Advice Needed

[Asra14 88]

Hi all , I have a litter of pups which are four weeks old on wednesday and now my bitch has stopped feeding them, her teats are very swollen and leaking, have tried putting a couple of pups on at a time but she is not having it. I am giving them a sluppy gruel of blended mince,veg, rice and milk substitute, the pups are gaining weight and looking good but should i take bitch to the vets for a check or is normal at this stage? or am I just panicking for no reason? many thanks

atb Ian

[Con6212 155]

My bitch done the same when her pups were about 4-5 weeks she didn't want to know them. If they are eating thoroughly you have nothing to worry about mate.

[wyther lad 0]

hi there. a pal ov mine had to go work away when hiz border was nursing and she just stoped feeding .them at three weeks old .all the pups are doing very well see if y can get hold ov some suppliment for them not having her milk .try goats milk

[fireman 10,930]

Are you sure she hasn't mastitis and is in pain when they feed from her?.

[socks 32,253]

If she hasn't got mastitis and she has naturally dried up then its nothing to worry about ... They will have had all they need from her by now ... Give them a worming and get them on plenty of meat ... You will need to be feeding them four or five times a day now ........

[skycat 6,173]

If you don't know if the bitch is well or not then take her to the vet. You say her teats are swollen: could it be mastitis? Or are they sore from being scratched by the pups' claws? Have you trimmed the pups' claws every week from birth? You need to do that to stop them scratching her teats: use human nail clippers.

If she has mastitis then the pain will stop her feeding the pups: but you need to see a vet if you can't tell by yourself. Don't take any chances: mastitis can cause the mammary glands to rupture (burst open) like an abscess and the bitch can become very ill indeed.

 

I repeat: if in doubt, see a vet! I know it's cheaper to ask advice on here, but no one can tell you what may or may not be wrong on an internet forum without seeing the bitch in the flesh.

[pro keeper 111]

skycat is right mate if she has mastitis she needs treating at the vets ! mastitis is very easy to treat and responds well to most antibiotics if you know what your doing early treatment is the key, the plus side at four weeks the pups will eat and drink so they will be fine, feel the bitch around the nipple the signs your looking for are swelling red in colour hot to the touch, and when felt the bag feel lumpy above the nipple, if you try to squeeze the nipple and blood and shit comes out then its mastitis. hope this helps

[Asra14 88]

hi all , thanks you all so much for the great advice, I had someone look at her and they said she is fine just very full with milk and a bit sore from all them teeth and me worrying to much (just want to do the best for the dog and pups).

So I got her laying down and tried with a couple of pups again she did let them feed so I did that with the rest of pups just a couple at a time and now this morning her teats are looking more normal again, I have been cutting their nails each week as yes they do like to give her a good massage when they feed

but once again thanks you all for the great advice I will update my thread on the pups in a couple of days with some new pic's ATB Ian

[skycat 6,173]

Good to hear that: but if the pups are feeding well on their own and she has too much milk you can help her to dry up using a homeopathic remedy called Urtica Urens. I have used it on many occasions and it really does work, (no matter whether or not you believe in homeopathic remedies ) without causing any scouring/dehydration in the bitch,

 

Get it from here: http://www.dorwest.com/Products/URN3C/urtica-urens-3c-three-100-pillules

 

IMPORTANT: make sure you get the 3c version, not the 30c one, as that increases milk flow, and yes, I did make that mistake once and the poor bitch looked like a fountain spraying milk everywhere until I got the right dosage into her.

[paulus 26]

spoon full of bicarb