hi all my girl just whelped a litter of 4 yesterday and did brilliantly :) both mum and babies are doing really well but now im worried about building her back up again...shes off her normal food and is only eating scrambled eggs, surlely this isnt enough to maintain her and the pups?any advice is welcome
emma

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Give her a chance! She knows best what she can digest.

For the first 24 hours after whelping I don't offer any solid food at all, just lots of milky fluids. Then I'll introduce soft bland foods (rice, scrambled egg etc) for a couple of days, still keeping up with the liquids. Then gradually introduce more high-quality, high protein food as her insides get back to their normal positions after being pushed out of place during her pregnancy.

By the time the pups are about 3 weeks old she'll be on about 4 times her usual 'maintenance' quantity.

Hope this helps.
:)

thanx for the reply, i did attempt milky things like sloppy porrige and weetabix but no interest shes not drinking much either but then she never really has.....shes just eaten a few sausages and im going to try her with some fish later :) shes doing a grand job tho considering she had a c section last time....i havent had to help her at all

dont worry! its normal for bitches to eat very little in the first few days or so after whelping. if she eats the afterbirths, they will give her lots of nourishment to sustain her during and after the birthing process. offer tempting foods for the first few days and keep the food and water bowls very close to hand, she will not want to get up or leave the puppies at all in the early stages, having the bowls within easy reach, means she can eat when she feels like it without moving. 4 is a small litter (we have had 15!! that was fun!!) so she shouldnt be too taxed. have a constant supply of high protein food at the ready, and let her decide when she wants to eat it. good luck with your new pups! ;-)

hi just to say shes alot better today:) drinking lots and eating more or less everything shes offered, i think you just get so used to seeing them fat that its a bit of a shock afterwards!!
yes 4 is quite a small litter hehe

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Glad to hear she is doing better today...many bitches are finiky the first few days then they find their appetite. Not to worry!!!
have fun with the pups!
Amanda

Hi there

I am finding the same problem with my bitch after she whelped her one and only puppy. She will eat if I sit and handfeed her, however this is not ideal and I'd rather she was eating on her own. Tried her on Rice Pudd this morning and hey progress, I'll just keep trying everything and anything to get her back to normal. She is being a very good Mum but she did have one confused moment this morning. I was getting ready to do the morning walk with my other girl and Mum thought it might be nice to come with me, however she couldn't make up her mind and was running frantically back and forward to the door where her whelping room is, in the end I left her at home. I'll take her a short wander tomorrow if she's up to it. Well I'm off to make some scrambled eggs and more rice pudd.

Bye for now

Alli