My dog had puppies, but her milk supply seems low. Is this normal?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Those puppies look very healthy. The only way to make sure they are getting enough milk is to weigh the puppies every day and make sure the puppies are gaining weight. Neonatal puppies should have a weight gain of 5-10% of birth weight daily --they may lose a little the first 24 hours, but after that we need to see this weight gain. If they are not gaining at that level, they need to be evaluated, and if otherwise normal, supplemented with formula and tube feeding to achieve this weight gain. Sounds like everything is going great with Juliet and the puppies. Remember to feed Juliet puppy food during this time because her nutritional requirements are very high during lactation. Good luck

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Puppies usually start feeding in the first 2-3 hrs of their lives. You should try and 'latch' the puppy on the nipple. Once the puppy has open mouth you just need to put the nipple in the mouth and wait 20-30 seconds for the puppy to start feeding. If he is not taking any milk or keeps crying for another 2-3hrs, you should get in touch with your local vets. Milk replacer should be used only as the last resort.

The length depends on how hungry they are and how much milk she has. If your puppies are not gaining weight and do not have round full bellies after nursing, she may not have enough milk for them and you may have to supplement them with puppy milk.

Hello. Just from your pictures, everyone looks happy & healthy. I have never seen a dog produce so much milk that it smeared all over the puppies face. Most of the time it looks exactly as you describe. You can buy a little gram scale & weigh each puppy once a day & as long as there is no weight loss, all is good. The signs to look for are crying, distressed puppies, crawling away from mom, cold & pale. Your picture shows a very contented mom, & round, pink puppies, so I think all is good right now. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is quite possible. At this stage all the nipples should be big and very full, especially if she only had one puppy. If you think she has not enough milk, you will need to supplement with puppy milk and bottle feed the puppy. Please do not use cow's milk. You can get puppy milk and a feeding bottle at a supermarket or pet store. Do not take him off his mommy, she will do most of the work for you, just add the bottle feeding to his care.

Hello. Often the milk will not start flowing until a dog actually enters the stages of labor. The act of giving birth & the hormones that are released at parturition will stimulate milk to come down. If no milk is seen after the puppies are born, Simba may need an injection of oxytocin, but this would be very unusual. You just need to have a little patience for a few more days. thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Feed NawNaw a puppy formulated food, she needs the extra calories, calcium, and protein. Weigh the puppies daily to make sure they are gaining weight. If they aren't, then you will need to supplement their feeds with puppy formula.