My dog gave birth recently and won't eat or drink. What should I do?

I am very sorry to hear that you are experiencing these issues with Gretal. There are many conditions which can affect the recently postpartum female dog including exhaustion, infection, trauma, hypoglycaemia, severe blood loss causing anemia, and mastitis. Watch for collapse, lethargy, pale gums, dry gums, vomiting, diarrhoea, Loss of blood, complete loss of appetite or the signs of mastitis. Mastitis is a bacterial infection of one, or sometimes more then one, of the milk producing glands in the breasts. Other clinical signs would be; Swelling Firm Warm Discharge (other then milk) painful to the touch Loss of appetite Lethargy Neglect of puppies If you notice any of the above clinical signs, or suspect that Gretal could have mastitis, based on the above clinical signs I would suggest that you take her to see a veterinarian. The vet will be able to prescribe an antibiotics antiinflamatory medications and pain relief. In the meantime you can apply a cool compress to the affected area. Do not attempt any over the counter medications or ointments as they may cause pain or delay healing. It is fine for Gretal to eat only wet food as this will rehydrate her. Low sodium broth should be used. Try a bland diet of boiled boneless chicken breast and steamed white rice. The broth that the chicken is cooked with can be added to her food for extra hydration. I hope this was helpful and more importantly that Gretal starts to feel better soon.

Poor Lucy. She could be suffering from electrolyte imbalance after labor, an infection in her uterus or mammary glands, a puppy that she never delivered that is now infected or more. You could try to offer her some plain boiled chicken (no bones) and white rice or canned dog food to see if you can entice her to eat. If she won’t eat, I would strongly recommend to have a vet look at her. Your vet will be able to run blood work and even X-rays if needed. They will be able to recommend to best treatment plan for her and get her started on the proper meds (even appetite stimulants) to help her feel better. I hope this helps.

If the puppy died or is stuck in the birth canal, you suspect there are other puppies still in the birth canal, or Lulu is acting very ill post labor, it is best to seek emergency care as these can all be serious and concerning signs that require immediate treatment.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding ICE. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. I worry that nursing the pups has placed a huge toll on her body. If this is the case, eclampsia or low blood calcium can result. This can be very serious and requires prompt care. Her veterinarian will be able to diagnose this with a blood sample. I hope this information helps!

The panting should gradually settle after labour has finished . Unless it is just happening on and off which could be normal, if mum Is separated from puppies to go to the toilet for example. If it does persist she could be running a temperature or she could have more puppies in her tummy. This might not be the case, and it might just be normal for her but just to give you different scenarios so that if she continues to be unsettled you take her to see a vet. With regards to her water intake, always leave plenty of fresh water available and if you are worried about not drinking as she normally does add some water in her food. Hope everything continues to go well !

I would recommend taking her to your veterinarian to have her examined. It's possible that she has gastroenteritis, an infection, or any number of other diseases. Your veterinarian can take her temperature and may recommend an ultrasound to check the puppies' heart rates and make sure they are not in distress. I typically recommend feeding a high quality puppy food to pregnant dogs, but your veterinarian might recommend trying a higher calorie therapeutic diet. Good luck!

It is normal for them to clean and eat the placentas but she should have an appetite and be feeling fine. She may need to be checked to see if there are any retained membranes or a uterine infection which can make her feel bad. You can try to give her boiled chicken and rice to help her stool and her appetite. If she seems too weak you may to bottle feed the puppies to let her rest since nursing burns alot of calories.