Momma won't eat after whelping

[AnabellaRose]

Hello ~

My Yorkie had 5 baby girls on Monday 10.11.10 All babies are healthy and doing fine. Mom was doing great but she hasn't really eaten anything since Wednesday. She does not want to eat. I have hand fed her some chicken, cottage cheese, but that's about all she will eat and she she only eats very little of it.

She's not lethargic, she's up and about and alert.

I noticed her milk supply isn't as it should be. I did do the goats milk recipe and she does drink that up really well. Basically, that's all she really wants.

Is this normal?

Thank you

[Sammy Mommy]

Congratulations! I would call the vet and ask if this is normal. Maybe they can give you some kind of high nutrition dietary supplement for Mamma.

[bjh]

Some females will only eat if hand fed for the first few days after having pups. You have to keep offering her food. A little Nutri-cal a couple times a day too will help her. If she does not eat a lot then she will not produce much milk. Most of my mommas like the canned Pedigree Puppy food so they get a lot of that with their dry puppy food. With her nursing 5 pups you will really have to keep an eye out for eclampsia. The momma will need a calcium supplement like Pet-Cal. Make sure you are monitoring the mommas temperature. If she starts running a temperature over 103 that will effect her appetite and it could be an indication of a uterus infection. Good luck with your litter.

[MyYorkiesLuvMe]

It sounds as if she is suffering from acute septic mastitis

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by AnabellaRose

Hello ~

My Yorkie had 5 baby girls on Monday 10.11.10 All babies are healthy and doing fine. Mom was doing great but she hasn't really eaten anything since Wednesday. She does not want to eat. I have hand fed her some chicken, cottage cheese, but that's about all she will eat and she she only eats very little of it.

She's not lethargic, she's up and about and alert.

I noticed her milk supply isn't as it should be. I did do the goats milk recipe and she does drink that up really well. Basically, that's all she really wants.

Is this normal?

Thank you

Most girls will not eat well for the first 24 to 48 hours after whelp, but will pick up after that.

There is also the whelping pudding receipe (sticky in this section). Attempt giving her scrammbled eggs.

However, I would consult with your vet.

How is her temp? Are you sure that all the placentas were removed?

[AnabellaRose]

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions. She doesn't have a temperature. Yes, all the placentas did come out. She received the shot as well to make sure everything is out.

The puppies are very healthy, growing and gaining weight. Mommy is starting to eat a little bit more today. Some wet, mushed up puppy food with cottage cheese, plain yogurt, and chicken. She also drank some goat milk blended with egg, karo syrup, etc. Today is much more than she has eaten this week.

The vet didn't see anything wrong with Bella. Just told me to feed her and do everything I can to get her to eat even if I have to sit and feed her by hand for awhile.

Well, we're keeping a close eye on mommy and babies and hopefully in a couple of days, she'll be back to normal. Thanks again.

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by AnabellaRose

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions. She doesn't have a temperature. Yes, all the placentas did come out. She received the shot as well to make sure everything is out.

The puppies are very healthy, growing and gaining weight. Mommy is starting to eat a little bit more today. Some wet, mushed up puppy food with cottage cheese, plain yogurt, and chicken. She also drank some goat milk blended with egg, karo syrup, etc. Today is much more than she has eaten this week.

The vet didn't see anything wrong with Bella. Just told me to feed her and do everything I can to get her to eat even if I have to sit and feed her by hand for awhile.

Well, we're keeping a close eye on mommy and babies and hopefully in a couple of days, she'll be back to normal. Thanks again.

Do the scrambled eggs (natural calcium) along with sunshine for vitamin D. The whelping pudding that is a sticky is excellent for nursing moms.

Since she's eating minimally your concern should be with eclampsia.
A product to keep on hand is
Breeders' Edge&#174 Oral Cal Plus

I don't know how many pups your girl whelped but if it is 3 or over you might speak to your vet about calcium supplements. You may also want to supplement your pups feeding to help mom out. The goats milk with equal parts of distilled water and a bit of Karo is the closests thing to mom's milk. Just Born causes premature cataracs. Esbilac has trace minerals that can cause shunts.

… forget everything about giving tums, cottage cheese, cheese, icecream.. etc. It’s useless. The body needs the calcium to be delivered with the correct ratio of Vit D and Phosphorus or it doesn’t absorb it, it’s useless. Pet Cal has this correct ratio. Another thing that has it is, believe it or not.. a scrambled whole egg! Of course everyone knows not to start calcium until the litter is whelped.. no giving it to PG bitches… I do give some calsorb during whelping If things slow down on a larger litter, but never before whelping. Make it a general practice to scramble your bitch an egg every day, and depending on weight, give ½ to a whole pet tab per day. I gave it to a 8 lb bitch ½ in the morning ½ at night…this is the “daily dose” for about a 20 lb dog who was NOT nursing a litter…so just fine for ½ the size, but nursing a litter. I would grind up the pet tab in the food processor and put the powder in the egg when I scrambled it.

Also, check your dog food for Soybeans, soy protein, or anything related to soy in any way. For SOME reason that is not completely understood by me (many menopause supplements contain soy, or are soy based, so this seems to be a contradiction).. soy protein can interfere with the absorption of calcium in dogs. If your food has soy of any sort, change to a food that does not for the duration of the weaning of the litter.

[Woogie Man]

With a litter of 5, your girl definitely needs to be on a calcium supplement. I use the ones where one tablet is good for a 20 pound non-nursing dog. I give 1/2 tablet in the morning and 1/2 in the evening.

Along with the other foods mentioned, I've come to rely on beef liver for my new Moms. I just boil some up and give them a bit with their other food. I also keep the broth and pour that over food even if I don't add the liver with that meal. Liver seems to be the one thing that mine will never turn down, even if they're being picky.

Liver is a very nutrient dense food that goes a long way in replenishing the body after whelping. Think about it....your girl has created 5 pups from her body. It's very draining on them to build all that muscle, organs, skin and the skeletons off those babies. Liver is a near perfect food for rebuilding their bodies after such a process.

Once my girls get over their picky stage, they turn into little eating machines. They know they need to eat. With 5 babies, your girl will need lots of extra food for now. She may need to be fed up to 4 full meals a day as the pups grow. Just give her all she wants...she needs it. Provide well for her and she will be better equipped to provide for her babies.

Best of luck.

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by AnabellaRose

Hello ~

My Yorkie had 5 baby girls on Monday 10.11.10 All babies are healthy and doing fine. Mom was doing great but she hasn't really eaten anything since Wednesday. She does not want to eat. I have hand fed her some chicken, cottage cheese, but that's about all she will eat and she she only eats very little of it.

She's not lethargic, she's up and about and alert.

I noticed her milk supply isn't as it should be. I did do the goats milk recipe and she does drink that up really well. Basically, that's all she really wants.

Is this normal?

Thank you

5 girls.....I'm jealous. Definately supplement your girl with calcium and supplement the pups. Your girl had a big litter, she's going to need your help. As Woogie Man said, after her eating gets going, let her eat as much as she wants. My girls have a minimum of 5 meals a day, but I leave food available around the clock. I've also had girls that have been picky eaters during the nursing period and I've just had to spoon feed them.

[Woogie Man]

Each whelp is a different case. My Bonnie had a litter of 6 (5 girls, 1 boy) back in February. She was ravenous for the first 2 days and then started throwing up her food and didn't want to eat anything. I got her to eat by getting some baby food (chicken vegetable & turkey w/ rice). I had to hand feed her that. I also bought some trays of Cesar's wet food and she ate that. She then got back on to her other food after a couple of days.

Sometimes you just have to try several things to see what will work.

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by Woogie Man

Each whelp is a different case. My Bonnie had a litter of 6 (5 girls, 1 boy) back in February. She was ravenous for the first 2 days and then started throwing up her food and didn't want to eat anything. I got her to eat by getting some baby food (chicken vegetable & turkey w/ rice). I had to hand feed her that. I also bought some trays of Cesar's wet food and she ate that. She then got back on to her other food after a couple of days.

Sometimes you just have to try several things to see what will work.

Since hubby does the feeding. He says that whenever a girl is with pups or has whelped he feels like a cook in a diner. Believe me he does everything in his power to get the girls to eat.

[Woogie Man]

Originally Posted by Mardelin

Since hubby does the feeding. He says that whenever a girl is with pups or has whelped he feels like a cook in a diner. Believe me he does everything in his power to get the girls to eat.

LOL, I think we can all relate to that. No matter how difficult it is to find something that agrees with them, it's much easier than hand-feeding babies around the clock.

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by Woogie Man

LOL, I think we can all relate to that. No matter how difficult it is to find something that agrees with them, it's much easier than hand-feeding babies around the clock.

Been there done that. Not fun.

But, I guess these girls being women whose hormones play a great part in the whole whelping thing, I can understand what they are going through. My husband says it's just like having a preggo wife again or a wife that just has had a baby. They either are experiencing neausea, craving a certain food, or just being wacko.

[AnabellaRose]

Yay! She ate on her own today for the first time! Didn't have to hand feed her. She loved canned puppy food along with cottage cheese, chicken and plain yogurt. I will try the liver too.

I love your comments about how they can be picky and act like pregnant women. It's so true! Been there, done that myself 3 times.

Thank you again for all your comments, suggestions and advice. It is greatly appreciated!

The puppies are growing so well and getting bigger everyday, despite mommy being sick. I do have one little runt that's smaller than the others, but she's doing great! Just a question about her, if I need to help supplement for the little one, is the best milk replacement for the little puppy equal parts goat milk and water with a little karo syrup?

I saw some milk replacements at the store like canned Hartz milk replacement for puppies and my vet suggested Esbilac.

Thanks again! You all are great! <3

[Woogie Man]

Originally Posted by AnabellaRose

Yay! She ate on her own today for the first time! Didn't have to hand feed her. She loved canned puppy food along with cottage cheese, chicken and plain yogurt. I will try the liver too.

I love your comments about how they can be picky and act like pregnant women. It's so true! Been there, done that myself 3 times.

Thank you again for all your comments, suggestions and advice. It is greatly appreciated!

The puppies are growing so well and getting bigger everyday, despite mommy being sick. I do have one little runt that's smaller than the others, but she's doing great! Just a question about her, if I need to help supplement for the little one, is the best milk replacement for the little puppy equal parts goat milk and water with a little karo syrup?

I saw some milk replacements at the store like canned Hartz milk replacement for puppies and my vet suggested Esbilac.

Thanks again! You all are great! <3

I would use the goat's milk with some karo over the commercial milk replacers. Watch out for the little one. Though she may be doing well, her small size can prevent her from getting her share. You could try giving her some alone time on the teat without the competition of her bigger sisters to make sure she gets well fed. Or, you could supplement her to make sure.

Sounds like Mamma has rounded the 'picky curve'...that's great to hear!