nursing dog not eating

Question

new mother   QUESTION: Yes I have spoken to the vet and the breeder but nothing they say seems to help. The vet said to give her milk. She will not touch it. The breeder told me to cook chicken and mix it with her food or red meat. nothing. Her temperature is normal and the vet says she is ok. Today I literally force fed her
I fed her high quality puppy food mix with chicken and broth. How can i get her to eat on her own. I am so worried.Any suggestion would be welcome. Thank you

ANSWER: Hi Cornella.  It is normal for a new mother to loose interest in food for a few days, If she is staying hydrated by drinking water, and not showing any symptoms such as temperature above 102.5, diarrhea, lack of energy, etc, then I can only agree with your vet and write that in my opinion, for now, she is ok.

I would place her food in a bowl where she can reach it, and leave it there.  she will eat when she's ready.  I have never seen a healthy dog with no symptoms deliberately starve itself.

Good luck and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have additional questions.

Sincerely,
Penny DiLoreto
www.puppies-dot-com.com



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

QUESTION: Dear Penny,
Thank you so much for your prompt answer. I think I should have told you that it is now 6 days that she has no interest in food. Her temperature is 103 but the vet said it was normal.Of course she is getting food because I force feed her by putting the food in a blender and rolling into small balls and putting it her mouth and making her swallow.
And no she has no energy.I should mention that she has never been a great eater but still an extremely healthy dog. Her blood tests always came back tops.I feel that getting her pregnant (she is 3)has endangered her life but we wanted her to have a companion. I live in Greece and I am not sure how informed the medical community is here. She is taking an antibiotic since she did not expel 3 afterbirths. We love her so much and she has always been a well behaved sweet dog that has never caused us one problem from day one. Please tell me what you think. I know you are not a vet but sometimes dogs lovers are more informed. Thank you so much for your time.  

Answer
Hi Cornella.  I'm so sorry to read that your beloved new mother is not eating.  Having to be force fed for 6 days, and having no energy is not a good sign.  

If you can not get a vet to look at her, then I would continue to force feed her, and monitor her tempature.  I agree that a temp of 103 in only .5 dregees about normal, but her temp could rise suddenly if you are not careful.

Also, be sure that she is gettiing enough fluids (perferably water or milk).  One way you can check for dehydration is to do the following:  Using your thumb, pointer finger and middle finger pinch a good amount of skin/fur at the base of the head between the shoulder blades.  While you have a hold of the skin/fur pull up and away from the body, forming a tent, then release and observe how fast/slow the skin/fur returns to normal.  If it returns quickly, she is well hydrated, however if it is very slow, or remains tented she is dehydrated.  

If, after preforming the test, you feel she is dehydrate you can feed her water using a turkey baster or something similar.  I would feed her water every 30 minutes until the skin/fur snaps back quickly and call your vet.

Good luck, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have additional questions.

Sincerely,
Penny DiLoreto
www.puppies-dot-com.com