[Greenman]

I don't know if this is true, and it might be a stupid question, but my friend told me that dogs eat their first-born. Is this true? I didn't believe him, but I don't know and would like to make sure.

 

[wabanafcr]

Oh good grief, no. They certainly do not eat their first born. They do like to eat the placentas, though!

 

[tirluc]

why would a dog eat their 1st born?...that makes no sense....i have never even known a mother to kill, let alone eat, a pup that is deformed or something....deny it feeding, yes, straight out kill it, no....

i love some people thoughts on "dog lore"

 

[Greenman]

Ok good. I was really surprised when he said that because he's a serious person. I don't even think dogs kill anything, let alone their own first-born.

 

[Ganondorf]

I've never heard anything like that before. Where did he hear that from? That's kind of weird.

 

[DogsforMe]

It can happen with mice, but never heard of it with dogs.

 

[txcollies]

It's not true. But sometimes if a puppy has died or is stillborn, they will eat that pup.

 

[Corteo]

Nope......

 

[Marsh Muppet]

I don't even think dogs kill anything, let alone their own first-born.

You've never tried to introduce a Jack Russell Terrier to a Guinea Pig, have you? Actually, some adult male dogs are prone to killing very young pups. I don't know that it is exactly common, but it is certainly not universal. I'd keep a close watch on any adult canine with puppies that are not her own.

 

[cshellenberger]

Ok good. I was really surprised when he said that because he's a serious person. I don't even think dogs kill anything, let alone their own first-born.

Dogs are predators, so yes, they will kill. Sometimes it's stuffed toys, sometimes it's a small animal (I've had numerous dogs that hunted and killed rats and mice) or cat, and unfortunately dogs have killed livestock, other dogs and people.

 

[Tricia_88]

My parents raised dogs when I was young. I remember them saying that the mom would do that if there was a deceased pup. I guess it is nature. My mom always liked to be there so she could help and take away any that did not make it.

 

[Greenman]

My parents raised dogs when I was young. I remember them saying that the mom would do that if there was a deceased pup. I guess it is nature. My mom always liked to be there so she could help and take away any that did not make it.

Wow. So I guess there is some truth to it.

Dogs are predators, so yes, they will kill. Sometimes it's stuffed toys, sometimes it's a small animal (I've had numerous dogs that hunted and killed rats and mice) or cat, and unfortunately dogs have killed livestock, other dogs and people.

Whaaaaaaat?

You've never tried to introduce a Jack Russell Terrier to a Guinea Pig, have you? Actually, some adult male dogs are prone to killing very young pups. I don't know that it is exactly common, but it is certainly not universal. I'd keep a close watch on any adult canine with puppies that are not her own.

Was not aware of that. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[UrbanBeagles]

No, absolutely not. No mentally stable bitch would consume her first born, ever. Maybe less than 1% of the time, a bitch will either accidentally eat a pup when consuming the placenta or will kill a pup. It might happen one time out of 100,000. And bitches that do this are NOT normal. I have bitches that will tear a hare or squirrel to shreds but they are intelligent enough to know their pups are not prey. I've had one take a pup who was having trouble gaining weight off into the corner to nurse by himself. She also helped a younger bitch when her pups were born premature ... whenever the other bitch left the whelping box, Heidi kept the pups warm, b/c they were having trouble regulating body temp. No, bitches don't kill pups.
I did once have a nutty little siberian dwarf hamster eat all 8 of her first litter of pups. She was not playing with a full deck though, lol.

 

[Kyllobernese]

Years ago I bought an adult female Scottish Terrier. The first litter of pups she had, they were about four weeks old when one disappeared. They were in the house and we hunted high and low and never found it. Was always a mystery. A year later, I gave her to my sister. She had one more litter of pups and when they were around four weeks, two of them disappeared. They had them in an outside pen for the day so reported them stolen. The next day, they caught her in the act of eating another pup. Needless to say, she was spayed but I often wondered if this is why they were selling her. Obviously she had some sort of mental problem because I have never heard of any other female doing this. We had bought her from a well-known breeder in Ontario and she was very well bred.

 

[Dunixi]

My grandmother had a great dane that used to lay on her puppies...but we don't think she was playing with a full deck either. She had cancer during her last two litters...and died shortly after her last litter was born. We wonder if that didn't have anything to two with it. Out of 4 litters, only 4 puppies survived.