# Why do bitches sometimes eat their pups? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 7, 2005, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-bitches-sometimes-eat-their-pups/288723 "2005-02-07T00:29:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Doppleganger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Doppleganger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doppleganger)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-bitches-sometimes-eat-their-pups/288723/1 "2005-02-07T00:29:30Z")
I have a six or seven year old boxer that just gave birth to pups. She was a stray that I adopted and I’m sure she had a hard life. Two of her pups still born and she tried to eat the third. I’ve been bottlefeeding the little guy for the last 12 hours and just recently tried to see if she would nurse him again. She did better, but every once in a while she would try to bit him in the head. Is she nuts or is this normal behavior given her history and age. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-bitches-sometimes-eat-their-pups/288723/2 "2005-02-07T00:35:15Z")
[So You Wanna Breed Your Boxer Bitch, Eh](http://www.newcastleboxers.com/wannabreed.shtml)? > [@](#): > > Do you know how to care for puppies after whelping? If the bitch lives and is producing milk, you’ll have an easier time of it. You still need to be vigilant, especially with a new mother. Some bitches reject their puppies, some bitches (not common) kill their puppies. Other times bitches may accidentally lay, roll, or step on their puppies, which is why you need to be constantly present in the whelping room for at least their first week of life . ---
**Author:** ![Phnord\_Prephect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-bitches-sometimes-eat-their-pups/288723/3 "2005-02-07T01:20:55Z")
Maybe she knows something the rest of us don’t? ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-bitches-sometimes-eat-their-pups/288723/4 "2005-02-07T01:34:24Z")
What do you mean by ‘try’ to eat him? A dog that size would have no trouble eating a pup is she was serious. I’m guessing you mean she was attacking him. New mothers will do that sometimes, they just don’t bond properly with the pup and reject them when they try to feed. Dogs will sometimes eat their pups but it’s fairly uncommon. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-bitches-sometimes-eat-their-pups/288723/5 "2005-02-07T01:36:17Z")
Even though I am familiar with “bitch” meaning a female dog, this thread title gave me quite a shock and subsequent laugh. ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-bitches-sometimes-eat-their-pups/288723/6 "2005-02-07T01:49:14Z")
Cats do this too A couple decades ago, I had a female cat who after giving birth started biting the kitten. I just gave the momma cat a slight slap on the head, and introduced the kittten to a nipple on momma cat. Momma cat just let the kitten suckle. Maybe just cats and dogs didn’t study at school about giving birth, and now occasionally humans give them a gentle whack with a cluestick and point out what to do? ---
**Author:** ![Maxxxie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Maxxxie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maxxxie)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-bitches-sometimes-eat-their-pups/288723/7 "2005-02-07T04:01:23Z")
Urgh. I don’t know why this happens, but I’ve seen it happen. Admittedly, I don’t know if the puppy was alive at the time, or if it had died shortly beforehand, but: she chewed the pup’s head off, then _skinned_ the body! I was like watching a sausage being peeled in one piece. The result was inside-out puppy skin, and a skinless puppy, which she quickly ate. :eek: I sincerely hope the puppy was dead before she did this. _shudder_ Max.