Caring for mama
Once you are sure your puppies have all been born, let the mama have a light meal if she wants it, and allow her outside for a potty break. If she won’t eat, try serving her a bowl of warm condensed milk, mixed with an equal amount of water and two raw egg yolks. Yum!
Mama is likely to produce a bright green or reddish brown discharge for about the next two months, which is normal. However, if the discharge is bright red, you need to call your veterinarian right away. Continue to take your dog’s temperature daily and inspect her mammary glands. Contact your vet if the temperature rises above 103 degrees or if the mammaries become inflamed. Either is a sign of infection that must be treated.
Lactation will make your dog really hungry, so be sure she has access to a high quality food several times a day. Add cottage cheese to her food to provide enough calcium, or see if the vet wants you to give her a calcium supplement. Do NOT put a water dish inside the whelping pen as the puppies may drown in it, but make sure the mama dog can get to a clean water source whenever she wants it.
Now that the puppies are out, your focus will shift to caring for the newborn puppies.