hi all ......  could do with a bit of advice .... my girl whelped by c-section on friday and is just not eating properly at all ... have tried nearly everything i can and she is only drinking puppy milk and eating junk stuff ie sausages ..pate and toast.. beef burgers and on the odd occassion liver .... have tried her on different complete including puppy but she just turns her nose up at it all including roast chicken which she normally loves as well as  tripe and beef chunks ..... she is still on anti-biotics and am giving her calcium tabs ..... she is very well in herself and a dedicated mum but she has 9 pups to feed and a bit concerned that she will go downhill if she doesnt start to eat properly soon ..... any suggestions would be warmly welcome  ... this is her first litter and she is 3 1/2 years old

many thanks linda

my bitch had a normal birth but wasnt interested in food for a few days so after a c section I would worry too much as long as she is drinking as this is very important for her milk production I am sure she will be a little more interested soon .
You could try very soft foods even chicken soup is good .

Roni

After my bitches have whelped, for the first 3 or 4 days I give them something every 2 hours. A bowl of milk, then 2 hours later the meat from a boiled chicken leg, then 2 hours later the milk, then 2 hours later the chicken leg, etc. It's important to boil the chicken leg as this gets rid of most of the fat, which could upset a delicate tummy. It's also important to just feed small amounts and often. I've found this regime keeps up the bitches strength without putting any pressure on the digestive system.

My bitch had a c-section yesterday lunchtime.  I started her on my porridge mix in the late afternoon and gave her this every to hours.  She has also had a little Lactol and also her first almost 'normal' type of meal.  Are you feeding her in the box?  I have just put a ilttle food into a small bowl to encourage her.  Good luck.

My girl gave birth Friday, and she too has been fussy with her food understandably.
She will not touch complete dog food, but at this time of her nursing her pups I always feed her chicken, beef, eggs, cottage cheese etc:
Today her appetite has got better and has started eating a little more.

I Have found in the past that something really smelly like pilchards in tomato sauce gets them eating again, You could also try cooked mince, scrambled egg anything really and add it into her normal food. She may be reluctant to get out of her box so I always hold the bowl for the bitch to eat in the box. Keep her fliuds up too. Good luck

Oh all the posts of babies being born is making me broody, i have mated my girl 2 weeks ago and am praying she has taken as i want to keep and this will be her last litter.
good luck to all of you with your newborn babies :)

Hi linda,

My bitch had a normal birth but from 7 weeks would not eat dry food at all. I just fed her raw and whatever i could get her to eat. She had chicken hearts, necks, wings, liver (not much though), tripe, pilchards, sardines,etc, and a gruel type porridge which she loved. She was very picky and i ended up hand feeding her most of the time. As soon as pups had gone, back to her normal eating habits! Hope that helps.
mel.

I usually feed junk food for the first week then when the puppies get more demanding I find the mum starts to eat her complete food as well.My girl had her babies on Bank Holiday Monday and she is eating everything in sight now and she only had 3 puppies so carry on as you are and just keep offering her food she,ll know when she,s ready for it.Good luck.

thanks everybody for your advice .... i am feeding her in the box as she will not eat unless she is nursing the pups.... it was a toasted ham sandwich for lunch today followed by milk .. and just sausages tonight .. she is hungary because she swallows everything straight down that she chooses to eat ... and she will only eat if hand fed ... the sardines are next on my list .. seeing as she likes toast at the moment .... lol ... have tried the porridge but she turned her nose up at that .. it is definately the stronger tastes that she seems to prefer ... anything bland is a no no .... it is a worry when you know she is hungary but simply refuses to eat normally because of her losing condition as everything goes to the pups who are thriving but i will persever and hope she gets back to normal soon ..... it is so frustrating when she eats something in the morning and then turns her nose up at it when you try the same food later in the day .... i thought i might take her supermarket shopping and let her pick out what she wants ... lol .....

linda

I always feed in the whelping box for the first week or so holding the dish at first.  Also their lips/tongue can be very sore from the cleaning, and this can stop them eating their dry rations. 

I always really soak the dry food so that it is virtually mush, and this seems to help no end in getting plenty into them and plenty of liquid for milk making.

I find a squirt of Logic tooth gel helps - they must have an awful taste in their mouths from all that licking and cleaning, and the Logic, as well as a little yoghurt, if she will take it seems to help restore their tastebuds.

She probly does not feel to good herself  c/sections are after all a major operation. Very light food, puppy milk, rice puddings, chicken, fish, Tuna or Piltchards, if she will eat it she should pick up after she has finished her antibotics.