milk

Question
my shit zu had 5 puppies what can i feed her so she produces more mild she is eating nutro choice and canned food mixed in i also give her nutri-cal i keep her dog bowl full at times but i have been feeding them as well

Answer
Hello,
I am NOT an expert on nursing dogs but I'll share a few of the things I do know. Then I will ask you to see your vet because your nursing mom MUST HAVE ADDED FOOD AND NUTRIENTS--more than likely. Here are the generic suggestions I have but again, Please, talk to your vet or a breeder about this, ok?

You shih-tzu (I have one too--a little boy rescue)has five pups..a big litter. You could give the mom an extra meal a day, early in the morning, consisting of liquids, for example milk and honey if she will drink this. I have read that all cereal-type food must be based on oats, because this helps to increase the amount of milk and contains a more digestible and concentrated protein than any other cereal.

Pregnant dogs lose weight after giving birth, but their nutritional needs increase dramatically. Energy needs can be 2 to 3 times their normal food requirement�depending on litter size�to produce the milk to nourish the pups. Be sure your nursing mom has plenty of water so she can generate the milk volume she needs to feed the litter.

To help your nursing dog get enough nutrition, feed a nutrient-dense diet such as puppy food including what I suggested above. Without increasing the amount of food offered at a meal, increase the number of meals throughout the day. Free-choice feed her, offering unlimited access to dry food throughout the day.

Now, having said all of that, I do not feed my dog commercial dog foods but use organic raw. I sought expert help in order to be able to do this. However, since your pup is already nursing and already being exhausted by sucking pups, I am taking the commercial route with you cause as I said in the beginning, I am not THAT familiar with nursing dogs.

I hope these suggestions helped you just a bit. Please let me know how it goes. Are you selling the pups? Are they pure shih-tzu's? I have two YOrkies and lastly, the little Shih-tzu who came to me out of the blue. He was a puppy mill dog who was going to be put down THAT AFTERNOON if he wasn't snatched out of his cage by my neighbor. I agreed to help out OVERNIGHT and  year later still have this wonderful little fella. He is SOOOOOOOOOOO DIFFERENT from my Yorkies..affectionate, calm, sweet in ways that they are not. Never knew this about Shih-tzu's--HE IS A DOLL!!! Sue