Wow.... Thank you for taking care of mama and trying to help get her fixed so this mess doesn't happen again.

First, regarding the feeding, you mention dehydrated milk. You are referring to puppy milk replacer, PMR or Esbilac, right? Not dehydrated cow/dairy milk for humans? Puppies and dogs do not do well with dairy, so feeding mama the latter could actually be doing her harm nutritionally (irritating her gi and disrupting proper digestion)--mama doesn't even need milk of any kind. Plus, the puppies need something actually formulated for them to help with growth.

If the recipe your vet gave you contains goat milk, rather than cow milk, you should be good (for the puppies). Or again, pick up a can of Esbilac from your vet or feed store. Otherwise, check out this recipe and bottle feeding tips from a very experienced breeder: Leerburg | Bottle Feeding Puppies

IME, getting pups to drink from the pet-specific bottles is hard. I've had more success with actual infant bottles, however, those might be too big for chihuahuas. You may have to go to the vet to have them show you how to tube feed or feed from a syringe. Syringe feeding can be tricky and can cause them to aspirate (inhale) the milk, which is very dangerous.

Also, regarding feeding mama, I'd recommend getting her on a more nutrient dense food than Pedigree. Wean her slowly (because it will be a big change) onto something with a higher percentage meat, like Nature's Variety Instinct, Taste of the Wild, or Canidae Pure (all available at most big box pet stores). If those are out of your budget, just get some ground chicken, turkey, and/or beef to cook with the eggs and add to her kibble. She doesn't need any milk. If you want to really improve digestion, add a teaspoon of live-culture yogurt, kefir, or probiotics to her diet.

Hydration is super important even if she's getting some moisture in her food. Try adding some pedialyte or low sodium chicken broth to her water. This may entice her to drink more, and keep this right next to the whelping box. (You can put it in if you are sure the pups won't fall in and drown.) If you pinch the skin on her head gently so it tents and you let go, it should flatten out immediately; if not, she is dehyrdated. Another way to check is feeling her gums--they should be moist; if they are sticky or tacky and the color does not immediately return when you press on them lightly for a second, she is dehydrated.

As far as getting your friend to spay her goes... yikes. It sounds like they are having hard times financially? The first thing I would to is take advantage of this. Most importantly, keep all of your receipts for your reimbursement. Proper nutrition for the lactating mother and bottle feeding the babies costs more? You bet. Show her and insist her to pay you back. It also sounds like the mama needs a vet visit, since she is not eating well, has been lethargic, and not producing enough milk. Take her (and the puppies for a overall wellness check), which is the responsible thing to do, and yes, keep the receipt. Keep receipts and a running account of all the supplies and food you have bought for the litter, so she can see just how much it costs.

If your friend says you have ruined her dog for breeding, agree with her that her dog is not healthy or suitable to breed again. Tell her she was unable to raise this litter on her own. Log the hours you spend bottle feeding the puppies, so she knows how time intensive it is.

Ask your vet for a written estimate on an emergency c-section and show that to your friend, along with this overview of the many, real possible complications that can arise from pregnancy, whelping, or after: http://www.medicanimal.com/Dogs/Hea...-6-Most-Common-Problems-During-and-Post-Whelping-(Canine-Pregnancy)/a/ART111510
http://www.debbiejensen.com/whelping_trouble.html
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/whelpingcsection.htm (many links at the bottom too)
Ask her (genuinely) if she can afford the c-section and/or if making money is more important than the health of her chi.

Get a quote for litter vaccinations and deworming for when they are 6-7 weeks old and 8-9 weeks old from the vet. If you still have them at these ages, take them, keep the receipt, and require reimbursement, or if she has them by this time, make sure she knows that these appointments need scheduled otherwise it's she who's risking them getting parvo and dying (not you).

Finally, if the money doesn't do it, I don't know that this will, but it's worth a try. Take her on a trip to your local animal control or shelter (pick the busiest one and try to check their site in advance to make sure they have a number of small dogs there), and then point out all the small dogs looking for homes and at risk of being put down. Ask to speak with a staff member about the issue they have with too many dogs and not enough homes and what would be the most effective thing you and she could do to help decrease this. (I'm 100% positive they'll say spay and neuter.)

Oh those receipts. Insist she pays you for them BEFORE returning the dog to her. If she resists and if you can afford to make this deal, try it: tell her you will forgive the debt she owes you IF and only if, she spays and neuters her dogs with the funds instead. And follow through with it by making the appointment and going with her to have it done. If you are firm enough about it, she won't call your bluff. You are taking care of her dogs right now at no cost to her; it is absolutely reasonable to expect her to reimburse you for the expense.

If for some reason, she manages to get her dogs back, refuses to spay, and starts talking about breeding again, encourage her to start some internet research on shelter overpopulation, responsible breeders versus backyard breeders, health issues prominent in chihuahuas and poms that should be screened for, etc. And if she resists all reason, there is always this [very graphic, very sad, but very true] video she should watch:

As far as her using your dogs to breed, heck no. She has absolutely no right. Let her go get some poor dog off CL if she is dead set on being a selfish, money-hungry backyard breeder..... Your dogs don't need to be involved in that.

 

Thank you so much for the reply...The recipe the vet gave me is the same one in the link that you had posted...Mama dog is eating good as long as she is fed I honestly don't think they was feeding her or was only giving her the adult kibble that I sent along with the male dog...I am going to call her vet monday and explain what has been going on with mama dog her being lathargic not producing enough milk and her being dehydrated...I am going to see if he will let me bring her and the pups in and send her the bill...If he won't do that then my vet will see her and the pups and he let's me do payments I have went to him for years and have never missed paying him back when we had a bill with him...If I have to take her and the pups to my vet I will go more into detail with him about her needing to be spayed and see if there is something more we can do to make her spay her since she is not suitable to be bred again...Like if there is anything that can be done to make her spay her by saying she is unhealthy to breed and that he does not recommend her being bred again...I honestly feel like if she is bred again she will either lose the litter or even worse her life...The male is so much bigger than she is my friend and her husband was just lucky that she didn't have to have actual vet help...I have been lucky enough to talk her out of one of the pups to keep here to add to our family...They are all 3 females so we will have 3 girls then...Plus it's one less pup for her to sale to someone that might just turn right around and breed as well...I know she says she already has the other 2 sold I don't know to who or what there intentions are with them...If they are going to just be for pets or to be bred...I hope for pets only...I'm going to start slowly winging mama dog off the wet food today and get her back on kibble for the most part...Just use the wet food to give her the calcium tablet each day...As for my budget and my girls I was looking at dog food online lastnight...I am trying to find something that would be 20 dollars or under I still have them on the pedigreed puppy for now...I don't have any of the big pet stores near me the only one that is close is 45 mins to an hr away...The only option I have for buying dog food is walmart...Hopefully I can find something better to transition them over too soon...Any advice that you may have on dog food from there would be much appreciated....Thank again for the reply...

 

The only pet store near me is way over priced, so I use chewy.com to buy most of my pet supplies. They're more affordably priced and usually deliver within 3 or 4 days. This is what I feed my chi x dach who's 10.8lbs Fromm Four-Star Nutritionals Grain-Free Beef Frittata Veg Dry Dog Food, 26-lb bag I get the 4 lb bag and it last us around a month, I feed him 1/2 cup of food a day. Fromm is one of the more expensive ones. If you have a Tractor Supply near you you can buy 4 Health which is a decent quality but less expensive, they also sell Taste of the Wild there, again it's a bit less expensive then Fromm, Chewy's also sells Taste of the Wild Taste of the Wild High Prairie Dry Dog Food, 30-lb bag

Thank you so much for taking such good care of mama dog and her pups, and caring about her more then her owner seems to!

 

This morning I took mama dog into the vet because yesterday she was having more trouble waking...When she would be moving throughout the house her hind legs would slide in towards each other and she would fall on her butt...I called the emergency clinic that is open on the weekend and they said to give her a 500 mg vitamin C tablet...That it sounded like she don't have enough or any at all...Luckily I already had some here and gave her one...They Also said to try and limit her nursing the pups...The vet took some x-rays of her and done some test on her...He said that her hips are getting worse that it's probably from the pregnancy and plus them draining everything from her...He said that her vitamin c and calcium is extremely low...He said to continue feeding the pups first then letting her feed them after...Also to continue with the calcium tablets and vitamin c tablets...He also said that her legs and hips will continue to get worse over time and will eventually end up not be able to walk at all and end up having to be put down...He checked out all the pups and said that they are all healthy and doing good...I called and told my friend that I took her and the pups to the vet and it's the one that she use's...She wasn't to happy about it but told me she would pay me back but he just put it under her name so that it wasn't any money out of my pocket...I don't care about the money I care about making sure her and the pups are healthy...It's only 25 dollars for an office visit and the other he done only came out to 20 dollars more so that's not to bad really...I did sign papers while there to have everything on her and the pups to be sent over to my vet for a second opinion...I don't think that mama dog should still be nursing I think she needs a break and needs to get well and build her self back up instead of the pups draining everything she has...But that vet is pushing to let her still nurse them...I am just really worried about mama dog now that she is losing alot and don't know what to do...


If she is losing alot of nutrition should she be feeding them at all?
I hate to do it but should I just take the pups from her all together?
Should I do 2 or 3 feedings then let her in the box with them?

Thanks

 

I took the pups from mom yesterday afternoon she is not liking it to well but hopefully she will understand it's for her own good.The pups are finally taking to the bottle good I tried to get them to drink formula from a saucer this morning...They lapped a little up but went back to looking for a nipple...I kept trying to encourage them to drink from the saucer after about 15 tries and getting some on them and a little down them I let them finish by drinking from the bottle so I know they got there belly's full at least...They are gaining good now about a half ounce to an ounce a day...I haven't been measuring out the formula because when they get full they quit eating from the bottle...But I did read earlier that they should be getting 1 cc per oz of body weight and to add 1 cc extra...I have been stimulating them to pee and poop but all of them did pee on the towel this morning...The biggest one did poop but not the other 2 smaller ones...I did try and stimulate them to poop but they wouldn't...I told my friend that she needs to do something and soon to get the dogs and pups...She just keeps telling me that she is trying to get her sons Dr. to write out an order saying he needs his dogs to help with his disorder...What ever that maybe because he seems perfectly fine around me honestly I think it's her parenting...That she found some random Dr. that will say there is something wrong with her kids(she has 2 that is on disability)just to draw a check on them...Plus her husband works full time but never have any money for groceries or what the kids need...She has lied to the disability office and her Dr. office saying that the dogs help her watch the kids...She has one son that is deaf and that the dogs keeps him out of danger which is also a lie...She also don't understand since mama dog is now producing more milk because the pups are not draining it out of her,why she can't nurse them...I told her and the vet has told her that if mama dog keeps nursing the pups full time she is going to end up losing her...I fear for mama dog and the pups when she gets them back but it's also not my responsibility or place to make sure she is doing right by them...I told my husband when she takes the dogs and pups that I will no longer have anything to do with her...I'm tried of feeling like I'm being used by her...

Lastnight when I weighed the pups this is what they weighed...
The biggest one is now at 1lb 2 1/2oz
The second one is now at 15 5/8oz
The third one is now at 15 1/4oz she is the runt

My questions are this...

How long will it take for her milk to dry up since there not nursing her anymore?

What can I do to get them to drink more from the saucer?

Should I continue to just bottle feed for now?

Do I need to measure out the formula or just let them eat until they are full?

How many weeks do they need to be to potty on there own? (I ask this because my grandmother had a dog once that had pups but couldn't care for them so she and I did...When they got about 2 and a half weeks old they would pee own there but not poop so they were still having to be stimulated by us to potty)...

Thanks so much for the help and advice sorry I keep venting about her but it just really upsets me the way she is treating her dogs....

Here is a few pics of mom and dad and I added a few of my girls...Hope that's ok I don't know how to to add pics so I am doing screen shots and uploading them...

Dad
Screenshot by Lightshot
Screenshot by Lightshot
Mom
Screenshot by Lightshot
Screenshot by Lightshot

My girls Trixie is the black and white and Rosey is brown and white
Screenshot by Lightshot
Screenshot by Lightshot

In the top one I got Trixie looking at me but Rosey was doing her army crawl to lay down with hubby...But I got a good pic in the second one...


Sorry I keep posting just feeling overwhelmed and needing some advice...Thanks

 

Okay, sorry, I didn't get back to you earlier. First, take a look at Pure Balance, Purina One [Beyond], or Nutrish Just 6 or Zero Grain at Walmart. All quite a bit better than Pedigree and available at Walmart. Try to get the one with the most protein/fat and kcal/cup as that will be the most energy dense for mama.

That is AWESOME that you got her to the vet. You'll have to emphasize to your friend that this dog should not be bred again. Aside from her own health, she is most likely passing down these poor hips to most of her puppies. I'm sure she isn't old, so this is quite severe to be affecting her so soon. That is no life for the pups.

Q: If she is losing alot of nutrition should she be feeding them at all?
I would do as the vet advises. Her milk is still more nutritious than any formula and will give the pups the best start possible, even if it is supplemented. Plus, 100% bottle feeding is a lot of work. Pups need to eat every couple hours. See if a better food helps her keep her weight.

Q: I hate to do it but should I just take the pups from her all together?
I wouldn't. I prefer slow weans, and when we raised litters, let them nurse up to 8 weeks. Just preventing all nursing is going to resort in a very sore mama dog. Engorged mammaries are no fun. I'd at least let her nurse 4 times a day now and about every week, decrease it. The pups shouldn't be nursing/drinking a ton anyways if you bottle feed before letting them nurse. The other thing is that pups need to be with Mama to learn. I think they're only a couple weeks now, but in the coming weeks, this will be super important. They should be kept together until the pups are at least 8 weeks old. Mama can be given a way out of the puppy area to come/go at her choosing, but she shouldn't be totally separated from them.

Q: Should I do 2 or 3 feedings then let her in the box with them?
I would do a feeding, then nurse time and repeat. That way, her mammaries are flowing fairly steadily throughout the day, rather than building up. Should be more comfortable for her.

Q: How long will it take for her milk to dry up since there not nursing her anymore?
Honestly, I'm not sure. Like I said, I prefer slow weans so have never done cold turkey. Since the vet suggested continuing to let her nurse, I'm presuming she isn't emaciated and it is safe/healthy enough for her to do so.

Q: What can I do to get them to drink more from the saucer?
At two weeks, they really are too young to depend on this. Welcome to the hard work of bottle feeding! (Letting mama do some of the nursing will help ease your work load!) They probably are not very mobile right now either, so drowning would be a concern. I'd ditch the saucer until they are closer to four weeks. Then at five weeks, start making a mush and working towards solids slowly over the next few weeks.

Q: Should I continue to just bottle feed for now?
I would bottle feed and then let them nurse throughout the day like the vet suggested.

Q: Do I need to measure out the formula or just let them eat until they are full?
For the bottle feeding you do, I would track the amount they are drinking (written) but let them drink until they are full. Puppies will not over-feed. They need it all for growth/development.

Anyways, I'm sorry you are having to take so much responsibility for your friend's poor decision. I hope she gets her life straightened out and that everything will work out for mama, pups, your family, and hers.

 

Thank you for the advice...I started to feel bad and let mama back in with them lastnight she kept looking around for them and whining...So I told my husband I will do the feedings during the day like the vet had advised...Then let her do the night feeding and care so I can get some rest as well...I did mix her up a little extra food lastnight and of course this morning it was all gone...she is not emaciated but she barley tipped the scales at 4lbs he said he would like to see her at least weighing 5lbs...He did also tell me to continue for now with the mixture I have been making up for her but to only give it twice a day once in the morning and once at night,but to give her the puppy kibble as much as she will eat through out the day...

When the vet and I was talking about her hips he said even though my friend says she's been this way her whole life,but just recently got her from her uncle...He said he thinks it developed over time because of poor diet and exercise,that even being left out in harsh weather conditions could have something to do with it as well...He did tell me that for her to hopefully have a long and happy life that she would need to keep her on the vitamin C tablets...I that she is suppose to be getting the order from her kids Dr. as soon as possible to get them back with her...What she will do with them when she gets them back I don't know...All I can do is pray and hope for the best for them...

I am going change my girls food soon and of course the dad will be eating it too most likely unless she has picked them up by then...My question on is do I need to keep my girls on the puppy food since there still under 1 year old? I'm not 100% sure how old they are I know when I got them the lady told me they were 7 weeks and the mom had done weaned them...We got them because she was trying to find homes for them because the neighbors was fussing about all of her dogs and she had alot...So it was either find homes or they was going to the pound so we took 2 and wanted pups to be raised up around our kids...I will most likely be going with purina one...We got the girls on july 5th...How much should I feed them of the purina one? I have been doing half a cup 3 times a day right now...

 

I'd leave them on the puppy food till they were around a year old.

How big are they? There size will make a difference on how many times a day you should feed them. If they are tiny, under 5 lbs, then I'd stick with the 3x a day feeding, if they weigh more then that you can likely go to 2x a day. Feed them according to the feeding chart on the bag BUT go with the lowest amount and adjust form there. If they start to get fat then cut back a bit, if they aren't gaining weight or are losing it then feed them more.