Why did my Shih Tzu mom attack and eat her own newborn puppies?

IF you see that she keeps doing that you will have to separate the puppies from her and start feeding them yourself with puppy milk replacer that you can buy from any pet shop. feeding will need to be given every 2-4 hours and you will need to keep them in a warm environment.

I would take her to the vet for an examination because she sounds very unwell and there coukd be a medical reason why she isnt bonding with the pups. You shouldnt force her to feed them whilst you dont know what is wrong as it could make her sicker. Common problems in bitches after whelping are mastitis in the teats, metritis in the womb, hypocalcemia or electrolyte imbalances. I would get her to a vet as soon as you can.

Yes, if Belle at one of her puppies, I would separate the rest. It could be that puppy was sick and that's why she ate it, or she could be a poor mother. Given the chance that she could be a poor mother, I would not mate her again and have her spayed as soon as her milk has dried up. You may need to bottle feed the puppies, and I can give you a link to the website that details how to do it. Keep in mind that raising them yourself is very labor intensive, just like having a newborn, and is a lot of hard work but that may be their best chance for survival if she has eaten one. http://www.2ndchance.info/orphanpuppy.htm

Hello, it looks like your question cut off after 'getting old and before'. Killing puppies is very abnormal and may indicate either extremely poor mothering skills or even a mental disorder. I do not recommend to breed Tash again or you are likely to see that she kills all the puppies again and it is unfair to bring them into the world only to have this happen. I recommend to have Tash spayed or to keep her safely confined and kept away from any males during her estrus. Even if she is getting older, I still would not breed her. I hope this helps.

Unfortunately some dogs are poor mothers, and it's not normal that she bites them. The best thing to do is remove the puppies from Frickle to keep them safe, and you will have to bottle feed them yourself so they can survive. I will put a link below on how to raise newborn puppies, but please be aware that it is very time and labor intensive. You need to go out now and get some puppy formula. I recommend KMR, you can get it at a pet store or the grocery store. As for Frickle, I would have her spayed. When dogs are poor mothers, it's never recommend to breed them again, and she does not sound like a dog who should be bred again. http://www.2ndchance.info/orphanpuppy.htm

I'm sorry to hear of your concerns with Junior. Mothers can begin to try and wean their pups around four or five weeks of age. This can take the form of walking away when the pups try to nurse or even a light growl or snapping if they are really annoying her. If you feel like Junior is truly being aggressive and not just annoyed with her pups I would be concerned that could be something else going on. She could be in pain from a mammary gland infection called mastitis or have an infection elsewhere that is making her feel ill. I would recommend that you have her seen by your veterinarian. They will perform a thorough physical examination to get a better idea of what may be going on.

Yes it is very possible. If the mom is killing puppies, or aggressive to other dogs, I would recommend having her spayed and not having any more puppies to prevent any more being killed and prevent a lot of stress on Spike. It would also be a good idea to seek out a dog trainer or behaviorist in your area that can work with you on the aggression issues.