LoveToKnow Dogs:AllComments

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Hi Angela,

Your dog could be pregnant, but this sounds more like a false pregnancy. Your vet will be able to tell the difference. Right now, you'll want to discourage your dog from licking/nursing herself because that will only encourage milk development and prolong the process.

Thanks for sharing your situation, and I hope your dog will be back to normal soon. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

my dog, molly has been off her food the two nipples at the back are growing quite big and she keeps sucking them ,is she pregnant?

-- Contributed by: angela

Hi Cherl,

It's unfortunate, but it happens. You may need to hold your female down in order to let the pups nurse. They need to nurse at least every two hours, and you can actually see their tummies become rounder when they've had enough to drink. Additionally, you may need to wipe their genitals and anuses with a soft wet cloth to help them potty. Mom usually take care of this, so try to encourage her to lick them.

Some new moms' instinct will finally kick in after a day or two, and hopefully this will be the case with your pet. Just be prepared that you may need to buy puppy formula and a nursing bottle at your local pet supply store if your dog doesn't produce milk for the litter.

I hope things turn out alright. Let us know how it goes. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

my pug had her pups but she wont feed them what should i do

-- Contributed by: cherl hunter

Hi Drea,

This is a great question. Let me ask this; did your dog stop nursing the pups on her own, or did you initiate the weaning because you put the pups on moist puppy food? The reason I ask is because most puppies are still nursing a bit at five weeks, as well as eating some moist food. A gradual weaning, mostly instigated by mom herself usually results in a gradual tapering off of milk production. This makes it easier on mom as she transitions out of milk production. Otherwise, the breasts can become quite full and uncomfortable.

If the pups are still interested, you may want to allow them to nurse once a day for the next week to help drain off the excess milk while still encouraging mom's body to produce less milk than it did at the height of production. After that, you can eliminate nursing altogether and mom should eventually dry up.

Thanks for your question, and best wishes. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My pit bull had 9 babies. they are 5 weeks old and doing very well. she has stopped feeding them and they are on moist puppy food which they love. My question is... mom's nipples are dripping milk and over the past few days without them feeding they have become quite large and hard. is there anything i can do for her boobs, aside from the vet? she just looks sooo miserable and has no interest in feeding them anymore. Im just concerned with the boob and milk issue.

thanks a million -Drea

-- Contributed by: Drea

Hi Wendy, and welcome to the site.

Most dogs are finished draining this long after a litter. It would be a good idea to let your vet have a look at her. I don't think she has likely retained a puppy, but there could be a problem with her uterus going back to normal. Her hormones might even be a bit off, so it's best to let the vet examine her to check out all of these possibilities.

Thanks for your question, and I hope your dog doesn't have any serious complications.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

my dog had puppies 3 week ago and she is still bleeding and I dont know if that is normal or can she still have a dead puppy sill in her?

-- Contributed by: hi my name is wendy

Hi Debra,

Is this your dog's first litter? If so, some new moms just don't seem to understand their role. You will need to make her lay down with them every two hours for feedings. You'll also need to make sure she is licking them to stimulate urination and bowel movements because they won't be able to do this on their own for approximately the next two weeks. If she won't stay with them to keep them warm, you'll need to place a heating pad beneath the box and set it on low. Check the bottom of the box to make sure it doesn't become too warm.

With all of this said, you still want to try to persuade your dog that she should be the one to care for the pups. This means she doesn't get to hang out with you instead of spending time with them. If possible, at least confine her to the same room as the pups, and don't offer her special attention. Keep her food and water in there too, and just take her outside for potty breaks. Hopefully her instincts will kick in. If not, you're going to have to play surrogate mom and possibly supplement the pups with formula.

Thanks for your question, and I hope everything works out for you. Keep us posted.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My dog just had 8 pug puppies and she isn't seeming to want to be with them or feed them. Is it because it was a long labor and a lot of work. She goes to look at them, but doesn't hop in the box. I had to force her to lay down in order for them to get some milk, but she didn't want to

-- Contributed by: Debra

Hi Della, and welcome to the site.

I think you'll find the info given to Carmel just below will be useful for you too. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi i have lab and weimaraner puppies 3 weeks old today, when can i give them water, i feed them a little this am is it to soon, and how much will they eat

-- Contributed by: Della

Hi Carmel,

If the puppies are fairly stable on their feet, you can begin teaching them to lap water now. This the first step, and you will need to coax them by taking them to the shallow bowl one by one. Dip your fingers in the water and encourage each puppy to lick them. Keep your hand very close to the water so your pup knows where it's coming from. Eventually you can transfer the pup to drinking from the bowel.

The next step is to make a thin gruel. You can either use Gerber High Protein baby cereal combined with water, or you can grind puppy food in a food processor and mix it with water for a thin formula. Again, teach the pups to lap this. Once they are all eating well, you can gradually thicken the mixture with more ground kibble and less water, eventually creating a sort of paste. From this point, you can begin thoroughly soaking unground kibble before serving it to the pups. When they are eating this well, you can gradually reduce the soaking until the pups are able to crunch the dry kibble on their own and take water from a separate bowl. You should always provide a fresh source of water from the time you first teach the pups to lap.

During the weaning process, you should still allow the pups to nurse mom. However, once they begin eating food, they'll gradually nurse mom less and less because they aren't completely dependent on her. She'll also appreciate the break.

That's about it. Just watch the pups carefully through each stage of weaning to make sure each one is doing well. You may have to single a slower pup out to be fed alone until he gets the hang of it.

Best wishes, and I hope this info helps. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Our 2 1/2 yr. old border collie has a 3 wk. old litter of 8 puppies. She has plenty of milk but is getting tired of getting malled and is not feeding the puppies as often as I'd like to see. When should I start introducing wet puppy chow to them? Thanx!

-- Contributed by: Carmel

Hi Kelly,

Actually, some exercise right now would be beneficial, but you have to keep it moderate. A two-year-old usually recovers quickly from the birthing, but strenuous activity could cause the uterus to begin bleeding again. Some drainage at this time is still normal, but an increase in flow or a color change from reddish-brown to bright red would indicate renewed bleeding.

Since you also want to protect the newborns from exposure to germs and viruses, I recommend you let your dog exercise on her own in your backyard. If necessary, you can put her on a leash and walk her around the yard repeatedly, but I would refrain from anything more strenuous until the pups are at least four weeks old.

Thanks for your question, and welcome to the site.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi,

My German Shepherd Shelby gave birth to three healthy babies, on 9/3/08. Shelby has been very good about feeding and caring for her babies, but she is ready to play again. I am worried that she will hurt herself, considering she just had her Puppy's. She want's to play fetch, and run and jump as she did before the Pup's. She is 2 years old, and has always been a very active girl.

So is it safe for her to play this soon after whelping?

-- Contributed by: Kelly C

Hi Z,

I'm sorry, but I can't be certain whether your dog is pregnant. Your vet wouldn't have checked for pregnancy either unless you asked specifically about it. Your best option is to go back to the vet for a pregnancy check. In the meantime, you can begin comparing your dog's bodily changes to the information in our article Dog Pregnancy Symptoms.

Thanks for your question, and I hope things work out the way you want them too. Good luck.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

I think my dog is pregnant,she is a chuhuahua and she is 2 years old , but we took her to the vet a week ago and the vet didn't say anything about her being pregnant. Her weight is 7 lbs but she has signs of pregnancy like growth of the nipples and her belly is firm but I am not really sure if she is pregnant or not can you tell me if she is?

-- Contributed by: Z

Hi Kelli,

Fleas can cause anemia in puppies if the problem is bad enough. Is mom still nursing the litter? If she is, your options are limited because you can't use any products that leave a chemical residue. My advice is to call your vet and ask if there is anything safe you can use at this time. A lot will depend on how old the puppies are. If they are approaching eight weeks old, your vet should be able to recommend a flea shampoo that is safe to use on puppies.

Thanks for your question and I hope you're able to get the situation in hand.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

We have a labrador who had 9 puppies. They are outside dogs. they all have fleas when can I get rid of the fleas? and do the fleas hurt the puppies?

-- Contributed by: kelli

Hi Connie,

It would be alright to bath your dog a couple weeks after the pups are born. Avoid using any type of medicated or insecticidal shampoos, because these could leave trace chemicals on your dog that might prove harmful to the pups. Also, be sure to rinse your dog very well, especially last thing around the breasts.

Thanks for your question, and good luck with the litter!

-- Contributed by: Kelly

hello just need to know if its alright to bath are dog a week or two after giving birth will this harm her pups when she is feeding them should i use someother type of dry shampoo?

-- Contributed by: connie

hi, i have a pit bull terrier, she just had pups today-7 but only 5 made it.She is not even a year old yet.i am not sure what to give her if there are any foods or vitamins to be giving the mother and/or the puppies.She has also been shaking a little bit and im not sure if this is normal or not: seeing that this was her first pregnancy, and my first dog having puppies, im not sure what is suppose to happen. truly~Kelley

Hi Kelly, the shaking is probably from exhaustion after the delivery, but some bitches get a little shocky. My breeder mentor taught ne to serve the new mom a raw egg whipped with a spoonful of Kayro syrup and a little milk, and it always seemed to help. You just offer this one time. If the raw egg concerns you, you could purchase a product called Nutrical at your local pet supply. It is full of vitamins and is easily absorbed. You just squirt some of the paste on your dog's tongue and she'll lick it up.

I also recommend that every new mom sees the vet within 24 hours of delivering. The vet checks for any retained pups or placentas that could cause infection, checks the bitch for fever and gives her an antibiotic shot to head off a uterine infection.

Thanks for your question, and best of luck with the litter.

-- Contributed by: kelley

My american bulldog/ridgeback 10 month old female is showing a lot of signs of pregnancy but I still don't know for sure if she is. She does not seem to get any bigger but her nipples have definitely changed since the end of her heat period. Do dogs always develop breasts after their first heat as a natural sigh of becoming mature. There was one very short encounter (while I was holding her leash and I turned around a minute later, a small dog was on top of her. There was definitely no "locking" between the two, I chased the male off as soon as I saw it. Isn't my puppy really too young to have puppies of her own. Today is the 55th day after that encounter took place. I took her temperature, it is 103 but she does not seem to be bothered by anything other than not drinking enough water. Would you please let me know what you think? Thank you

Hi Sunrise,

A tie isn't necessary for fertilization to take place, so we can't rule out a preganancy just yet. You're going to know for sure about that in about eight to ten days.

What concerns me at the moment is your dog's elevated temperature. Normal temperature for a dog runs between 100 and 101 degrees F. That temperature will shoot up to 102 during delivery, but 103 degrees is excessive under any circumstances.

I really believe it would be beneficial to have your vet examine your bitch. Even if that male didn't impregnate her, your bitch may have contracted an infection from the contact. This could have serious consequences if left untreated, so please have her looked at.

Best wishes for a happy outcome.

-- Contributed by: Sunrise
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