not drinking after birth

Question
i have a german shepard who has had her first birth. she is doing great as a mother however she is not taking care of herself. we hand feed her but she is not drinking water. whats up?


Answer
Hi Brian.  You might be making it too easy for her.  It is good for her to get up and go out - taking a break from the puppies.  I would not hand feed her, instead encourage her to "Stretch her legs" so to speak.

It is normal for new mothers to not want to spend too much time away from her puppies.  One way you can tell if she's getting enough water is to grab the skin/fun at the nap of the neck (space at the base of the head, between the shoulders).  Using you pointer finger, middle finger and thumb, pull the skin/fur away making a tent.  Let go of the tent and see how fast the skin/fun snaps back in to place.  If it goes back quickly, she is fully hydrated, if it remains tented, and is very slow to return to normal, then she is de-hydrated.

If you determine that she is dehydrated, you will need to get fluids in to her quickly.  One way of doing this is to get a large syringe (like a turkey baster) and feed her fluids every 30 minutes or so.  

Repeat the skin/fur test until it returns to normal quickly.

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

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