The largest number of puppies ever recorded in a litter was from a Neopolitan Bull Mastiff called Tia, in Manea in Cambridgeshire.
Tia gave birth to 24 puppies! That’s a huge amount, considering a normal size litter even for the Neopolitan Bull Mastiff breed is around six to eight puppies.
Imagine having to look after twenty four of these great big beauties…
Tia’s owners, Damian Ward and his girlfriend, Anne Kellegher, had thought it would be quite a large litter after their vet did a scan and thought there would be around ten puppies, so imagine their shock when they had twenty four.
The bull mastiff grew so large that she could barely move, so the breeders took her to the vet, who decided Tia needed an emergency caesarean. Just two hours later, a record 24 puppies had been born.
Unfortunately, four of the puppies were very weak and passed away, however the other twenty were healthy and thriving. The owners sold 17 of the puppies, each of which was worth more than £900 each.
The Guinness Book of Records showed the previous largest litter was 23 puppies, making this litter of Neopolitan Bull Mastiffs a new world record for the most puppies born in a litter and also for the largest number of surviving puppies.
The Neopolitan Bull Mastiff is a great breed, but not one for the fainthearted.
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