New Mother Reluctant To Feed

Question
Hi. My 18 month old lab had her first litter of 8 healthy puppies a little over 18 hours ago. She is giving them great care and attention when it comes to cleaning, urinating and defacting. The only problem we have is that when it comes to feed time the mother is extremely reluctant to let the pups feed. It has come to the point where I have to make the mother lay down in the whelping box and ushering the puppies to feed. Once the puppies are feeding my dog lays there and lets them feed in a normal manner, she just has no interest in initiating the feed.

Answer
Hi Simon

Some females need a little help calming down, especially if it's their first litter.  Once her milk is in completely, she may be more inclined to feed.

You can give her some Bach's Rescue Remedy, it will help.  Also try separating the litter, 8 may be overwhelming her.  Feeding 4 and 4 (rotating every hour and leaving them all night) can help with the stress factor.

Good luck