May 23, 2011
My Boxer just had her first litter of pups and had a whopping 10 of them. She is not eating very much and I was wondering do we need to help supplement the pups?
Full Question:
My Boxer just had her first litter of pups and had a whopping 10 of them. She is not eating very much and I was wondering do we need to help supplement the pups with formula to help her out. I know we would need to let her nurse still and keep her milk up but I am worried there are just too many for her to accomodate. Thank you. ![Cindy](https://leerburg.com/Photos/articles/authors/cindyrhodes.jpg)
![Cindy](https://leerburg.com/Photos/articles/authors/cindyrhodes.jpg)
We have a page on bottlefeeding, you may want to make up a batch of the formula listed on that page.
I would also make sure to monitor your female's temperature twice daily, if it's elevated at all it could indicate a uterine infection or retained placenta which can be life threatening for the mom and her puppies. It can make the milk toxic.
We have a section on breeding; you should spend some time reading there.
With all that said, it's not unusual for females to go off food a bit for a day or two after giving birth. I've had good luck getting our females to eat with a raw egg or two whipped into a cup of plain yogurt. I also flavor their drinking water with chicken or beef stock to get them to take in more liquids.
I hope this help.
Cindy
I would also make sure to monitor your female's temperature twice daily, if it's elevated at all it could indicate a uterine infection or retained placenta which can be life threatening for the mom and her puppies. It can make the milk toxic.
We have a section on breeding; you should spend some time reading there.
With all that said, it's not unusual for females to go off food a bit for a day or two after giving birth. I've had good luck getting our females to eat with a raw egg or two whipped into a cup of plain yogurt. I also flavor their drinking water with chicken or beef stock to get them to take in more liquids.
I hope this help.
Cindy
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