She'll need more calcium
I think an improved diet would be the best thing to do, but here's some pretty basic advice about the need to supplement calcium while she's nursing:
During these periods, the mother's organism uses all the calcium in order to form the puppy's skeleton, and later on in producing milk. The complements are also used for female dogs during the gestation period and the period of breast feeding. The supplements should be administered when breast feeding begins until it finishes.
http://www.seefido.com/html/dog_nutritious_complements.htm
And here's some more about diet:
After the birth, a dog will recover her appetite and will start the production of milk. From this moment, the dog will need a nutritious and remarkable quantity of food. Divide the meals into three daily nutritionist quantities plus include protein and calcium. The protein is for the tissue's growth of the puppies and they received it from the mother's milk. The calcium in a phosphate form constitutes the mineral substance of the bones in the puppies, which helps the puppy grow. If the dog receives an insufficient quantity of protein, the puppies will grow slowly and the dog will loose weight. The results of an insufficient consumption of calcium can produce the mother's death.
Death is produced because the mammary glands need calcium a lot more faster than what the mother's bones can mobilized them and the level of calcium descends in blood unless it is maintained by the consumption of calcium. If the level of calcium in the blood descends until a certain level, the dog will suffer from muscular convulsions and she will die in a few hours unless is alleviated by injecting a calcium substance. The protein increases with a big amount of extra meat received. If the meat comes from canned food, this will provide calcium and vitamins. You can supply meat with a mineral supplement. The milk is a high source of calcium and protein although it can be laxative. The easier procedure to reinforce a lactate dog is with cow's milk as long she is not allergic to that product. The appropriate quantities are 140 c.c. daily for small Breeds, 280 c.c. for medium size and 570 c.c. for bigger dogs. Occasional, the dog does not produce enough milk for a normal growth of her litter. In case of having several puppies, considered the possible death of one or more puppies. It they all appear healthy, just feed them with a supplement.
http://www.seefido.com/html/bitch_nutrition_while_nursing.htm
And some more:
If you didn't start a vitamin-plus-mineral supplement before breeding, start it now. Do not over-supplement, as that may be harmful to the developing puppies. Some breeders add cottage cheese or a cooked egg to the diet on alternate days for extra protein. If you are adding multiple supplements to the diet, make a list of all the ingredients, gather nutritional labels, and take everything to your veterinarian to make sure it is balanced. Over-supplementing with calcium during pregnancy predisposes the bitch to eclampsia.
The bitch should eat a premium adult food prior to pregnancy and for the first few weeks of pregnancy. Starting the fourth week of pregnancy, begin adding a premium puppy food to her diet. Each week, increase the amount of the puppy food and decrease the amount of adult food, so when she is in her final week of pregnancy, she is eating all puppy food. Increase the frequency of daily meals to three by mid-pregnancy. She may need to eat small meals every 3-4 hours during the last week of pregnancy as the puppies continue to take up more room (remember, most fetal growth occurs in the last two weeks of gestation).
Within 2-3 days of giving birth, the bitch's appetite will dramatically increase to 2-4 times her pre-pregnancy intake. She will need a near-constant supply of a high-quality puppy food and water to maintain her weight and health while feeding the puppies. She should still have her supplements of vitamin/mineral tablet, cottage cheese, and cooked egg. If her weight is properly maintained, she should not look gaunt or thin. Ideally, she should weigh the same at the time of weaning as she did when she was bred.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?siteid=12&acatid=169&aid=377#answer%2012
I think an improved diet would be the best thing to do, but here's some pretty basic advice about the need to supplement calcium while she's nursing:
During these periods, the mother's organism uses all the calcium in order to form the puppy's skeleton, and later on in producing milk. The complements are also used for female dogs during the gestation period and the period of breast feeding. The supplements should be administered when breast feeding begins until it finishes.
http://www.seefido.com/html/dog_nutritious_complements.htm
And here's some more about diet:
After the birth, a dog will recover her appetite and will start the production of milk. From this moment, the dog will need a nutritious and remarkable quantity of food. Divide the meals into three daily nutritionist quantities plus include protein and calcium. The protein is for the tissue's growth of the puppies and they received it from the mother's milk. The calcium in a phosphate form constitutes the mineral substance of the bones in the puppies, which helps the puppy grow. If the dog receives an insufficient quantity of protein, the puppies will grow slowly and the dog will loose weight. The results of an insufficient consumption of calcium can produce the mother's death.
Death is produced because the mammary glands need calcium a lot more faster than what the mother's bones can mobilized them and the level of calcium descends in blood unless it is maintained by the consumption of calcium. If the level of calcium in the blood descends until a certain level, the dog will suffer from muscular convulsions and she will die in a few hours unless is alleviated by injecting a calcium substance. The protein increases with a big amount of extra meat received. If the meat comes from canned food, this will provide calcium and vitamins. You can supply meat with a mineral supplement. The milk is a high source of calcium and protein although it can be laxative. The easier procedure to reinforce a lactate dog is with cow's milk as long she is not allergic to that product. The appropriate quantities are 140 c.c. daily for small Breeds, 280 c.c. for medium size and 570 c.c. for bigger dogs. Occasional, the dog does not produce enough milk for a normal growth of her litter. In case of having several puppies, considered the possible death of one or more puppies. It they all appear healthy, just feed them with a supplement.
http://www.seefido.com/html/bitch_nutrition_while_nursing.htm
And some more:
If you didn't start a vitamin-plus-mineral supplement before breeding, start it now. Do not over-supplement, as that may be harmful to the developing puppies. Some breeders add cottage cheese or a cooked egg to the diet on alternate days for extra protein. If you are adding multiple supplements to the diet, make a list of all the ingredients, gather nutritional labels, and take everything to your veterinarian to make sure it is balanced. Over-supplementing with calcium during pregnancy predisposes the bitch to eclampsia.
The bitch should eat a premium adult food prior to pregnancy and for the first few weeks of pregnancy. Starting the fourth week of pregnancy, begin adding a premium puppy food to her diet. Each week, increase the amount of the puppy food and decrease the amount of adult food, so when she is in her final week of pregnancy, she is eating all puppy food. Increase the frequency of daily meals to three by mid-pregnancy. She may need to eat small meals every 3-4 hours during the last week of pregnancy as the puppies continue to take up more room (remember, most fetal growth occurs in the last two weeks of gestation).
Within 2-3 days of giving birth, the bitch's appetite will dramatically increase to 2-4 times her pre-pregnancy intake. She will need a near-constant supply of a high-quality puppy food and water to maintain her weight and health while feeding the puppies. She should still have her supplements of vitamin/mineral tablet, cottage cheese, and cooked egg. If her weight is properly maintained, she should not look gaunt or thin. Ideally, she should weigh the same at the time of weaning as she did when she was bred.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?siteid=12&acatid=169&aid=377#answer%2012
