Frightening Moment Owner Stops Mama Dog From Eating Pup After Giving Birth
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
A dog owner stepped in to save a puppy from birth after she spotted a terrifying moment of the mother attempting to eat her baby.
Ciara, who is known on TikTok as @notbetter_justdifferent, told Newsweek that her dogs mated in January by accident. She admitted that she "irresponsibly" thought she could keep them apart during heat, but learned from that mistake. This ultimately led to her Shih-poo, a mix between a Shih Tzu and a toy poodle, becoming pregnant.
Along with the pregnancy came an immediate scare when the mother, Dutchess, attempted to eat one of her puppies shortly after giving birth. Ciara captured the incident and posted it to TikTok on May 6. She said she never expected Dutchess to eat the puppies, or knew it was possible, but her senses kicked in as she jumped in to save the puppy.
At first, Ciara thought the dog was trying to lick the puppy clean, but panic set in. She held Dutchess's mouth open and tried pulling the pup from her mouth. When that wasn't enough, she stuck her finger down her throat.
"I prayed she let it go because, you may not be able to see in the video, but she was actively trying to swallow everything, as I'm trying to get it out as well as not hurt the puppy," Ciara said.
Part of the caption reads: "I don't care how much your research, you are never prepared to do stuff like this."
Screenshots from a May 6 TikTok video of a mama dog trying to eat one of her puppies after giving birth, but an owner stepping in to stop it.
Screenshots from a May 6 TikTok video of a mama dog trying to eat one of her puppies after giving birth, but an owner stepping in to stop it.
@notbetter_justdifferent/TikTok
A vet-reviewed article from Hepper explained that there could be several reasons why a mother dog might eat their young, including inexperience and stress. The mothers might not recognize their puppies as their own, or perhaps they are doing a "mercy killing" if they know a pup is not strong enough to survive. This could also happen as an accident while the mother is cleaning their young and trying to eat the placenta.
Ciara said this was the only puppy the mother tried doing this to, which the veterinarian explained was expected, as it was the runt of the litter. While the puppy survived this incident, the mama dog kept trying to eat or kick it out of the pen. Then, unfortunately, about a week later, the mother dog sat on the pup, and the little one died.
As for the other puppies, Ciara said they're eight weeks old now and "thriving." Dutchess has been a good mother to them, stepping up and making sure they were taken care of, fed and warm. Although, she always left them at night to sleep with Ciara in bed.
Viewers React
The TikTok video amassed over 5.1 million views and 172,100 likes as of Sunday. The clip left many people speechless.
"Well, thanks for traumatizing me," one viewer wrote.
Another added: "Whew! I would've panicked too, you handled it so well."
A third person said: "I'd be so mad at her."
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