food for whelping bitch

Question
Hi I have a cocker spaniel She has just had pups. Can you tell me if there is something I should be giving her to help with the milk supply. They are 4 days old and there are 10 At the moment she is on puppy biscuits available all the time and I have made some stew up with rice and meat ,veges  do you think that i should be giving her anything else.

Answer
Hi Jan

If your female is on puppy biscuits, you might as well just feed her the box.  That would have the same nutritional value. She fills up on biscuits and she won't have room for the good stuff.

You need a good quality puppy kibble that is high in protein. Too much people food and she can get diarrhea and that can cause dehydration, especially if she's not use to having it.

Organ meats, rice and vegetables are good in small doses.

What you need to do is rotate the pups.  Five on, five off.   This gives the dam a chance to clean and inspect each pup.  And it lets the pups have a good feed.   Start with an 30 minutes on and a 30 minutes off, graduating to an hour or until her milk comes in good and strong.

The pups that are fed and resting should be placed in a warm box. Any box will do, I prefer a rubber maid container.  Place a heating pad on the bottom (completely covered and set only at the lowest setting), place two or three towels or rags over top.  You don't want to the heating pad to touch the pups.  Roll up towels or dish clothes around the sides and place the pups in the middle. Everyone will be much happier for it.

Good luck.