nursing Jack Russell

Question
My 3 yr old Jack Russell just had puppies 2 days ago. My first question is she won't eat her dog food or puppy food, but she will eat people food. What should I feed her that is good for her while she is nursing? My next question is she only had 2 puppies and they will only nurse from 4 of her nipples. The other ones are very full of milk but the nipples are shorter and hard for them to latch on to even with help. What will happen if they don't nurse from them, will they dry up or will they stay engorged and harm the mother?


Answer
At this point, let mom eat any kind of food that she wants right now. You can get her back on track later. Some moms get picky after they give birth. She has to produce plenty of milk and take care of her puppies, so I'd just let her eat dog food, or people food for now. And plenty of it. Yes, if the pups do not nurse from those nipples, they can engorge and set up an infection. (They may also just dry up.) If it's impossible for the puppies to nurse from them, then check them often to make sure you don't feel any hard lumps in them, and make sure they're not hot to the touch. If they are, take her to the vet immediately. If I can be of anymore help, please let me know!