My pups are now 9 days old. Mum has been very good at feeding every two hours and being very attentive. In the last couple of days she seems less enthusiastic about feeding. Their nails are very fine so i have trimmed them down but they are sharp and also they are properly tugging on her.

is there anythiing i can do to stop their nails paddling on her or to protect her skin? As soon as she starts feeding she is panting and keeps shifting position to knock them off.

Also the back nipples are sooo fast flowing if they drink on these nipples it comes out their noses - is that normal?

P.S her nipples are not particularly hot or hard

hi the milk flow at the back is normal and my lot of pups did the same (milk out of noses):) get some baby sissors and just take the ends off the pups nails but if u carnt do this get a nail file all u need to do is the very ends the tiny hooks :)

Thanks white lilley, i did the nails on Sunday but it didnt make any difference, they are so fine they are sharp but too fine to file. would vaseline or something help as a barrier?

dont think vaseline would help as a barrier because ther nails are tiny but you could keep putting it on mums skin anyway or even some e45 to help with the sorness ,sorry hope this help ...also the pups nails can be done every other day as they grow so quickly :)

somtimes you have to file it down after you have clipped it off to take the rough off.

i will try an emery board tomorrow. Just afraid they are so fine you could bend and break them.

I use small human nail clippers and take the hooks off.

Don't laugh, but I once had to cut up an old T-shirt for one bitch. ;-) I put the T-shirt on the bitch, then cut holes for the nipples. She only wore it when feeding the pups but it did seem to help a bit. :-D

Hi,
I did take the nails off with nail clippers, then filed them at the ends. I also put vasaline all over her tummy as it does get very sore. It sounds like they are draining the boobs, make sure mom still eats also drinks plenty to keep that milk flowing till they are old enough to wean.

Denese

The milk down nose sometimes happens, just make sure you check the pups after each feed to make sure breathing is fine, and they have not aspirated any fluid - very easy for a flat faced pup to do.  You should be able to very gently  smooth the puppie's nails with the smooth side of an emery board, not sure how much vaseline will help mum's tummy soreness, perhaps something like sudocreme which is very soothing and healing?  Make sure it is not on nipples for pups to suckle.

Thanks Gwen, i will try the emery board. She doesnt look sore but i am trying to work out why she looks reluctant at feeding time now.

maybe her nipples are sore and its not the pups scratching her skin around them ? or maybe its her utres (sorry i carnt spell) going down as they are drinking ,i remember my girl looking at me and panting away she looked so stressed and in pain :( ,this lasted till pups where about 3weeks old and then the pups teeth came and she started again !!

You may have a point there. It may not be the skin. she is at the vet tomorrow to get her csection scar checked, i will get her thoroughly looked at. She looks like she has post natal depression!!! if i make a fuss of her she runs to the whelping box and sits with the puppies. It's like she can think of nothing else but the pups but she isnt enjoying it!!!

The boy topped the scales at a pound today........hoping to see their beady eyes in the next few days x

bless her section as well thats what the prob could be ....her stitches could be getting tight , i know what you meen my girl was the same always looked so sad :( her pups are coming up to 6months now :) and and got back to her self a few weeks after they went ....bless its soooo exciting to see there eyes opening and then the little angels come to life :):):) x