i have a bitch that has lost so much weight since having her puppies she looks like a hat rack.  i have tried uping her food but she then gets the runs. she was on tripe. put her on dried tried uping that but same problem. the puppies are getting bigger now so taking more from her. they are 5 weekd old. tried taking her away from the puppies ( they are eating really well ) but they cried alot and didnt seem to settle. they are also on tripe with some dried added. as they will be going to their new homes on dried.( not everbody can tolerate feeding tripe)  has anyone else had this problem if so how did you solve this problem. thanks

Does she only get tripe or do you feed her other foods as well?

How many meals a day are you giving her?  I've found the best way to put weight on a dog is to increase the total volume given, and feed several smaller meals.  This seems to be less likely to cause the runs.

How many meals a day are you feeding her, and what else apart from tripe? Tripe on its own isn't a balanced diet for any dog, let alone a nursing mother.

Snap, JG :)

As the others have said how many meals are you giving.

My girls get four times their normal rations, but of a puppy food over at least four meals a day and some extra in addition at other times. 

I also really soak their dry food making it easy to eat (bitches mouths can get sore from all the cleaning) and to ensure they take on enough liquid.

My girls usually get a bit fat, as I feed them as much as they can take, and worry about cutting them back after pups reach 6 weeks or more.

Hi Little Jayne, my pups are 4 weeks old now!! :D
I have found feeding my girl four times a day with a diet of Tripe, cottage cheese, litterlac, boiled eggs, rice and chicken (not all at the same time mind!) seems to help her produce her milk and also keep her weight balanced.
My girl can eat tell the cows come home and still not look 'large' she was very slim before having her pups and seems to have kept a little weight on at present.
She doesn't not spend much time with the pups, they are eating very well on their solids and she only tends to want to go into them once they have finished their meal, and eats anything they have left! Then wants to get back out!!!  The pups have the odd feed off her, but neither she or the pups seem bothered, the pups would rather just lay with her or play tug of war with her ears!!!
I am starting to reduce my girls food now due to the fact she is not feeding the pups as regularly as she was.
But maybe try feeding your girl 4 times a day maybe this would help her xx

i have tried all that has been suggested small meals over 5-6 times per day. tried jwb as well as the tripe. as beta puppy food. the only thing i havent tried is the puppy milk. will get some and give it a go. my girl can eat and eat too but it all goes straight through.  im plum out of ideas now. to add she has never been able to keep weight on. been a struggle since she was young. her puppies can eat anything now with no problem. oh finally i ahev seen a vet they suggested the hills vets diet.

Have you tried Burns dried food?
It is the closest thing to natural feeding and I find it helps my girl keep her weight on, as I to have a problem with her keeping it on.
You can get it from a pet store very close to where I live if you would like the info PM me. xx

I have known a few people find they can't keep weight on with burns, so I suppose it depends on the dog.

To the OP have your tried a different puppy food on your bitch.

when I tried the Pedigree professional on my girl (I had won stakes places and needed to use up the prize vouchers) it went Right through my girl.

Normally they are best on the food that keeps them firm when not in whelp or rearing, but say the puppy version.

Milk, even puppy milk (unless it is made from goats milk) will often go through bitches.

If my bitch was not tolerating the puppy food, then I would as a last resort put her back on her maintenance food, but increase it to four meals a day, giving her the amount she would normally eat at each sitting.

As you ahve had problems keeping weight on her in the past it could be that she doesn't absorb nutreints from her food well.  Which food if any has she ben really firm and done well on, that is what I woudl be feedign at thsi stressful time.

In my experience Beta isn't as digestible as some other foods.

My own have kept nice and firm on Arden grange Prestige.  I have been able to give any amount of this without looseness.  did get a bit of looseness on the other hand with James Wellbelloved.

With pups I have always used several brands of puppy food mixed together so that the new owners could choose what they liked from these and the pups would still get a food they were used to, once the supply from me had run out.

thank for your reply.i have never been able to say her poos have been firm. it will be for a few days and i think hurrah ive cracked it. then she reverts back to loose poos. i think over the time i have tried every food on the market.  have just bought a new food from my locally pet shop. their own make. wheat and glutun free based on rice and chicken. so will see how this goes. the man in the shop said it would be good for sensitive tummys. proof will be in the eating. fingers crossed. thanks again

It is the closest thing to natural feeding Not quite 100% sure that is accurate. Natural contents and natural feeding are 2 different things.    Don't want to jump in on the thread through but thought it worth mentioning especially as the poster is having weight issues.

Burns has very very low fat content and actually says on the bag it may need to be supplemented!!!  I have a small a terrier breed and would never be able personally to feed mine  Burns all the time as they would be bags of bone. 

up date. the food is fantastic that i bought from local pet shop  i have added in chicken wings as a treat between meals. so far so good.

yet again i spoke too soon. back to square one. runny poos!!!!

Little Jayne,it's only been a week... Whats the brand of food?  How much are you feeding?

You may need to cut back a bit and/or add yogurt( a decent dollop) or a good probiotic supplement. It takes at least 6 weeks to see if a food is working or not,give her system a little more time to adjust to the new food.And keep adding the [raw] green tripe,it's chock full of enzymes which should also help with the runny poop.

i didnt know that about tripe. some people say it isnt good. will try the yoghort. will also try a bit longer with the dried. however i spoke to someone today they were singing the praises of aktari (dodnt know if that is how you spell it) has anybody heard anything about it

Autarky? Yes, a decent food.

yes.. I liked Autarky.. fed it to my lot and they thrived on it.. also raised 3 litters on it too.. all did very well... only reason I changed was to begin feeding raw.. although I still occasionally use Chudleys or Autarky for overnighters etc.. when raw food would be a problem...