is my dog anemic?

i was wondering if my dog was anemic??? she is 11months old and just had her 1st litter of pups(she had 10) she used to be a very active and happy dog but since having them she barely moves its a job to get her to eat mrore than a few mouthfuls of food at a time and ive had to force her to have a drink...as strange as it sounds i think she may be anemic or have postnatel depression as she is only allowing a few of the pups to be fed and isnt showing much interest in them, this has been going on now for 2 days her gums have white blotches on them and her nose is dry, ive been feeding her pal puppy tins once daily and continually giving her pal puppy dry food and purina supercoat dry food all day, im starting to get worried about her but as i cant afford to take her to the vet until i get paid next forntnight i want some advice on how to help her until then any advice will be appreciated, also there is always someone arrogant in the bunch that likes to be nasty on these forums about getting dogs spayed and responsible pet ownership, before you guys comment and cast judgement please consider situations...we love our pets but with my husband loosing his job and money being tight and our 4 children to feed unfortunatly we havnt had the money to address these issues so could we please only leave positive feedback not nasty judgements thank you.............kristi

[Margot49]

Just got home and checking the boards and now I'm trying not to be one of the arrogant ones!!!  Yep, instead on one, now there are 11.  Ok, I won' t go there.
reubenswife, this does not sound good at all and could be any number of things, all of which would and should require a visit to the Vet.  It can be eclampsia.  It can be pyometra, or the beginnings of it (infection in the uterus). She may even have a stillborn pup inside her still. Did you whelp the puppies or seen them whelped?  Did you see a placenta after each puppy???  This is important as she may have retained one.  Does she have a discharge?  Does she have any odor near her vaginal area?  Does she have a temp?  Do you know how to take a rectal temp on a dog?  Anything over 103 is cause for concern, esp post-whelping.  Do her teats look inflamed or red or have any unusual discharge?  Try to express some milk from the teat and check the color of it.  Put it on something white so you can see if there is a yellowish or other color to it.  This might be a sign of mastitis.  With that many pups, she should be very hungry. Her own *too young* body needs the nutrients and fluids as this will take a toll on her and her milk production.
Is she cleaning/licking the pups?  If she does not, they probably won't potty on their own and can become very sick.  You really do need to get her to a Vet to be checked. See if a Vet won't work out a payment plan for you or maybe there is a family member that can help you out?  
In the mean time, you need to take care of those pups too.  You can get canned goats milk and a puppy nursing kit (I won't even go into trying to explain tube feeding to you).  You need to try and get those puppies (don't know their weights) a few ounces of goats milk every 3-4 hours around the clock.  If the mom is not licking them, get a warm wash cloth or cotton balls and stimulate the puppies to pee and poop.  You do this by gently rubbing the stomach and genital areas (like Mom would lick them).  If bottle feeding, it is a good idea to burp them.  Hold the puppy cross-ways in the palm of your hand or draped over your forearm and gently tap on the back until you hear the puppy burp. Like human babies, if they are bottle fed, they will get air in their stomachs.
This is a tough one and I hope you don't find yourself in a mess of trouble and loose the mom because taking care of those puppies is going to be 24/7 for some weeks.
I don't know what else to tell you then your Mama dog REALLY needs to be checked by a Vet.
I'll check back now and then to see if you respond and how things are going.

[Misfits4Me]

Hello Kristi & welcome.....I suppose that I'm one of those arrogant people you speak about....I try not to cast judgement, but it basically comes down to keeping a bad situation from getting worse. (Which is what you have,now!)

From the one dog,(You state you can't afford), you now have 11 to care for....All areas, no matter where you live offer low income Spay/Neuter Clinics on a regular basis...I live in a community of 6000 people & our little Rescue offers one every other month...I VOLUNTEER hours & hours at every one of them to help people like you, not get into the problem your in! I don't think that makes me Arrogant...

Our program is based on income & we do need proof of less than $30,000 yearly...This provides a spay or neuter for $40- $60 depending on complications....We also offer worming & Vaccines for just $5 for any that want them....All this adds up to less than one regular Vet Visit!  When your girl gets to feeling better, you can check at your local shelter, rescue, or Humane Society & they will be able to provide you with the needed information....

We have a member on this forum that can answer your questions better than I can....She pops in every day, but she also has a sick pup & doesn't feel well herself, so her time is limited......Instead of waiting for her to see your question, please send her a message for help......Her Link is:  Margot49.....She knows all about Mom's & Babies & what to do.....Contact her as soon as you can.....I think she can help you....

I do wish you & your girl the best......Karla

P.S. If your not familiar with "Care Credit", you might look them up online.....It's a Credit Card specifically made for Animal & Human Medical Care....It's very low interest and alot of Animal Clinics accept it as a form of payment.....Might be worth checking out!

[Misfits4Me]

You Know what? I've think I've seen this before...As I recall, it's a Calcium Issue...

Bloodwork from the Vet will show it...The same bloodwork would also show if it's Anemia or not.......

Margot.....Where are you??????

[Margot49]

Just got home and checking the boards and now I'm trying not to be one of the arrogant ones!!!  Yep, instead on one, now there are 11.  Ok, I won' t go there.
reubenswife, this does not sound good at all and could be any number of things, all of which would and should require a visit to the Vet.  It can be eclampsia.  It can be pyometra, or the beginnings of it (infection in the uterus). She may even have a stillborn pup inside her still. Did you whelp the puppies or seen them whelped?  Did you see a placenta after each puppy???  This is important as she may have retained one.  Does she have a discharge?  Does she have any odor near her vaginal area?  Does she have a temp?  Do you know how to take a rectal temp on a dog?  Anything over 103 is cause for concern, esp post-whelping.  Do her teats look inflamed or red or have any unusual discharge?  Try to express some milk from the teat and check the color of it.  Put it on something white so you can see if there is a yellowish or other color to it.  This might be a sign of mastitis.  With that many pups, she should be very hungry. Her own *too young* body needs the nutrients and fluids as this will take a toll on her and her milk production.
Is she cleaning/licking the pups?  If she does not, they probably won't potty on their own and can become very sick.  You really do need to get her to a Vet to be checked. See if a Vet won't work out a payment plan for you or maybe there is a family member that can help you out?  
In the mean time, you need to take care of those pups too.  You can get canned goats milk and a puppy nursing kit (I won't even go into trying to explain tube feeding to you).  You need to try and get those puppies (don't know their weights) a few ounces of goats milk every 3-4 hours around the clock.  If the mom is not licking them, get a warm wash cloth or cotton balls and stimulate the puppies to pee and poop.  You do this by gently rubbing the stomach and genital areas (like Mom would lick them).  If bottle feeding, it is a good idea to burp them.  Hold the puppy cross-ways in the palm of your hand or draped over your forearm and gently tap on the back until you hear the puppy burp. Like human babies, if they are bottle fed, they will get air in their stomachs.
This is a tough one and I hope you don't find yourself in a mess of trouble and loose the mom because taking care of those puppies is going to be 24/7 for some weeks.
I don't know what else to tell you then your Mama dog REALLY needs to be checked by a Vet.
I'll check back now and then to see if you respond and how things are going.

[Misfits4Me]

Thank you.....Great post!!!     Karla

[reubenswife]

thank you all very much, she is licking them and has actually come 90% back to her usual self, i actually spent the night with her in the laundry and got her some beef liver and off cuts...to be honest i think she was just being picky and a little unsure of what to do, she has always licked them clean and after having butcher meat and not canned food she seems to have bounced back to her (almost usual,) self. ive called the rspca and they will do a vet check for $70 so that is manageable, and i didnt mean any offence and was calling any of you arrogant but ive seen on some answers where ssome people write nothing to do with the question and just write- get her spayed etc. so im sorry if i offended anyone, i think that she needs a better diet with much more nutrition...(not tinned food or kibble) but home cooked meals 3x a day (which i have now started doing) the puppies are doing really welll all fat and starting to crawl around everywhere, thank you again for all the help, will write back and let you know how the vet goes next week thanks again ohh yeah and she is having a great liking to block cheese...is this safe for her???

[Margot49]

Glad to hear from you and get updates, which we often don't get.  Sounds like things are improving and maybe she is just too young a mom and all those puppies have taken a toll on her.  Actually, for balanced nutrition, you can feed a good quality kibble and I would feed her the puppy formula as she is young and it will have more protein.  You can certainly cook but I would add that to the kibble. I have often fed calf's liver to my ******* about a week before they were due to whelp.  You can give the liver but it may give her the runs.  Glad the puppies seem to be doing well,  Now, they will have to be monitored daily, check umbilical cords, stools, etc.  Since there are so many, you want to make sure that all are nursing. There are usually some *brutes* in a litter that take over.  :-)  With such a big litter, you can take half out (keep warm in a box) and let 5 nurse then, when they are done, switch. Make sure you see each puppy nursing.  What breed dog do you have? Since there are so many, in a week so so, get some small nail clippers and *tip* off the ends of their nails where the curve is. This should be make it easier on Mom's stomach area.  Cheese is okay but you just don't want to give too much of anything.  Your good quality kibble and something mixed in it should be fine.  
Thanks for the update but still definitely keep an eye on Mom and the puppies, esp the first week.