary interested in the litter, but 4 days after the spay she started to
react differently to the sound of the puppies, being very concerned each time
they were crying. And yesterday she started to get in with the puppies, laying
down with them, trying to suckle them, nursing them, every bit as careful and
loving as if they were her own. The puppies are in the kitchen were the other
dogs have to pass through going in and out of the garden. The real mother
Sherryl is a very easy going bitch who has no problem with the other dogs being
around her puppies. Unfortunately the same can not be said about Farise, who
does not want to share "her puppies". She is obsessed with the puppies, jumps
over the gate to the kitchen if given a change despite the wound and E. collar,
cried most of the time last night because of being denied access to the kitchen,
every bit as annoying and singleminded as a male with a bitch in season. She is
trying to dig her way through doors - a way of behaving totally out of caracter
for her.
Farise has never behaved like this before, no false pregnacies
and no attept to take over litters, so I have to believe that the spay brought
in on. It may seem a strange thing to happen, but after all being spayed
does change hormones, and I have had the very same thing happen to a
cat that woke up from a spay to try to take over a litter of kittens, so maybe
it is not really so unusual after all, so I want to hear if some of you
have had this happen, and if so, how long did it last ?
Also I am in doubt of what will be the best way of dealing
with the problem. Do I keep her away from the puppies as much as possible, or do
I let her have some time with the puppies, she does seem a little more relaxed
after being with them for a while, and she is doing no harm, the puppies are
very content to snuggle up to her, climbing all over her, and trying to suckle
her, and the mother does not mind. On the other hand maybe being with the
puppies will just confirm her idea that they are hers and prolong the
problem.
All inputs are received gratefully.
Lene Nielsen
|