I have a [medium breed] who gave birth to her 1st litter 6 days ago. She was eating puppy food until the puppies arrived and has been refusing since. Upon advice of our vet she had been eating only chicken/rice until we found a meaty wet food ( refusing her normal kibble ) that she will eat. Currently pedigree chum.

The problem is her stools are so loose and she is so thin! I am really worried about her. She is tending to the puppies amazingly but it seems she is hungry alot but the more I feed her the runnier her poo is

I've had this happen. I don't feed puppy food to bitches since then as it made things worse, and the bitch in question could not tolerate rice - I didn't even know that was possible. I was given the advice to give her raw chicken wings, one several times a day. Similar size bitch, bit smaller - 24 kgs was her normal weight. It sorted her stomach and put the weight back on. She'd been so bad I honestly thought I'd lose her. Since then I always give raw chicken wings to bitches with pups, several times a day. This bitch of mine had a second litter and no problems then.

Thank you so much for the advice. Would you just carry on with her wet food too? And then chicken wings as snacks?

Much as I don't like to disagree with someone so knowledgeable as Goldmali, I wouldn't give bones to a dog not used to raw food as they need to increase their stomach acid to digest them and definitely no cooked bones though I totally agree about no rice.

I think somethings like goat milk, kefir, cottage cheese are good sources of calcium for lactating dogs

Pedigree isn't a good food and often causes runny poop - maybe look at something like Forthglade or others without rice, grain, potatoes et?

Pedigree is definitely not known to be a quality food and is known to cause the runs.  You can get very good quality grain free wet food at £1 for a 400gm tray.  I would try her on these as chicken/rice is not a balanced food in any way. 

I've had bitches worry me so much that I've resorted to hand feeding.  Anything as long as they actually eat! 

Thank you everyone All of your advice is truly appreciated.
My girl would normally eat Step up Grain free Dry food mixed with a little of their wet. Pedigree definately wouldn't be my regular choice but it was the only " meaty " one they had and she ate it so she has been on it for 3 days now.

I will go out tomorrow and shop around for a better quality wet food and hope that that settles her. Is it a good idea to be changing her diet like this while she is nursing? This is our 1st litter so a bit of a learning curve for us both!

I don't breed but if she isn't eating  then u have to get food into her .changing to something she eats would not be my first worry

> Is it a good idea to be changing her diet like this while she is nursing?

To be honest it's the only time I've ever needed to consider changes.  Some bitches can be challenging when it comes to eating after whelping.  So don't worry too much about the changes, given the circumstances.  Any food that doesn't give her the runs is going to be good for her!  She is going to need to keep some weight on her in the coming weeks while she gives everything to her pups.

In all my years of breeding it's been the "not eating" that has been the biggest problem.  However, they worry you to death, it's damned hard work, but you still enjoy it.     

Its the one thing I didn't plan for. Because of the breed refusing food was the last thing I was worried about!

I desperately just want to make sure she is getting all the nutrients she needs while nursing and everything is running through her

Try tinned chappie it often gets them eating again and mix with her usual kibble to see if it works.

> Try tinned chappie it often gets them eating again

And is very good for gippy tummies! 

I have found that they are often loose following whelping (especially is several placentas have been consumed).  Little and often is best at this point, up to 6 small feeds a day.  We start with a gruel mixture containing oats, eggs, honey and glucose.  This is light on the stomach and gives them an energy boost when they are tired after whelping, we then introduce tinned food and gradually some of their own food.

For what it's worth ....... I have NEVER fed my pregnant, or lactating bitches PUPPY FOOD.   People have clearly mistaken the fact that Puppy Food is for..... puppies.   All our pregnant bitches have been kept on the same good quality food they always eat throughout their pregnancies and when lactating also, plus maybe some cottage cheese/goats milk and other goodies.   Yes, some do give their all to their puppies, despite eating a lot more food with some extras but they quickly regain full condition, once the demands of the litter drop.   As for loose stools - yes, if they eat a lot of placenta, this can make them loose - it's very rich and probably, unlike wild animals who need this when they can't go out hunting, isn't really needed in our domestic dogs.

If I have ever had some Pedigree (won at shows) I have always found it goes 'right through'.   Once I saw this, I didn't feed any winnings to my lot - I'd donate it to a local Shelter

I totally endorse the tinned Chappie which is easily digested.   And feeding little and often, for now.    Plus goats milk.

How many puppies is she catering for because with our first 'litter' - one puppy survived out of two - mum didn't eat up and I was really worried, having read that nursing bitches need food ........ obviously nature knew best as she only had the one puppy to cater for = she didn't need much food.    If the puppies are quiet and gaining by the day, she's probably fine, providing the milk the puppies now need.

Finally, 'she's so thin' - could simply be that over the weeks, you've got used to her looking fat, carrying her litter

Thank you for all of your invaluable advice! I'm so glad to have found this site.

Starting with chappie today and some nice treats to see if we can settle her tummy. Aside from this issue she is doing amazing. She has 8 beautiful, growing and content puppies and  meeting all of their needs.

Chappie is good and pureed pumpkin is wonderful for dogs with funny tummies. Tinned (Libbys|)100% pumpkin. I think Sainsburys sell it or you can boy online.

Yep, Chappie, awful stuff but somehow it seems to do the trick with an upset tum and loose poop.  It has the same effect as the much more expensive Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal tinned food.

Just make sure it is the original chappie, which is fish based.

I'm not a breeder but have dealt with some horrible digestive systems over the years!

Agree with all comments about the effectiveness of tinned Chappie - original.  Also Libby's tinned pumpkin.  It was Jean SW who put me onto the pumpkin many moons ago.  If you are reading this Jean - I am eternally grateful!

I really wouldn't recommend Chappie for any dog but especially not if you have a bitch which is lactating and supporting puppies.  You need to be feeding a 'For all Life Stages' food or a 'Reproduction' food.  Chappie is not going to have the higher fat content and high protein content needed for a bitch which is lactating.  It is called 'Chappie ADULT' on the tins for a reason - it's for Adult dogs.

Secondly, Chappie contains BHA and BHT as preservatives, which are carcinogenic and banned from human foods.  This is disguised on the label as 'EC permitted additives' - they don't even have to list them.

Here you go - independent review scoring 0.7 out of 5:  https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-reviews/0174/chappie-adult-tins  Is that what you want your bitch to make her milk from and feed her puppies with? 

The pumpkin is an excellent suggestion.  You can also give Slippery Elm powder (look for that on Amazon) which will help add some fibre too, as well as probiotics like FortiFlora (see Amazon too).

I am sure that normally the OP feeds a good diet however when you have a lactating bitch that will not eat its worth trying something different for a short while. Stimulating appetite is sometimes needed and people feed all sorts of things on a short term basis to get dogs eating again, lots of which may not be a perfect diet but that can soon be rectified later.

If the dog's previously been fed kibble, pretty much any wet food is going to be much more appealing - including much better foods like Natures Menu and NatureDiet.

Failing that, boil some liver up and pour the water over just about anything you want a dog to eat. 

I would personally never feed a dog BHA and BHT, not even to get them to eat - and besides which, it's not necessary, there are lots of tasty and appealing foods with much better nutritional content and no added preservatives.

> I am sure that normally the OP feeds a good diet however when you have a lactating bitch that will not eat its worth trying something different for a short while.

Totally agree.   I always have tins of original Chappie (never used their dry version) in the cupboard and as said, give half a normal sized tin to my boy last thing, which has stopped his bile upchucking in the small hours.

We'd also use tinned Chappie to get reluctant eaters in the Boarding Kennel I worked in - again TO GET THEM EATING.

If it's been around since 1935, I'd suggest it can't be all bad??

yes i always have a few tins of chappie in too , works really well on upset tummies .

>If it's been around since 1935, I'd suggest it can't be all bad??

Science and our knowledge, has moved on quite a bit since 1935.

I know Chappie is what people say to feed dogs when they have an upset stomach, but feeding a poor quality food - one of the poorest quality foods - to a bitch with puppies, when that food is not even labelled for reproduction or all life stages and is clearly labelled 'Adult' - PLUS when it has carcinogenic preservatives in it, which are banned from human foods and scores 0.7 out of 5 on an independent analysis....

When we get new information out which reveals that something we are doing is not ideal, keeping on doing it in some kind of stubborn, blind and biassed way, due to historical loyalty to a product alone, is not in the best interests of us or the dogs - and is not very scientific at all.

> I know Chappie is what people say to feed dogs when they have an upset stomach, but feeding a poor quality food - one of the poorest quality foods - to a bitch with puppies, when that food is not even labelled for reproduction or all life stages and is clearly labelled 'Adult' - PLUS when it has carcinogenic preservatives in it, which are banned from human foods and scores 0.7 out of 5 on an independent analysis....

Bottom line - this suggestion was made TO GET THE BITCH EATING.   Not to have her on all the time and on it's own?   I'd suppose a nursing bitch would be classed as Adult too

And yes, 1935 is a while ago, but there has also been time for what's wrong in this product to have been identified and the product removed from shelves in the UK at least, if needed.

Most of mine, OCCASIONALLY fed tinned Chappie when needed, have lived beyond the norm for the breed which I'd suggest speaks for itself in terms of Chappie??

"She is so thin and I am so worried about her" says the OP.  I would just want to get some food inside her.  Chappie does work for many dogs and a few tins to get her through this difficult period is not going to hurt.    We would all agree that it is not ideal but hopefully OP can get through this difficult period without worrying about whether her dog is eating.

If the OP is being "put off" from using Chappie then try Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal tinned food which as I have said is more expensive but has the same effect and works on an upset tum.

But once you've 'got the bitch eating' - then what?  Stop the Chappie (if it worked?)?  Try something else?  (Why not try something else to start with?).

There are loads of very delicious wet dog foods on the market at the moment, from Lily's Kitchen, to AATU tins, to Nature Diet and Natures Menu... all far better than Chappie as far as quality of ingredients go, and just as appealing (more so, actually!).

Have you tried Arden Grange Appetite Plus. Its a tinned liquid and has all the good nutrients in it. Its a bit like chicken soup. Worked wonders for a dog of mine who was ill and refused to eat

> But once you've 'got the bitch eating' - then what?  Stop the Chappie (if it worked?)?  Try something else?  (Why not try something else to start with?).

A newly whelped bitch will often get terribly loose due to being fed more of very rich nutritious food than her stomach can handle.  This ahs more than once resulted in hunger strike, and a low fat gentle smelly food that this old stanby  can just get them over that day or two and encourage them to eat proper food introduced little and often.

In my own experience this approach and adding natural set live yogurt (up to a large tub a day for my medim breed) has worked and then the bitch ahs gone on to her normal good quality diet

Life after Chappie - simply transition to a better quality food obviously and at a less stressful time .  You stated good foods like Naturediet and Lily's Kitchen.  I have had both of them and like them but they don't work with an upset tum in my experience and therefore not the food I could turn to.  The Chappie suggestion is for an emergency, have not got time to try anything else and many people recommend it.   Lots of great suggestions of food out there I have no doubt but not the time to be trying something that isn't tried and tested for this situation.  Anyway, the OP has the advice and I am sure she will make the right decision for her dog.

> But once you've 'got the bitch eating' - then what?  Stop the Chappie (if it worked?)?

Noooo (or that should be  be YESSSSS) - go back to the original food     Again, other than I use it for a late night meal for my current B., we have only used it to encourage eating, as we did in the Boarding Kennel if we had one in who was a reluctant eater.   Nowhere have I suggested switching to Chappie completely

"In my own experience this approach and adding natural set live yogurt (up to a large tub a day for my medim breed) has worked and then the bitch has gone on to her normal good quality diet"

Yep - I echo this!!

I think the chappie debate has run it's course. Can we get this topic back on subject please ..

Update: Thank you for all of your comments. Sorry I didnt update sooner I have had my hands full with the puppies. Mamma is doing great now. I put her on chappie and it worked a treat She is now back to her usual diet and gaining a little weight,  albeit very slowly ( puppies only 2 1/2 weeks )

Great - well done both!!