We have had our second litter with the first one being 11 years ago so things have changed and memory has been lost!  So far we have been going along with the bitches requirements but I was wondering.  What and how much do you feed your bitches once they have given birth?

Pretty much ad lib, as long as it's good quality food. Plenty of fluids (they can't make milk without extra fluids), and by 3 weeks post-whelping they're probably eating about 4 times their usual maintenance amount.

Everyone seems to have different methods.   I always soak quality puppy complete and add some fresh cooke( boiled) chicken. My bitches have always been full to the brim of milk with this method.

For the first couple of days up to a week I blend it a bit still adding warm water, I know then they are completely full of fluid.

Not sure if everyone is the same BUT mine will not take drinks of food cold at all. It has to be fresh and warm.

If you decide to cook the chicken as above you get good meat content off the thigh.

if you feed her chicken it would be better for her if you fed it raw as half the nutrients are killed during the cooking process

I feed my lot raw normally but my bitches from all different lines won't touch it raw when feeding young puppies. They like it freshly cooked and still warm.    A few nutrients being honest are the last thing on my mind, I just like to keep the well packed of food for milk products.

My bitches would not eat anything raw, Mine always have had breakfast, and all love cornflakes with cold milk, complete with cooked chicken, sardines, pilchards, tuna, beef, minced or stewing. while feeding young always 4 meals a day.
 

> raw normally but my bitches from all different lines won't touch it raw when feeding young puppies

Quite agree. For whatever reason our newly whelped bitches definitely prefer their food cooked (and they are otherwise raw fed). Maybe they know best.

Is is also normal for bitches to go off their food after whelping? A friends bitch had 1 pup last Tuesday and is being really fussy about food. She has enough milk for the pup but my friend is really struggling to get her to eat anything. She is drinking water and goats milk. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks everyone.  We have up'd her food and she is getting 3 times as much dry food along with scrambled eggs as a lunch.  She is getting abig breakfast and dinner with small lunch and supper.  Of course along with all thedry food she is getting much more water then normal and it's being left to soak more then normal as she's lying down alot more.  Her appitite hasn't gone and even on the day pups were born she was downstairs waiting for dinner before we couuld make it and bring it up for her (which was the plan!)

She's also getting chicken wings a couple of times a week.  She is healthy and puppies are gaining weight but I just wanted reassurance we wern't doing anything wrong, although I know everyone does it differently. 

I did give her a bath the other day as she was really starting to smell and needed her feet trimming as the puppy room and downstairs in laminate.  She loved it but due to loosing coat and not wanting to put anything in her coat she went fluffy! LOL

I blend everything for the first couple days and hand feed them if I have to. Works every time.  They do get a bit fussy ( or quite often) .

My bitch is 3 weeks post whelp with 9 pups (our first litter). I have managed by feeding her often, whenever she seems hungry, and if she leaves a little, I'm happy. I tried to switch to puppy kibble, but her stools were never even nearly solid, so have now changed to pre-whelping high protien food which has settled her.

Apart from adding more water than normal (I never feed totally dry anyway) I have been adding cooked chicken, raw chicken mince, scrambled eggs, raw green minced tripe and white cooked fish in goats milk which is then added to the food. Unfortunately she's just got mastitis in one gland which made her feel rotten, and was off food for nearly 48 hours. I was getting worried, but she's picking up now, and has eaten almost normally today - a great relief!!! Thankfully for me the pups are being weaned which has compensated for the last difficult couple of days. She was weighed at the vets yesterday and she is only 1 kg heavier than her pre-pregnancy weight.

The first few days I made a gruel with oats, complan, glucose powder, honey, goats milk, water and an egg. She ate a bowl of this yesterday even when she wouldn't eat her normal food. I would definitely use this gruel when and if I have future litters.

The worse thing for me about the whole pregnancy thing with her is that she's lost so much of her muscle tone, something I didn't expect. I realise we'll have to take it easy with the exercise after and build it up slowly. I'm sure she'll be chaffing at the bit!!!