Pregnancies can often be unplanned and, thus, unexpected, especially when it comes to regular animals just living their lives. However, chances are you’ve never heard a story of someone taking their dog to a vet only to find out that the pup is actually a soon-to-be mom, due in only a few days.
A story just like that occurred a couple of months ago. When the rescuers rescued a severely malnourished dog, no one even had a hunch that she might be expecting children. Yet, she managed to surprise everyone not only by carrying out this stealthy pregnancy but also by giving birth to a single, adorably giant puppy. Scroll down to learn all about it!
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It’s not every day that you find out your dog that you just adopted is unrecognizably pregnant and will be having a just-as-rare singleton in a few days
Salem the dog was rescued from her neglectful owners and needed a vet’s attention due to the very poor condition she was in, but people were lining up for adoption nonetheless
Back in October, a family in Mississippi decided they did not want their dog Salem any longer and surrendered her to their neighbor. The poor pup was in horrible condition, appearing malnourished, injured, and with several types of worms.
Without any delay, the neighbor reached out to Happy Tails Canine Rescue, and they rushed out to take Salem in. The moment the post about her hit social media, there were already people lining up who wanted nothing more than to give the dog the home it always deserved.
After she was soon adopted, her new family took her to get spayed, which is when they discovered that she was not only heavily pregnant but she also was carrying one giant puppy
“She was adopted on October 26th, and her spay was scheduled for November 8th,” Christina Gómez, founder and director of Happy Tails Canine Rescue, shared with The Dodo, adding that “When the vet went in to spay her, they called me letting me know she was HEAVILY pregnant and due in about 2 to 3 days.”
This came as a shock to everyone involved because no one had even the slightest suspicion that Salem might’ve been pregnant. And when everyone finally got their bearings, the X-ray that the vet performed brought a second, arguably even bigger surprise.
“Salem was pregnant with ONE giant puppy,” Christina said, explaining that this is called a singleton puppy and it’s a very unusual occurrence for dogs. “The puppy was literally taking up her whole uterus!”
The family was glad it was only 1 puppy, as they could look after her until she was big enough to be adopted by another family since they couldn’t keep her themselves
Despite the initial shock, the family was relieved that it was only a single puppy. They named her Astrid, and even though they won’t be able to keep her forever due to already having 2 children and 2 other pets, they’ll be able to look after her until she grows big enough and can find a home of her own.
For now, she enjoys life as is, eating, playing, and sleeping, as every pup should. And when the time comes, the rescue will make sure that she gets to the best place possible. “She will provide a special family with so much joy and their own polar bear puppy,” said Christina.
Singleton puppies are rare but not at all impossible, and while, according to Karen B. London’s article on Kinship, some factors might make this scenario more likely, there is no one specific cause that determines such an outcome.
However, when such a puppy is born, they’re at risk for something known as single puppy syndrome, which may result in some severe behavioral problems, making the dog a true terror to live with and an absolute nightmare to train if the issue is ignored. This includes:
- Having poor bite inhibition
- Being unable to diffuse social tension
- Inability to get out of trouble with calm and grace
- Difficulty dealing with frustration
- Impulse control issues
- Lack of social cues awareness
- Sensitivity to touch
- Fear of being enclosed
- Obedience issues
Singleton puppies are in danger of developing behavioral and physical issues; therefore, their owners must take extra steps to ensure their development goes well
Additionally, as per this American Kennel Club article, singleton puppies are also in danger of being overweight due to having their mom’s whole milk reservoir available to them alone. This means that monitoring their eating is of extreme importance as excess weight at such an early age can lead to hip and joint damage as well as impaired development of the ribs, heart, and lungs.
Fortunately, similarly to dogs that have only one puppy, single puppy syndrome, as well as most other singleton problems, is quite rare, and it’s all thanks to most owners taking the necessary steps to ensure that these pups get all the early experiences necessary for their healthy character development.
The most important part is getting your pup to spend enough time with other dogs their age, with the best thing you could possibly do being raising him or her in another litter. There, the singleton will get a chance to interact and play with other dogs and get the more typical puppy experience, which is crucial to the animal’s development and education.
Other things you should do in such a situation include teaching the pup bite inhibition, making sure to handle the puppy plenty to deal with the touch sensitivity issue, and carefully interrupting their feeding to get them used to the frustration as well as ensure they don’t overeat. All of this is the most relevant when the little one is from 3 to 14 weeks old.
Ultimately, being born a singleton doesn’t have to define the dog, or how their life will be. However, it sure does make them appear incredibly adorable. After all, who could say no to such a cute face like Astrid’s?
What did you think about this story? Have you ever seen something like this happen before? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
The commenters were taken by how beautiful the story was and were very thankful for the people who rescued the dog
