Puppy Play Day: French Bulldog Fosters Shiba Inu Puppies

By Michelle & Wesley Lewis – 2Stars French Bulldogs

During the anticipated pregnancy of our French Bulldog, Nola, [GCH CH Bandog Empire’s Under My Umbrella At 2Stars (bred by Patricia & Luis Sosa and Tonya Downs)], who was bred with GCHP CH Bandog’s A League Of His Own at Tx Star (bred by Patricia & Luis Sosa and Nancy Shaw), we learned that Nola was only carrying a singleton. Having been down this road before, we knew the associated difficulty, especially since this was Nola’s first litter.

On March 27, 2020, we were blessed with a big, beautiful boy who looked just like his mother, with the fantastic nose roll of his father. When awakening after a C-section, bitches are often confused about the new puppies and need coaxing to allow them to nurse. A singleton adds to this issue by not drawing enough milk from the mother to get the flow going and not drinking enough, which may lead to mastitis. We were working around the clock through all these issues, to include supplemental feedings and giving oxytocin to Nola.

Two days later, our wonderful repro Veterinarian, Dr. Cindy Smith, contacted us about fostering a litter of Shiba Inu. After coordination with their breeder, three Shiba puppies arrived, and our journey began. Since Nola was still in the introduction phase with her puppy, the Shibas were given a good sniff and allowed to nurse. Nola seemed more engaged with the arrival of the new puppies and began cleaning them within a day. While the Shibas quickly outgrew the Frenchie and were definitely more vocal, Nola saw no difference and is a wonderful mother to all.

Many good things have come out of this. Our puppy will not have the typical issues associated with singletons of bite inhibition and lack of social skills; we gained loving affection of another breed; we were able to assist another breeder in a very stressful time, and gained lifelong friends in the process.

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=182320

Posted by chesliepickett on Apr 18 2020. Filed under Featured, The Buzz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.