My 10kg girl has had a litter of 7 puppies. Please can someone tell me if weight gain looks ok? I am concerned because mum doesn't want to feed them and I have to put her in the whelping box to get her to feed them. I am convinced she is in pain when nursing, but the vet says this is all normal.. I have started calcium supplementing because she doesn't seem herself. The birth went well and she instantly licked all the puppies and fed them. She was an amazing mum for a couple of days and then steadily got more and more distant as she seemed more and more in pain with feeding.

Averages             
Day    Weight(g)    Increase(g)  Increase(%)
1        239.2          -                 -
2        262.7          24               9.95%
3        307.7          43               17.26%
4        354.7          45               15.49%
5        401.3          45               13.13%
6        427.7          27               6.59%
7        470.2          41               9.89%
8        496.5          25               5.69%
9        540.7          44               8.84%

I usually look for pups to double their birth weight by 1 week old so looks good. Check their claws aren’t too sharp, if they are she could be uncomfortable, we usually clip the ends of with baby nail clippers. Stay beside the box so that she is with you when she is nursing.

I'd suggest that as long as they are gaining, they are fine.   Are they quiet other than when nursing - if so, again they are ok.   For sure, nip off the pointy ends of their nails - we always have to do that to prevent scratching mum.

Have you checked her for mastitis ?.

We took her to the vets today and mastitis confirmed in one nipple. They've said to stop her feeding from it but plaster just falls off it and they push a scarf out the way. I think I'll try a babygrow with holes where the non infected teats are. She's on antibiotics now and I've been given a bottle and puppy formula to try and supplement the puppies.

Welcome to the world of breeding dogs. 

Generally, it is best (in fact, important) for puppies to nurse from the nipples with mastitis because their sucking clears the duct and helps get the milk flowing properly again.  And the most commonly used antibiotics for mastitis are perfectly safe to use whilst the bitch is lactating - in fact, I would be demanding 'safe during lactation' antibiotics from the vet in this situation. 

I'm sure mum will want to feed again once she is feeling better, and her milk is way better for the pups than any supplement you can purchase, so it is really worth trying to keep the pups on her. 

I would also be supplementing with calcium if there are any poor mothering behaviours - search the forum for calcium as there are now lots of posts on this.

Hi, thanks for reply. The vet said not to let the puppies drink from infection nipples because they could get sick. Is this incorrect? I was a bit surprised because when I had mastitis with my human children, it was very important to keep letting them have the milk to try and clear it, as you say.

I have been supplementing with calcium for a few days, as I was sure something was wrong but wasn't sure if it was eclampsia or mastitis.

Just massage and try draining it yourself to clear if pups don't do it and keep checking in case it spreads.

It depends on how bad the infection is, but unless it's really really bad, it is best to let the puppies drain it - put the strongest pup on it.

You should also alternate between hot and cold compresses, to try to draw it out.  Cabbage leaves are supposed to be excellent for this - put a cabbage in the fridge so it's cold - and heat a wash cloth to alternate between hot and cold.

Are you supplementing with enough calcium?  It's a considerable amount that's needed and people often don't give enough...

I've been giving her 10-15mg/day. Is that enough? She is 11kg.

I don't know how bad it is.. the stuff i'm expressing out of it is mostly dark red blood.

I don't think that's anywhere near enough...

She needs 2202mg of elemental calcium a day if she's 11kg.  And not all of calcium, is elemental calcium. 

She needs 5646mg of dicalcium phosphate, for example.  Or 5505mg of calcium carbonate. 

This means 7x extra strength Tums tablets per day...

I'm giving her anifort ground beef bones but I've miscalculated the amount so I'll up it a lot. Thanks for pointing this out. I'm going to increase to 40-50g/day of it now I've read the packet properly. Zombie tired brain.

That analysis doesn't say what type of calcium it is, so it's not possible to calculate how much to give:  https://www.aniforte.co.uk/products/aniforte-meat-and-bone-meal

I would recommend using Tums because they're easily accessible and we know exactly how much to give...

> <br />I would recommend using Tums because they're easily accessible and we know exactly how much to give...

Totally agree.