Why is my nursing dog skinny despite good food and deworming?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would start to wean the puppies. Offer canned puppy food a few times per day but still allow them to nurse. Gradually over the next 2-3 weeks get them fully weaned. As for Tofy, I would consider feeding her 2-3 times per day. She may not need the extra calories anymore, as long as she isn't losing weight. I would be sure that she has been dewormed and I would also have the puppies dewormed starting now and every 2 weeks or follow your Vet's schedule. I would not recommend any supplements with out discussing it with your Vet while she is nursing. If Tofy isn't doing well and is losing weight then she should be examined by your vet. I hope this helps and I wish you and Tofy the best!

Great question! Tofy should be dewormed now, then again in two weeks, and a third treatment two weeks after that. This will ensure all the worms are killed. After that, she should be dewormed every three months. When the puppies reach six months of age, they should also be dewormed every three months. I would also feed her a puppy formulated food while she is nursing her puppies. That will give her extra calories, calcium, and protein to support nursing them. Once the puppies are weaned, she can go back onto an adult dog food. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Hello. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Yes, you can use this to deworm a nursing bitch. It is actually recommended that you deworm the nursing bitch and the puppies on the same schedule starting when the puppies are 2 weeks of age; then repeat at 4, 6, and 8 weeks of age and then monthly until 6 months of age. It often takes multiple dewormings to clear them of worms . If you just do it one time you are not likely to make a huge difference. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

It is normal for the mom to lose some weight during lactation, but if you are seeing ribs, then she is not eating enough calories. The best way to ensure she is getting all the necessary nutrients is to feed a formulated dog food; one that is made for lactating dogs is best. You can start weaning the pups from their mom now. Below are links to great articles that explains how to wean the pups and the nutritional needs of the mom and pups. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/breeding-for-dog-owners-caring-from-birth-to-weaning https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feeding-the-nursing-dog https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feeding-growing-puppies I hope that helps and all is well with Tofy and her pups.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Teddy! Since you are describing him as skinny I worry about medical causes for his anorexia. I would deworm him even if the stool is negative and have a stool sample checked. I have blood work ran to check his kidneys. If all the blood work comes back normal I would do a maldigestion/malabsorption profile (B12, folate, TLI, PLI), a bile acid to test liver function and test him for Addison's disease. Then I would ultrasound him to look for enlarged lymph nodes and thickened intestines that would suggest Inflammatory Bowel disease. I hope this helps and I wish you and Teddy the best!

I recommend getting her seen by your vet for an exam and bloodwork. She could have parasites, also, voracious appetite without weight gain or weight loss is a sign of diabetes. It could be that the pups have worn her out. She should have been eating puppy food the whole time she was pregnant and nursing. If she was not, this could be partly responsible for her thin condition. Your vet will give you a treatment plan, based on the findings.

Puppies tend to go through a lanky phase especially if they're a taller breed. Typically they will grow taller before they start to fill out and grow muscle mass. It sounds like your kid is still young and otherwise very happy, so I would give it some time if she was dewormed appropriately. If you're feeding once a day it might be best to consider twice a day feeding as well, like 2 cups twice a day instead of 3 cups once a day. It's very hard to overfeed puppies as they are actively growing. So if you feel like she is not gaining weight appropriately you can try adding an additional 1/2 cup at a time and reassessing in a week or two. Also most veterinary clinics will be fine with you bringing your pet in just to use the scale, just call ahead to ask. This would be a good way for you to know about weight gain. I hope this helps and thank you for using pet coach!