my dog after having puppies

Question
Hello, my dog, a Chihuahua had her litter 3 days ago, her and the pups seem to be doing well, they are all eating and drinking very well, however the mothers bottom tits are very swollen, they arent bruised,just swollen. is this normal or ok? should I be doing something more to help her? I thank you for any advice you may beable to help me with.

Answer
Hi Erica

You want to ensure that they don't become hot and hard.  This is a sign of mastitis.

Try gently massaging them until the milk comes out. Don't squeeze or pull, it may be very painful.  You can also stand her in a sink of warm water and massage them.  Make sure the water is clean and comes up past her teats.  Letting her standing in it for about 10 - 15 minutes will should bring her milk down and out.

Leaving it can be toxic and fatal for both the dam and pups.  

Keep a very close eye on them, if they get worse she may require a low dose of antibiotics.

Good luck.