first time mom

Question
would a first time mom eat a sick puppy??

Answer
Hello Joyce,
As gross and un-natural as this sounds, yes they would.  The reason behind this is because there is something wrong with the puppy, and to get rid of it, some mothers will eat the puppy.  Some will just abandon the puppy and let it die on its own, but in doing this, the dog would leave a death scent that would lead a preditor to her puppies (if she were out in the wild).  By eating the sick puppy, it leaves no sick or death smell.  Even though your female is living in a home with you, instint kicks in and this is what you have happen.  
I actually expirenced a mother of one litter eat the puppy of a female with another litter.  This behavior is said to happen in some wolf packs, when food is in short supply.  It would mean more food for the one mother.  Dogs are very strange sometimes in their behavior, but its not strange to them, even when they are now living among people who take care of them.  

Sorry for the loss of the puppy, but I hope this has answered your question.  If you have other questions about this, or other Poodle questions in general, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using All
Experts.com,
Kim