My dog barley nurses her puppies, what should I do?

Answer 1

There are a few questions you need to answer to know if everything is okay or not. First, how old is the litter? As the litter gets older, mom nurses them less times than she did in the first week or two (I have a mom that leaves her babies for hours at a time once they are past 2 weeks old). Second, have you been weighing the puppies everyday (about first 2 weeks)? If they are gaining weight, they are fine. If their weight stays the same or drops, you need to supplement them. Third, is their sleep active sleep (twitching, moving) and are they queit? These are signs of healthy babies (some may be louder especially before feeding time but in general you shouldn't hear too much from them). Fourth, how are the mom's mammary glands? Are they red and swollen? Hot and tight is a sign of mastitis (a bad thing). Fifth if the puppies are still very young, was this a natural delivery or a c-section? C-sections can lead to bonding problems and it can be too painful to nurse.

If the puppies don't look like they are thriving, you'd better supplement them with puppy formula or risk losing them. BTW it is much better not to supplement them for the first 2 or 3 day (despite possible weight lose). It prevents nipple confusion and helps bring in the milk in the mother so that you won't have to supplement later on. And make sure the puppies are warm if you do have to bottle feed them or they can't digest the milk.

Answer 2

If she is panting a lot and seems overwhelmed, you might give the mom a good quality puppy food along the same lines of what you are feeding her because puppy food has more protein and fat. If there is none available comparable to your brand, slowly mix a good quality of pet food, 1/4 new for a few days, then 1/2 new a few days then three quarters new, then all the new brand. Good puppy food brands for lactating mothers are: Royal Canin, Nature's Recipe Lamb and Rice Formula, any quality puppy food. Since she seems overly nervous and the puppies seem to not be eating well, check with your Vet because you may need to bottle feed the pups with Esbilac or Just Born product available in Pet Stores. If you can't afford that, you can make a formula for pretty cheap. A basic one is 1 part canned evaporated milk, 2 parts water, one egg yolk-discard the white, a pinch of salt, 2 teaspoons of karo syrup. Wisk it and put in bottles to feed the pups, warm like you would for a baby.
Run this info by your Vet to be sure it is recommendable. Also, you may need to help the pups potty if the mom is not licking them. This would be in the case that the mother is rejecting them.
Please check with your Vet, whatever answer you may decide to go with. GL with your puppies. PUPPIES WILL EAT FROM BOTTLES and do NOT have to be syringe fed. In fact that can be dangerous if you aren't real familiar with what you are doing.

Answer 3

If the puppies are trying to feed and she is not obliging then there is a problem. She is likely not in good health herself. Pregnant dogs can get roundworm and other parasites easily and after giving birth they hinder milk production. You can bottle feed puppys. They have "Mother's Milk" at pet stores but, having been through this myself, it is very time consuming. Puppies will not nurse off a bottle. They have to be given the formula or cereal with a large syringe. (not the kind with a needle) these are also available at pet stores. Get the mother checked out ASAP. Also, if the puppies are under 3 to 4 weeks old or so and are handled by humans the mother will not nurse them because of the human scent on them. If this is the case or, if you do have to start giving them formula or cereal, you will have to continue it until they are eating at least canned food. If you give them canned food make sure it's puppy formula because adult food is too rich for their stomachs. I personally "bottle fed" and saved 6 puppies who's mother and the puppies were riddled with worms and she stopped feeding or "orphaned" them at 2 weeks old. It is possible to save them.

If the puppies are 4 weeks or older you can mix the "Mother's Milk" with some canned puppy food to be sure they are getting the right nutrition.

Answer 4

I'm assuming you mean your dog is "barely" nursing her puppies.
On that assumption, I would ask,
By what are you measuring "barely"?
How old is your dog? If this is her first litter and she is very young, she may not know what to do.
She may need more water in her diet.
Check to see if she has a fever.
The puppies teeth may be coming in and hurting her
There are alot of things that could be happening, I would suggest you speak with your vet about your concerns.

Answer 5

How old is momma dog? I had to bring the puppies inside 3 times a day and sit with her so they can feed. Start by letting 4-5 feed at a time. She will get the hang of it.

Answer 6

my dog did the same thing. we had to basically hold her down long enough for the puppies to nurse. there is puppy formula that you can bottle feed them with until they are old enough they can drink it out of a bowl.

Answer 7

How old are the pups? Are they old enough to be eating puppy food. If they are newborn, you may have to bottle feed them. If they are over 3 weeks you can start them on wet puppy food.

Answer 8

Let them nurse...until they are about 6 weeks then give puppy food as a gruel otherwise bottle feed if they aren't getting enough. Please spay her before next heat and make sure the puppies get good responsible homes.

Answer 9

There is puppy formula at places liek walmart or any pet store. The pups need to eat a lot, and if the moms not taking care of them then you need to become their seregant mother. Sometimes, if the labor was too much on the mom she will not want to take care of them.

Answer 10

Leave her go unless the puppies seem to be getting weak. Mothers know best. If it gets worse try holding the mother and let the puppies eat on your lap