My Weiner Dog

Question
My mini weiner dig had 4 puppies on Sunday.  She has diarreha ever since, and it'snow Friday.  She is acting normal, eating & drinking, and did eat the placentas.  Is sheokay.  My vet said to give her bland food, and it helped a little, but did not cure it.  Is having diarreha this long after having puppies normal???

Thank you.

Answer
Hi Melissa.   Have you taken her temperature?  The normal temp in a dog is between 101 - 102.5  If her temp. is higher than 103 I suggest that you get her in to see your vet.  Diarrhea alone might not be a problem, but diarrhea mixed with other symptoms like a temperature could be a sign of infection.

You wrote that she ate the placentas.  Did she eat all 4 placentas?  Eating a couple is natural, normal and in fact good to help with the contractions.  However, eating more than a couple can cause the mother to have indigestion, which could be the cause of her diarrhea.

It is never a good thing for a animal (or a person for that matter) to have prolonged diarrhea, but it is even worse for a nursing mother.  We need to keep an eye on her to insure that she does not become dehydrated.  

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 performing this test, you feel that 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.  If she is dehydrated and still has diarrhea, she will probably need to see your vet.

Good luck, and congratulations on your 4 new puppies.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have additional questions.

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