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New-ish mum looks out of condition

YorkshireJumbo

YorkshireJumbo

Young Bun
Well the babies are now 9 weeks old and are booked in for their first checkup next week. We'll then have to separate them and work out which ones to keep.

What's slightly worrying is that Choco the mum is not looking on top form. They are all eating as much as we give them - pellets, loads of hay, the run is moved about the lawn twice a day for fresh grass. We still put in small quantities of carrot tops, etc as a treat for mum.

Mum'll need to be fit to be neutered, but she just seems to have a poor coat - you can still see patches where she pulled out fur for the nest. Her tummy is still quite large, but her chest seems quite skinny. I thought it was just a case of her getting over the pregnancy and feeding the babies, but she seems to have stopped feeding them now. Is this normal, or is there anything I should be checking?

Thanks in advance.
 
Even if she has stopped feeding them, she will still produce milk for a while so that might account for the big belly. If you feel her nipples you should be able to tell if they are swollen or not.

I wouldn't spay immediately, maybe wait a month until she has recovered and her body has recovered, however, if you feel there is something to be concerned about, then it never hurts to get her checked out.
 
I checked her nipples, and they seemed almost normal - but then I never really checked them before she had the babies...

I think you're right: I'll get her seen as soon as I can
 
Thanks - mum and babies have been eating that for the past few weeks but have just finished the packet (I can only seem to find small ones) so that doesn't seem to be the answer.

Despite the unlimited quantities of pellets, grass and hay, they all still seem to be hungry :? Whenever we go near the run, they seem to be checking if we've brought any titbits. And if we have, they devour them like they haven't eaten in a week. I guess this might be normal, but it makes me wonder if their diet is missing anything...

Maybe things will settle down a bit when we separate them and mum's not fighting for food with all the babies - unless they're all female:roll:
 
Well I took them all to the vet yesterday. He said Mum was fine, just drained from feeding the youngsters for the past 9 weeks. She has given up feeding them, so she should start putting on weight again soon.
 
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