nursing bitch wont leave pups and has diarrhea

Question
QUESTION: my young bitch had her 1st litter by c section yesterday. now she has diarroeah but wont leave the whelping bed so i am cleaning her myself @ regular intervals. she seems ok otherwise. could this be connected to her c section/ansthetic? she is due at vet's tomorrow or Tuesday. will this be ok till then? thanks. laura

ANSWER: Hi Laura,

Did your dog eat any of the afterbirth? That tends to promote diarrhea. Defiantly have your dog seen by your vet tomorrow, not Tuesday. You need to get control over the diarrhea sooner, rather than later.

After whelping your dog may not want to eat very much for 24-48 hours and then regain her appetite. It is recommended to feed her frequently, gradually increasing the amount per meal as her milk production increases and as her puppies grow. Make certain water is plentiful as it is needed to help with her milk production as well.
Do not feed your dog milk products during lactation.

Feeding your dog low-sodium chicken broth with rice is a good meal after whelping as it will be gentle on her stomach, help with the diarrhea, and also give her plenty of fluid and nutrition.

Best of luck!
Patti


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: not a question, more of a thank you. Cannot give rating for some reason! Your advice was great, but was so worried, I took her to vet yesterday, before I received your reply. Just like to pass on this tip for others like me who are so distraught, they cannot think along normal lines; My bitch would not drink water at all after whelping, so I gave her lactol as a last resort,(baring in mind she had not eaten for 3 days, had terrible diarroeah, and was nursing). I was so afraid she would de-hydrate. Well the vet said giving her lactol was worse for her than not giving anything!!! I then started giving her small amounts (regularly) of boiled chicken, shreaded & mixed with boiled rice or scrambled egg & rice. but the main thing is, I offered this to her stirred into a bowl of fresh water, which she thankfully devoured hungrily. Water problem solved!!!! In normal circumstances I would have tried this in the first instance, but given that she began her labour a full 40 hours before her last 4 pups were delivered by C section, (having given birth to 1st pup after hours of pushing) I was out of my mind with worry & 3 nights without sleep. Just wasn't thinking straight.
But anyway, I am so very gratefull for your reply, and as I said, mixing the bland food with water may help some other distraught owner to get water into their poor girl.
Many, many thanks, Laura.

Answer
Hi Laura,

Getting your dog to a veterinarian, rather than waiting for a response from a lay person on line was exactly the right thing to do!

I'm responding with this message rather than sending the All Experts automated thank you note in the hope that others might read this dialog and not put off getting their dogs the medical care that's needed, if they have an feeling that something is wrong!

I'm so glad to hear that your dog is doing better.

Best of luck to her, the puppies, and to you!
Regards,

Patti