min pin puppies

Question
i have a min pin who just had 7 puppies and we usually feed her 2 bowls a day but i think she needs more it would help me so much if you could tell me what to feed her and if i need to feed some of the puppies for her thank you so much yours truly Katie

Answer
Hi Katie,

While your dog is nursing her litter, she needs as much food as she'll eat because of the added stress and demands of nursing 7 puppies. Leave a full bowl of food and clean water available to her at all times.

It would be best to feed your nursing dog a mixture of her regular food, and a good quality puppy food. Puppy food has more of the extra nutrients a nursing dog needs. Over a period of 4-7 days, gradually increase the amount of puppy food your dog receives, until she's getting only the puppy food. Keep her on the all puppy food diet until her pups are weaned, at about 5 weeks of age. Again, leaving a full bowl so she can eat as much as she wants is really important!

If any of the puppies are not nursing, then you must feed them. Here are directions:

http://qtpawzpoodles.tripod.com/handfeedingpuppies.html
http://leerburg.com/bottlefeeding.htm

If you have questions or concerns, don't hesitate to call your vet!

Best of luck,
Patti