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Is it normal for a dog mom to be so skinny after nursing 9 pups?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Female | unspayed

Is it normal for a first time dog mom who had 9 pups to drop so much weight? We are feeding her double what she use to eat but she is still so skinny.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on November 23rd, 2016

9 pups will take a lot from a mother at any age, they do tend to lose a lot of weight when nursing the puppies. She will gain it back after they are weaned, make sure to feed her as much as she wants and feed her puppy food instead of normal adult food.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Nursing dogs require higher amounts of calories, protein, and calcium, and her normal dog food will not supply that. Hollywood should be fed a puppy formulated food, as much as she wants, and if she is not being fed that, it would explain why she is dropping so much weight. It's not normal for a dog who is nursing to drop a lot of weight, so I would make sure that she is being fed a puppy formulated food. Also make sure she is up to date on her deworming treatments, as that can cause her to lose weight as well.

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