New mom dog stuffed up and throwing up snot. Should I worry?

Hello. As long as Lola is eating & drinking fairly well, nursing the puppies & seeming to be contented, she should be well. If you have not wormed her in the past few months, I would definitely take a stool sample to your veterinarian now to make sure she will not be passing any parasites to her puppies. Because some parasites are inevitable in puppies, & based on what & if your vet sees anything in the stool, you will need to start administering a wormer to the puppies starting at 2 weeks of age. We use pyrantel pamoate every 2 weeks until 8 weeks, then monthly until the pups are 6 months of age. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It sounds as if your dog is indeed ill. It is not normal for her to have a stuffy nose and eye discharge, nor is it normal for her to be lethargic and not eating enough. Excesssive drinking is also a concern. She could be having a seripous infection such as distemper, or kidney failure or endocrine disease. She urgently needs to be seen by a veterinarian today.

Cough can be caused by an infection, heart problem or lung condition, it is important to first know the cause before treating it as treatment is different from condition to another. The most common disease causing cough is a viral infection called Kennel cough, this disease usually resolves without treatment within a couple weeks but if the cough is too severe it is recommended to go to the vet in order to get cough medicine and antibiotics.

It is very serious that Brownis is vomiting and shivering, and this can be a sign of a post-whelping complication such as a metritis (an infection). This causes vomiting and fever (shivering can indicate a fever). If she has it, the puppies may suffer from ingesting toxins passed in the milk, and it is therefore not safe to let nurse. You will have to bottle feed them if she has metritis, and you will need to get puppy formula from the grocery store. You can also get it from your vet, and I would take Brownie and her puppies into a vet immediately. She needs veterinary attention now. Please take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

It could be a sign of uterine infection, remnants of dead fetus within the uterus or mastitis. It still could be gastroenteritis, which is unrelated to the pregnancy and having puppies but I think it is less likely. You should take Sally to your local vets today, as there may be something serious going on. Another concern is that if she is not eating and drinking but feeding the puppies she will get dehydrated very quickly.

I don’t think she is depressed. I think she is probably sick. I worry about a uterine infection called a pyometra. It is a pus filled uterus. It doesn’t happen often just after pregnancy, but it can. If this is her problem it is life threatening without surgery. I would encourage you to take her to your local humane society or city shelter as often they will provide low cost or even free spay and neuter. Here is another link with ideas to help you financially. http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/ I hope she does not have a pyometra, but if she does it is really improving to get her spayed as soon as possible. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

The best way to determine whether or not puppies are getting enough milk and growing well is to weigh each puppy at least once a day. You should use a postage or food scale that measures weight in grams. Puppies should be gaining weight every day. Vomiting can occur for many different reasons and if Loki continues to vomit or has a decreased appetite I would recommend having her examined by your vet.