pregnant dog wont eat

Question
QUESTION: Hi Renee,

I have a 4 year old lab/husky mix that we believe is 24 days pregnant counting from the last breeding.  I know there have been others with this same questions, but I'm still confused as to what would be the best thing to do.

An infection has been ruled out.  My vet suggested adding chicken to her food, but she just picks out the chicken.  I have tried different canned foods with her food.  I chopped up the chicken very fine, mixed with canned and dry, she just licks off the can food/chicken mix and leaves the dry food.  My vet suggested starting her on puppy food, so that even if she is eating less, she will get more calories.  She never like puppy food when she was a puppy, the chances of her eating it now are very unlikely.  I read about giving her cottage cheese and hamburger.  About how much would you give of each?  Should I still mix in canned food?  Could it just be the dry food?  She has only been on Iams, does she have some sort of sensitivety to it or has grown not to like it now that she may be pregnant?  My vet also has said that dogs do not have morning sickness, but I keep finding info that says otherwise.  If this is true, how long does it last?    Otherwise she is healthy and happy, except for maybe being more clingy than ususal.  I want to do what is ever possible for her health and the health of the puppies.

Any information you can give me would be greatly appreicated.

Thank you,
Patty

A

ANSWER: Hi Patty. She doesn't need puppy food. Puppy food will only help make the puppies too big to be born naturally. Cottage cheese and hamburger is a good idea. Just try small amounts at first, to see if she's even interested. You've definitely asked the wrong person about measurements when it comes to food! I don't even cook. lol My husband does. Just mix it at first with more hamburger meat. And if she's eating the canned food, then you can just feed her that by itself. Try to mix some of the meat and cottage cheese with it, and slowly reduce the amount of the meat and cheese to where she's only eating the canned food. Now, if she won't eat any dog food at all after the puppies are born, then you'll have to feed her whatever she will eat, including people food. I know that people think people food is a big no-no in dogs. And, it usually is. However, if you want your dog to produce plenty enough milk for the pups, then you feed her whatever she wants. (No bones, no chocolate, and no onions.) Some girls get finicky when they become pregnant. Some girls just know they can get away with more. Trust me, she won't starve herself to death. She will eat when she gets hungry enough. Most people think that when their dog is pregnant that they can to baby them. Dead wrong. You treat them like you normally do, but take precautions. Some girls are smart enough to know that they can play on their owners sympathy. Dogs can in fact get morning sickness. It usually doesn't last that long though. Some vets just don't know anything about breeding dogs. That's why I always tell people to get a second opinion. The vets that do know about breeding, or is willing to learn, are a gem! Good luck, and if I can be of anymore help, let me know!

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QUESTION: Hi Renee,

I think we have the whole food issue under control, but I have another question.  The father of the pups is our other dog.  They are both house dogs and sleep in the same room at night.  My question is, how do I handle the male after the pups are born?  I've heard that they will help with the cleaning up and taking care of the pups.  Is that only if the mother will let him?  What if she won't let him come near them, do I need to give him seperate time with the pups?  Or can he have supervised visit with her and the pups?  I've found very little on the subject and am curious what will work the best.  What about the fact that they are his, will that make any difference?  What will I actually have to do to make this work?  

Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated.  You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find any info on this subject.

Thank you,
Patty Markiewicz

ANSWER: Hi Patty! The safest thing to do is to keep the dad separated from mom and pups period. They may get along really well right now, but when mom has those puppies, she's likely to not want any other dogs around her babies. It can stress her out bad. He probably won't want anything to do with those squirming, screaming things anyway. :-)He won't have a clue that those are his puppies. You can let him around the pups when they're about 4 weeks old, if you want. For the first 3 weeks, all they care about is eating and sleeping. Don't get me wrong, it's good to socialize the pups to different dogs. But for the first few weeks, they need to be kept separate. Good luck, and if I can help with anything else, just holler!

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QUESTION: Hi Renee,
It's me again!  Now my question is about the whelping box material.  What do I use for when she is actually whelping?  Newspapers? Ripped sheets? Or what else?  Also, what can I use after she has all the pups?  I would like to use common things, not a fancy-made-for-material.  Can you give me some suggestions?

Thanks again,
Patty

Answer
Hi Patty! You can use newspapers, but I prefer chucks. You can buy them at Wal-Mart, they're cheap, and you get a lot of them. Plus, they're disposable. After she has one puppy, you simply take the used chuck up, and slap down a clean one. It keeps mom and pups clean, and dry. They're over by the adult diapers in the store. They may be called something else. They look like huge puppy pads. After mom's all done, I use the lamb pads (I can't even think of the correct name for them. Sorry!:-) You can also get them at Wal-Mart. Buy at least two, so that when you have one in the washer, you still have a clean one. I really like this because it keeps puppies really dry and clean. If you need anything else, just holler!:-)