Hi, my medium sized gundog b itch gave birth to 4 pups on Saturday morning, since then she has been off her food, has been sick and diawotsits, she initially had loads of milk, but now it seems to be in short supply.  I have tried feeding her chicken and rice, scrambled egg and rice, goats milk, she has a bit but is soon not interested and if she does eat something is generally either sick or has diawotsits, very soon after.  Pups are putting on weight so they are getting something, but it is only about 10 grams a day, other litters have been putting on 25+ per day.  She doesn't have a high temperature, but I am concerned she isn't keeping enough food and fluids in her to feed her pups.  I am going to give the vets a call when they open, but wondered if anyone had any advice for me.

are you sure she hasnt retained a pup or placenta ?

Did she eat the placentas as this would give her the squits, good that she hasnt got a temperature. Wouldnt worry so much about the lack of interest in food but make sure she is drinking lots of fluids goats milk with water , Lactol and very very cold fresh water.
I feed mum a dry food soaked normally but after giving birth I offer her nature diet puppy warmed in the microwave (gives it a smell which encourages them to eat) then mashed until it is soft as the mouth gets sore which is one reason why they dont want to eat. I then gradually add her own food (soaked) bit by bit.

Vet visit is adviseable in case something else is going on plenty of fluids with get her milk back up.

Thanks, OH is at the vet with her now.  I have been offering her goats milk with water, naturediet (not puppy, or warmed though so will try that), she has been having a go at most foods I put down for her, but she just brings them back up about 1/2 hour later.  I think she ate most of the placentas on the way out, but she did have one pup born dead, so have told OH to mention it to the vet in case there is another one in there, but she doesn't seem 'ill' iykwim, she runs out of the pen, tail wagging and jumping up for cuddles.  I am having to hand feed her water as she won't touch it otherwise, I think she is liking the attention. lol

Thanks for the advice will deffo try warming the naturediet and add it to some of the cooked rice I did for her last night, will then gradually add some of the weaning food, or do you think she will be better on her own adult food?

give her puppy food alot more goodness for her and higher in calcium witch she needs ,i had the same problem as you ,mum wouldnt eat or drink much for the 1st week i had to soak puppy food for her and feed it her with my hands in the pen and then she would have a little drink after ,this bitch eat all the placentas and gave her the runs very bad ,i was told that they eat them so they dont need food for awhile as in the wild they wouldnt leave pups for the 1st week ! not sure where the water would come from tho lol ? but it is inportend they drink more than eating at this stage ....i also took mum to vets was sure 1 pups still there but wasnt! she was given a scan to make sure . and a oxitocin jab witch helps the milk come in ....pups are 3weeks and 1 day old now eating loads and having 3feeds aday from mum has she dont have much milk :( ...good luck with your girl and babys x

I know that they say you should feed Mum puppy food but I didnt for my last litter   ( after chatting to a breeder friend  with over 20 yrs ex in my breed) she told me that she gives mum her own food and adds extra fresh meats and fish which I did  , I had far less problems with the eating regime. Of course the puppies are weaned onto puppy food .
She loved the ND warmed in the early stages.I do agree with feeding her by hand in the pen and holding the drinking bowl for her until she becomes more confident to leave the babies .

hope everything is ok at the vets.

Apparently she has picked up a bug before whelping, I don't know where she has got it from though as I have been so careful in not taking any of my dogs out in the last week and we have had no visiting dogs here, but I suppose she knows best, it could have come in on shoes.  She has given her an anti-b injection, one to stop her being sick and another injection but we are not sure what that one was for, we have not to feed her for 2 hours and then to start her on chicken and rice, or scrambled egg and rice, goats milk is fine to give her and try to get lots of water into her.  She is not producing much milk, but hopefully that will get better when she starts keeping food and fluid inside.
Thanks for the advice, I hope I don't need to ask for anymore now, in  the nicest possible way of course.
Merry Christmas to everyone.

good that you have it sorted.

get as much fluids as you can down her as this will hopefully bring the milk on , did the vet say whether it could be passed onto the puppies through her milk?

make sure you have plenty of substitute in and a couple of newborn baby  bottles just in case especially with it being christmas,  if her milk doesnt come in you will have to be prepared to hand rear.... which hopefully you wont.

good luck

No vet didn't say whether it could be passed onto pups, I really hope not, but they seem much more contented this afternoon, so maybe mum is a bit happier.  She has had some scrambled egg with rice and goats milk and has kept it down, so fingers crossed it stays that way, going to give her some more in a couple of hours if that lot stays down.   I haven't got any puppy milk as the vets had run out, but she said that in an emergency we could use slightly watered down goats milk?  I hope that was good advice.  Hopefully though we won't need it.

Thank you. :)

i wouldnt use waterd down goats milk ,most pet shops sell puppy milk but there be closed now ,glad mum is feeling better im sure she will start getting milk now! .

I would get the lactol  in as soon as possible its an item which is basic for a whelping kit as is newborn baby bottles, just in case .

I have got the bottles, (puppy ones and baby ones just in case) but was advised to get welpi from the vets as opposed to lactol, they didn't have any in stock, but I am pleased to say that her milk already seems much more plenitful, one of the pups has put on 23g this afternoon!!

Lactol is just another brnd of milk (the one i prefer) but welpi is vry popular.

brill that the milk is coming in

Best of luck

Just to say a huge thank you.  Mum's milk is coming thick and fast now, one of the pups put on 44g overnight. :o

> Apparently she has picked up a bug before whelping,

Please watch for signs of the pups being weak and not thriving.

I had this with my second litter, the bitch showed symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea 10 days before whelping, she was given AB shot. 

Sadly I lost two of the 6 pups the day after they whelped. 

Fell out with the Vet as of course it was the weekend and they would not come out, and I knew the pups were too floppy.

I lost one in the night after ringing Vet, and one a half hour before seeing Vet in the morning, they kept me waiting for the morning surgery even though I had arranged to come in early.

The Vet I saw said the pups were fine, and I knew the remaining ones were not as strong as they should be.  Eventually they gave me synolux for the pups and within a couple of hours there was a huge difference/

I left that Vet practise and told them why.

Very few vets really know much about rearing litters/breeding other than the technical stuff they get involved with, few have seen a normal delivery, unless they breed themselves, so may not notice the early danger signs with the pups.

Thank you for that information.  I will certainly be keeping an eye on them, they are being weighed 4 times a day at the moment and all seem to be doing well, one of the boys is slower than the others, but is still putting on weight, they are a week old today.  Sorry to hear of your problems with your vet, the vet who owns the practice I use is a breeder himself and is excellent, a lot of breeders use him and travel many miles to see him, we are lucky that he is just 7 miles away.