Too maternal?

Question
QUESTION: Our dog finally gave birth last night. The labour was quite long and demanding for her and for us and we're very happy that the mom and her 4 pups are doing great.

Our dog has been taking care of the pups ever since they were born. She's very maternal but we're wondering if she might be too maternal. She won't come out of the whelping box except to eat, drink and go out to urinate and even then, we have to "convince" her into doing it. She hasn't eaten at all yesterday and she hasn't eaten much this morning. What should we do to get her to take care of herself too?

ANSWER: It doesn't sound to me that your girl is 'too' maternal. She sounds like she's doing just what she should be. If she was allowed to eat all of the placentas, she may not be too hungry right now. If you have to, try giving her some melted vanilla icecream. Or try putting some broth over her food. If she doesn't pick up pretty soon and eat, you need to take her to the vet for a check up. If she doesn't eat, she won't be able to produce milk. She may just be picky right now, like a lot of girls. If this is the case, then feed her whatever she wants, safe foods of course. You can get her back on her diet later.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your answer. I thought she might still be full with the placentas. She also still has diarrhea so maybe that's why she's not feeling 100%. Actually, she has been eating and she hate a bit more than she used to before giving birth. The only thing is that she won't eat in her bowl; she'll flip it over. We have to give her food in our hands, that's the only way she'll eat. We've also given her a piece of her favorite treat and she won't eat it. Otherwise, she's still playful, she drinks OK and she doesn't seem to have fever.

Answer
Good. I'm glad she's eating. You know, some girls get really picky after they whelp. It may be the food, or where they eat the food, or just have some odd behavior. Diarrhea is normal for a day or so. Just keep an eye out for that. If she continues with it, call your vet. Besides that, it sounds like all is well. Good luck! :-)