Best foods for nursing mother
 

My dog had her pups on Sunday (6/12). I've diligently been giving the whelping pudding which she loves as does she her chicken. The scrambled egg I've tried a couple times a day (unseasoned, seasoned, etc) and she refuses it. Refuses puppy food. Normally I'm a firm believer in 'well if you're hungry you'll eat' that being said I don't feel this is the best time to engage in a battle of the wills as that would not be in her best interest. Anyway suggestions of some great food for this mama?

i know many ppl dont like Royal Canin, but i have all my kids on it, and in my experience (limited as it may be), the r.c 'mini starter, mother and babydog' dry food works brilliantly for picky mommas!
both Missy and Kuki are were soo picky until i started them on royal canin- it was missy last year that made me try it when pg (the starter) ... missy turned her nose up at Everything, but softened dry m&b to her is like a hot Gu chocolate soufle with ice cream to me! :D
even if your not a fan of R.C, if shes being that picky, i'd give it a try!

Thank you so much for your reply! I always appreciate the wide variety of advice here. Interesting enough,..I do feed mine Royal Canin. That has been all 4's consistent food and they thrive on it, so that's what really counts when judging a dog food.
Got the bag of RC puppy food for her and ever since she had the pups it's "forget that!" She's had diarreha (vet had me give her Pepto) so I wanted to incorporate some of the hard food...but she's rejecting it all (RC's beauty care, RC's Indoor 27, the puppy food, etc). She will eat some soft Little Ceaser's pup food, but she won't eat any dry. Of course being hand fed chicken breast and her beloved whelping pudding no wonder she doesn't want that dry ole stuff!!! I just don't want her to lose too much weight while nursing like she did the last time (at that time she dropped from 6 # post whelp to 4.5#). and her bowels could use a little firming up. ---
speaking of Pepto --- do you know if it's passing to the pups...? as at least one of them makes the weirdest squelling noise (usually while nursing) --- like when you blow up a balloon and pinch the top and it emits a high shrill noise) --- any ideas about that? can't nail it down to any certain pup - go to check on 'em and they stop. Mama expressed concern initially, but now it's common and she doesn't bother when they are noisy.

I also give her Nutri cal + once a day. Some cottage cheese, not that interested in it.

Thanks again!

then i would deff give the starter m&b a try! it also comes in a mousse, so maybe she would like it? before the m&b, to get missy to eat we had to mix a slightly watery pate paste and pour it over her r.c yorkie food! have you tried the breed specific? it smells good enough to eat myself!
i've never had to use pepto before- i know i have read before, but what all does it do- just for diarreha? my girls have loose stools, but never too bad- and i think the ost whelp meds missy has gotten last twice (for big litters) has helped stop it getting too bad, but i dont know if thats intentional, as the point was to stop chance of infection...

I'm a big believer in boiled beef liver. My girls love it and it's probably the most nutrient-dense food you can give a nursing Mom. I rotate that with boiled chicken (leg quarters). I keep the broth from each and use that with every meal. My girls don't like kibble at these times, either, but will eat some if it's mixed in with some canned food w/ liver or chicken and broth added to it. They seem to get less picky as time goes on but the stuff I listed gets me through the picky times.

Kalina bad her five puppies four weeks ago and she is a hog! I can't seem to give her enough food, but the first two weeks she went through a lot of stages, includimg refusing food. I found she ate much better if I hand fed her for some reason. so that's what I did. Here is what she eats now:
7am-Full can of Merrick Wing-a-Ling, which has bones and, therefore, calcium. She loves it like nothing else. All my dogs love it. I also give her an Oxymama which is made by Revival and helps with milk production. Highly recommended as she has much more milk than I could hope for to sustain five fat pups.
10am-Scrambled egg, unseasoned, with a slice of cheese melted on top.
2pm-Canned Wellness puppy food.
7pm-Ditto
10pm-Whelping pudding with her calcium pill mashed and stirred in.
3am (Yes I get up, it's worth it to me)-Can of Merrick
Dry Natiral Balance kibble is always available with feesh water, of course.
And she is very thin, though not as thin as she was two weeks ago. She's doing great.

Oh I forgot to add I did give her some boiled liver...yes, she ate that with a passion --- I'm probably just finding things to worry about --- I will starting added the liver liquid to some dry, her stools definitely need firmed up...,the vet told me it was normal but that was on day one...(of course we're only on day 3 lol ) She did eat one of the placenta's I tried to get it away from her but she sucked it down faster than I could grab it.
thank you so much!

more great ideas - I do so appreciate all responses. the first night I insisted the whelping box be between hubby and I the first night. Now the whelping "cage" is right next to the bed and I get up at every sound...I told you I'm a worrier!!! I have this fear (irrational I'm sure) of her suffocating them and I won't hear their cries ( she seems to count her pups before she sits/lays down but always stops at three - funny but her last litter she had three - don't think she's got it figured out she has 4 this time and seems to plop down on one of them every time) I did let the scrambled egg cool tonight chopped it very fine mixed it in with the whelping pudding, to which she sucked the pudding up and ignored the egg, thus I scooped the pudding and egg out together and hand fed her...she did eat some of it.

Eating a placenta is good. It helps with getting her milk going for one thing. I let Kalina eat one or two and she had the " runs" too, but it goes away. I am a worrier too, so it's always nice when the pups get older. Mine are 4 weeks now and I can relax. Tail docking is the worst IMHO.

Don't forget the calcium supplement! :)

Thank you, yes I have been giving Cal+ daily. she hates it, so I put a bit on my finger and rub it on the roof of her mouth.

I should mention that other than maintaining her Diva status of her preference of being 'hand fed' LOL she's eating up a storm now. Puppies getting fat and sassy, crawling all over the whelping box.

Advices
 

My yorkie will be having her first litter in July. This will be my first deliver. I am very nervous. when do I start giving her calcium? she will not go in her whelping box she want her bed, how do I get her to start the whelping box? she has always been on RC but now she will not eat how many times a day should I feed her, it. does anyone know what I can do?
Thank you:animal-pa

Marcia, NO calcium until the babies are born, I will try to call you today if you are going to be home..:)