My first-time dog mom isn't cleaning or interacting with her pups?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Some dogs are just not great mothers. A lot of times this behavior is repetitive with subsequent litters so I would consider spaying her after the puppies are weaned. She could start to improve in her habits but she may not. Sadly you will have to do more work if she won't cleaning them, etc. Hopefully she is at least letting them nurse. You can encourage her to lay in the whelping box with them more. It is ok for her to leave them for periods of time. Be sure Loki is eating high quality puppy food and that all of her mammary glands feel normal. Also be sure the puppies are having normal stool. I hope this helps and I wish Loki and her pups the best!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Some mom dogs are just not good mom dogs. In the circumstances where the mother dog won't feed the puppies you can either try to make Bella lie down and attach the puppies to her nipples (check first that she is producing milk), or if she is refusing the puppies all together you will need to feed and nurse them yourself with a bottle. This involves bottle feeding a puppy replacer (not just milk or 'puppy milk') as well as wiping their penis/vagina and anus so that they will pee and poop. I recommend a visit with the vet for both mom and babies to make sure Bella isn't sick, and to check on the puppies and be shown how to properly bottle feed. Best of luck with Bella and the puppies!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bella! I think you need to bring her in to your vet again and have her rechecked. I specifically would ask them to check her calcium levels. Low calcium can manifest as very bizarre behavior and can be life threatening if not treated. If it isn't low calcium and she isn't better, it is still best to have her looked at again. Sometimes it can take some time for first time Mother's to accept their babies. Just keep putting her in the whelping box and allow the baby to nurse. I hope this helps and I wish you the best!

Hello. Is this Khaleesi's first litter? She may just be inexperienced, & probably still a little uncomfortable from her labor. As long as she is very intent on carry for her babies, she may neglect herself for a day or so. When she gets hungry, she will leave her babies for a few minutes. Give her a little more time. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! How old are her puppies? If they are under 4 weeks then you will need to bottle feed the puppies. If they 3-4 weeks start offering canned puppy food along with bottle feeding and have them fully weaned by 5-6 weeks. Without forcing Cali to nurse them there aren't any other options. I would suggest not breeding her again and have her spayed since she is unwilling to continue to raise the puppies and this likely will be a repetitive behavior. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!

Hello. This is not always a clear cut answer. Some mothers are very accepting of their pups after a C-section. Some mothers do not seem to recognize the litter as theirs. There is definitely a bonding process that accompanies a natural birth. This can be missing with a C-section. Do watch her activity closely for the next day or so & intervene if necessary. I assume you are feeding the pups yourself, but there is always a possibility her maternal instincts will kick in. Otherwise, you may need to raise the litter on your own. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm so sorry that one of your puppies has died! It does sound like Jacky isn't a good mother if she isn't feeding them or licking them, and that could be due to her young age. It's never recommended to breed a female dog on her first heat because she won't be emotionally or physically mature enough to care for them properly as you are seeing with Jacky. Some dogs are also just poor mothers naturally, and that could be the case as well with her. You are going to have to raise these puppies yourself if you want them to have the best chance to survive, but please keep in mind that newborn puppies are very fragile. Care for them is intensive and there may be other ones who don't make it. I will put a link below to a website detailing how to raise orphan puppies. As for Jacky, I would be quite concerned she would repeat this behavior with future litters, so I would recommend having her spayed before her next heat. When you see this behavior from a female dog, it's not recommend to have them have additional litters. http://www.2ndchance.info/orphanpuppy.htm