2 week old puppies and their Dam have diarreah

Question
Hi,

My cocker spaniel gave birth to 6 puppies 2 weeks ago with no problem.  She ate all the placentas.  I am feeding her a premium puppy dog food.  The puppies have gained weight with no problem.  Yesterday I noticed that the puppies have diarrhea and today I woke up to finding the Dam with very soft stool almost like diarreah.  She has had a stringy like mucus discharge since she whelped.  I took her to the vet the day after she gave birth, he took an X-ray and said she was fine and the discharge was normal.  She still has that stringy like discharge.  How can I resolve the problem with all of them having diarrhea.  I haven't fed her anything different or given her any snacks.  The only thing the vet told me to give her was some Calcium tablets that he prescribed.  1/2 a tablet 2x per day.  I haven't missed a dose.  The Dam is still playful, wags her tail, she is eating well and doesn't have any other symptoms.  Although, I haven't taken her temperature.

Answer
Hi Rik:

I would try giving the mom a spoonful or two of plain canned pumpkin (not spiced pumpkin pie filling) two to three times a day & see if that doesn't help firm up her stool. Considering she's on calcium supplements, that will usually cause near constipation but perhaps because she is still recovering from eating all the placentas & the stress of whelping & now nursing the puppies it's reacted differently in her system. The best part about canned pumpkin is it is 100% safe & usually very effective for either diarrhea or constipation. You might also try adding a little cottage cheese into her puppy food. If her symptoms don't improve within a day or two or should worsen, especially the puppies, check in with your vet as she may need a prescription alternative.