Nursing Dog need help with weight gain and supplementing!!

I just saw this post as I am new to the forum. I have bred dogs for 35 years.The people who are recommending a high quality dry food are correct,but supplementing with a high quality canned dog food would be very beneficial.This way she will be getting the extra fluid and it will be a balanced diet. The only thing you might add would be organic full fat yogurt.Canidae is a good choice, Wellness is another and both are easy to find.Avoid Iams, Nutro, Science Diet,Purina basically anything you can buy at Wal Mart.It is hard to overfeed a nursing mother on dog food,it is when you start adding in the extras like meat and such that you can run into trouble,unless your dog is used to it and you are knowledgeable about calcium/phosphorous ratios.Do make any changes gradually and follow feeding guidelines by the manufacturer. I wish you were close to me, I have been wanting a large breed puppy. Good luck with them.

Oh My Gosh!
What a cutie! I hope you can find responsible owners to adopt them! It sounds like you are getting some really good advice and your mama dog is feeling better too.
Best Wishes to you'all.

WE weighted all the puppies last Thursday on the only scale we could get to work person scale did not weigh small enough, digitail scale I use for eggs did not go high enough, so hubbie had the idea to use my antique flour scale. It worked however had not had to even reweigh to check growth as they are getting HUGE!! Momma gets unlimited (usually 12 -15 cups a day) Diamond puppy for large breed I was astonished that the regular pupppy had by products but the large breed puppy did not. We are going to have to figure something else out about placement as I am an Insomniac and the pups are starting to find their voices THank Goodness Momma Dog is extremely quite unless there is another dog around her human family. My husband keeps thinking we will be able to move them to the shed at 3 to 4 weeks but if the weather stays in the direction it has been then we will have inside puppies until they are adopted. I know that momma dogs stimulate the other end of the pups and is in charge of grooming for now but there are times I wonder if I will need to get the blow dryer out plus she is a drooley dog anyway. Well all the pups are now silent for a while and my eyes are starting to droop so may try for another couple hours of sleep.

Well, nothing decent to add here, just wanted to send good wishes and beg for photos as the pups grow. They sound like they're going to be adorable. I almost wish you lived near me. I may be loosing a dog and want to find a buddy for her mate before we loose her.
Best wishes!

I had a stray feral dog wander into my back yard once and gave birth to 12 puppies. I was told to feed her puppy chow. I don't think it matters if it is high quality or not if it works for the dog. Plus those foods are very expensive to feed to a dog with a large litter like that. Ive tried them and the dogs still ate the same amount as they did the cheap brands. no difference in condition. Plus some dogs will refuse to eat the higher priced foods too. I know mine is allergic to most of them. Use what works for you and the dog. Not what works for everyone else and your dog.