New born puppies and mother

Question
My dog just gave birth to a litter of 7 puppies. 4 are alive and healthy. Our veterinarian told us to give the puppies supplementary food, so we are currently feeding them watered down cows milk with a little sugar. Is there anything else we can give them? Our dog doesn't have much milk so what natural food could we give her to increase it?

Answer
Hi. Please don't give cow's milk, in any form. Pups can't digest it, and they won't get much nutritional benefit from it. Try goats milk, or puppy formula. As for your girl, a little trick that breeders sometimes use to help with milk production is to give the dog a few tablespoons of dark beer. Besides that, all you really can do is to make sure she has constant access to food and water at all times. Get the puppies to nurse on all breasts, and her milk may pick up. If not, you'll just have to bottle feed until they're ready to be weaned. Good luck!