best food for new yorkie mom

Question
hi there.. my female 4yr old 4.5 lb yorkie just gave birth to 3 beautiful pups 1 wk ago today.. my question is she seems to be losing alot of weight and not eating much since giving birth. are there any foods or supplements we should be giving her? ive heard that cottage cheese is suppose to be good?we currently feed her eukanuba mini chunks but she's not taking to it since having the babies? do you have any recommendations? She also has a dr.s appt next week.. thank you

Answer
Nicole,

First let me say Congratulations!  

She is probably loosing weight because for her size having three puppies is a lot.  What she needs most is protein and lots of water so she can produce healthy milk for her puppies and not loose to much weight. When I had a female that was not eating and her litter seemed to be taking a tole on her I would feed her cooked chicken.  You should get boneless chicken breasts and cook them for about an hour in a covered pan.  If you put enough water in the pan so that half the chicken is submerged in the water it will make the chicken very moist and easy for her to chew.

The chicken is full of protein and will help her put some weight back on so she is really healthy and can take good care of her puppies.  Still offer her dog food but if she doesn't eat it don't be surprised.  I would feed her the chicken for the entire time the puppies are nursing and then about two weeks after they have been weaned.  Having puppies takes a lot out of the female especially the small ones.  You can use roast beef is you think she needs a change of pace or if she has skin allergies.  Chicken has been associated with skin allergies in small dogs.

Some vets will try to get you to give them supplements and tell you to only feed them dog food but don't listen.  Dogs are animals regardless of being domesticated and eating meat is in their genes.  Give her as much as she wants whenever she wants it.  She will not over eat and only she knows how much her little body needs.

Keep a close eye on her especially her nipples.  You will need to check them daily to make sure they are producing milk.  If a mothers body cannot handle the demands of her puppies she will stop producing milk and the puppies could die before you've even noticed that she is not producing milk.  Making sure she drinks plenty of water will ensure that she will produce lots of milk for her babies.