Lhasa Apso First Litter

Question
My lhasa apso is almost two years old and just had her first litter about 30 hours ago.  Two out of the four pups made it.  She did very well and is very protective of her babies.  This is also my first experience with newborn pups as well.  First of all, my dog has only had less than about 1/4 cup of food to eat since she has had the puppies.  Is this normal??  I have noticed, when the pups start crying, she seems to get a little nervous and either start crying a bit on her own or she gets very restless and starts trying to nest just like she did while she was whelping.  When she tries to nest, alot of times the pups end up under the blankets and I worry they are going to suffocate.  I also have noticed she favors one pup over the other.  She cares for and feeds them both but, when she gets restless, she tends to pick this one up in her mouth and leaves the other one there crying until she lies back down and it crawls to her and then she will clean it and make sure it is close to her.  I am open to any suggestions!!!  Thank you!!!

Answer
Hi Sarah

Congratulations!  There is nothing sweeter or more scary than new pups.

The first 72 hours are always the toughest.  It takes the new moms about that long to figure things out.  If she ate all the afterbirth, she won't be hungry yet, but as her milk comes in she'll start eating more.  Make sure that she has lots of fresh water.

Were you present when during the delivery?  Did all the placentas' and the afterbirth get expelled.  

It's important to watch her closely for the next day or two to make sure she doesn't kill the other pup. Also you want to discourage her from picking up the pup and moving it around.  

If you have a whelping box for her, make sure that it's just small enough for her and her pups.  The bottom half of a vari kennel works great for small dogs. Be sure to remember to make a bumper by rolling up towels or sheets and leave only one carpet down.

Good luck.