The Mother and Puppy Relationship
Most of the time, mother dogs instinctively know how to care for their puppies without help or intervention from outside sources. Once a litter is born, its mother frees them from their sac, which is a protective membrane that encases the pups inside the uterus. The mother rips the sac open after birth before the puppy to clean them off.
Mother dogs also bite off the cord that connects each puppy to the placenta. She then cuddles the pups in close to maintain body heat. If there is no human intervention, mothers will eat the placenta and any other afterbirth material.
Even if it’s the dog’s first litter, all of the above actions happen automatically. A mother dog’s instincts also tell her to walk carefully around her “den” or whelping area so she doesn’t stomp on her puppies.
If a mother’s instincts are so strong, why on earth would she ever eat her young? Doesn’t this go against her natural tendencies?
Why Do Dogs Eat Puppies?
What we described above is what happens during a healthy birthing process. Unfortunately, this “perfect” birth doesn’t always happen. Sometimes a pup is stillborn or born dead. Other times a puppy gets stuck and dies during the birthing process. Occasionally, a puppy isn’t healthy enough to survive very long after it’s born.
Whether they are injured, underdeveloped, or stillborn, once a puppy is dead, mothers don’t necessarily recognize it as their offspring. Without a heartbeat, mother dogs can interpret a dead puppy to be part of the afterbirth, and they eat it.
It’s possible that mother dogs are aware of the dead puppy, but we don’t really know. It is very likely that if you find a puppy has been eaten, it’s because it was dead.
In the wild, animals who are seen as being ill or weak are often abandoned or killed by their pack mates. As disturbing as this is to us, weak and sick pack members risk the survival of healthy animals. While humans do everything possible to save a premature or sick infant, animals accept the situation for what it is. Since they don’t have the advantage of modern medicine and high-tech equipment for survival, they may eat the sick puppy to save the rest.
Sometimes mothers don’t eat sick puppies but simply abandon them to die on their own. They expel them from the nest and refuse to let them nurse. In this case, the puppy will not survive without human intervention.
If a mother dog suffers a miscarriage, they may eat the eliminated fetus. This is the same behaviour as eating a dead puppy.
Why Do Dogs Abandon Their Puppies?
We’ve explained why a mother dog may eat her puppy out of instinct. Sometimes they don’t eat their puppies but abandon them.
Most mothers only leave their puppies for a few minutes at a time to give them a chance to urinate. These periods get longer as the pups get older. Mothers gradually increase the separation periods to teach puppies how to fend for themselves. Puppies often cry in their mother’s absence, but most mothers respond to these cries.
Sometimes, a puppy’s cries are ignored, or the mother never returns. This is called maternal abandonment, and intervention is required for the puppies to survive.
Puppies open their eyes at about ten days of age and start walking around at 15 days. After 3 weeks, they begin eating solids and weaning from their mother, but they should remain nursing until 7-8 weeks. It’s important to know the difference between normal separation and abandonment.
The older a puppy gets, the more mom will leave them alone with their siblings, but she always comes back. If a mother refuses to nurse her puppies, respond to their cries or leaves them when they are only a few days old, this is considered abandonment.
How Do You Prevent a Dog from Eating Puppies?
There isn’t a lot you can do to prevent a mother dog from eating her puppies, as she is acting on instinct. Puppies need to be with their mother after birth. Taking them away from their mother too early lessens their chance of survival significantly. Often if you catch a dog in the act of eating a puppy, the damage is already done, and it will be too late to do anything about it.
Providing a positive birthing environment for mom is the best way to keep mom in a healthy mind frame when she gives birth. It will also reduce the chances of complications during the birth. Ensuring mom is fed a healthy diet and has veterinary checkups is part of this process.
If all the puppies in the litter are born alive, but the mom abandons one or more of them, take the puppy to the vet immediately. Most likely, there is something wrong with the puppy, but sometimes a mom just doesn’t know how to cope. Intervention is needed to save the puppy’s life.
Do Male Dogs Eat Puppies?
Male dogs do not intentionally kill their puppies. While this does happen in other animal species, male dogs don’t engage in this behaviour.
That said, it isn’t wise to have a male dog (even if it’s the dad) around a female shortly after giving birth. Their presence can cause stress for the mom and the puppies. Excessive stress levels lead mothers to make bad decisions, including abandoning or eating their young.
Conclusion
It’s very rare for a dog to eat puppies, but it does happen. This is usually because the puppy is stillborn or dies shortly after birth. While the behaviour is disturbing, it is instinctive for dogs, and they shouldn’t be punished for it.
If you liked our article, please share, and tell us about your experience in the comments below.
