Question
angel and her pups jus
I have a small mixed breed dog that just had 6 pup a week ago. she has done very well in the mothering dept and nursing when ever her babies cry for her, but i am concerned is even though it appears they look well rounded, do sleep as soundly as they do, they are just as frantic trying to get to the 8 viable teets mom has to offer. Out the six, three of the male and one female seem to be getting more than two of smaller ones. In fact the last to be born is the fattest. he has little rolls on his body and no one else does. but the two that worry me are nearly as small as they were a week ago although they have grown, they are not chubby and cry way more that the others.
Mom seems to be lactating ok but is the milk nurishing enough to keep these babies around and healthy. My vet told me not to worry, thing will work themselves out. just increase her food and water intake. the pup nurse about ever 45 to 50 min. right now. Mom is getting away at every chance she has. But I also have other dogs that are curious about this whole thing and she is having nothing of it. she chases them off as regularly as a wild animal. she will only let one large pit bull that i have have come close to her and she is only 10 lbs. what a mix ?not the dad though.
she tends to her pups every need, cleaning, bathing, holding them in the night. it is wonderful to see her at work.
so do i have something i should be watching out for, to do to help her produce more nutrient rich milk, bath her in warm water during the day? what tell me, i have to know.
AnswerHi there,
Congratulations on your new litter!
It's absolutely fine, and often recommended to rotate the pups when feeding. Let four feed, then alternate them in order to ensure they all have a turn to feed. You can do the at least 3 times a day. Put the little ones on the lowest nipples which usually have an abundance of milk. Or you can sit in the whelping box for each feeding and ensure everybody gets a teat and doesn't knock others off.
You should weigh each puppy every morning and every night at the same time and make sure they are gaining weight. A food scale with a soft towel works great for this purpose.
If the smaller puppies don't seem to be getting enough milk, it will be necessary to hand feed them. You can read about how to do this here:
http://leerburg.com/bottlefeeding.htm
http://www.the-puppy-dog-place.com/new-born-puppies.html
You should be providing your nursing female with as much food and water as she'll eat and drink. It should be accessible to her at all times. While nursing, a dog has extra nutritional requirements. For this reason they're often fed a high quality puppy food, rather than a regular dog food. If you aren't feeding her puppy food, maybe start gradually mixing puppy food into her regular food, over a period of 3-5 days, until she's only eating a puppy food. Once the pups are weaned, at about 5-6 weeks of age, then gradually switch her back to her regular dog food.
You don't need to bathe your nursing dog or her puppies. Just giving mom the extra food she needs, and watching to be sure all the pups are being fed is all the care you need to provide.
If you see the small puppies continue not to gain weight, they need to be examined by your vet.
Check your dog's mammary glands daily, they should be full but not hard. Hard mammary glands that are hot to the touch could indicate Mastitis. Remove all puppies from mom, and get her to the vet immediately to prevent her mammary glands from abscessing.
Don't wait for your nursing dog to chase off your other dogs, even if the father of the puppies is the other dog! This is causing your female dog undue stress. You should prevent your other dogs from getting anywhere near the puppies and the whelping box.
Best of luck!!
Patti
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