As some of you may know I have had a real battle keeping my girls mastitis at bay. I had been checking her every hr since the pups were born as last time she had a litter she also suffered from it so I was exceptionally vigilant this time. As soon as I noticed a thickening of the milk she was straight to the vets. She had a weeks course of Clavaseptin and Metacam for her temperature which didn't touch it and then last Thursday was changed to Rilexine. On Saturday night her very front teat burst on the inside. It was a very small hole which I am thankful of as last time you could have fit an orange into the hole!!!  Yesterday though her middle teat was starting to firm up and this morning was turning into more of a mass rather than just firmness despite carrying on with the massging and one duct was producing greenish milk.

Well my pups are 4 and a half weeks old now and have been on soaked biscuits for a week, but despite lowering my girls protein and exercising her hard her milk refuses to dry up so when I went to the vets today I asked them for Galastop. It wasn't my normal vet so was quite surprised when she said she would have to check that it could be used on lactating bitches as she had only prescribed it for false pregnancies!! I have never used it before......Good grief it's expensive!!!!  £50 for a 15ml bottle and I need to pick another one up on Thursday!!!  So far this mastitis treatment has cost £500. I just wish those average joe's wanting a litter from their lovely tempered bitch could see this thread!!!

Anyway, not much of a point to the thread really, just wanted to keep everyone updated and wanted a bit of company as I'm sat up with my girl keeping an eye on her and still massaging her teats every hr and feel like I'm out here in the twighlight zone all on my own!!

I'm watching over a new Mum and litter born on Friday, so burning the midnight oil.

As I understood it Galastop was for drying up milk, regardless of it being caused by false pregnancy or actual lactation.

Yes that's what I understood as well. The vet checked in her book before prescribing it and when I read the leaflet inside it does say for use in lactating bitches. Two of the greediest, biggest pups have been bringing her milk back up after being on her today and I'm putting that down to either the mastitis or the high dose of Rilexine she is on as they are still extremely vital and playful and eating the biscuits really well. I have just this second taken mum off the pups for the last time and given her the first dose of Galastop so she will be wearing my old t-shirt for interaction from now on. No milk bar for the puppies I'm afraid!!

I was once charged an exorbitant amount for Galastop from a Vet. It can be bought online with a prescription for about £28 (inc. VAT) for a 15ml bottle.

As dogsbody100 says, there are a number of online retailers selling it for under £28, but they all require a prescription. I believe 'tho, that vets are required by law, to provide prescriptions if requested. I don't know if they charge a fee for this - they probably do LOL.

my vet charges £10 for a prescription so that would still make it cheaper to buy on line.

its also £10 at my vets for prescription xx

After 2 seperate experiences of using Galastop to help dry the milk up with 2 bitches with mastitis, you have to stop all the puppies suckling or it won't work.

i nearly fell over when we had galstop from the vets and i have to say that i had better results with raspberry leaf (for a phantom)

I don't understand why you want Galastop.  My girls still have plenty of milk at 4 and a half weeks, and will often suckle way past 8 weeks.  I have never stopped them suckling.

And I have never tried to dry up a bitches milk (even with mastitis), so wondered why anyone would want milk dried up.

I do think that, after 2 litters, and the same problem each time, that I would not breed from a bitch again.

You are so right Jean! But I mentioned in a previous post when the puppies had just arrived and before there was any sign of mastitis that because she had had 13 (last 2 sleeping and lost 1 at 11 days) and her previous litter was 14 that I was not breeding from her again as she had done more than enough having 2 large litters and she would be spayed in the spring.

I too have never seen the need to try to dry mums milk up previously but after last time when she was still producing gallons of it when the pups were 8 weeks old and with this time me constantly having to massage her sore teats every 2 hrs and her now being on Clavaseptin and then Rilexine for 3 weeks and the milk still being thick and greenish I felt this was the right way to go. She couldn't stay on ABs for another 4 or 5 weeks with the pups still suckling bad milk. She had her first dose around midnight last night and just had her second and I can already see a marked reduction and she is much happier in herself.

your poor girl its sods law isnt it your girl with buckestfull and my girl with next to nothing ,glad to hear shes feeling better xxx

> She couldn't stay on ABs for another 4 or 5 weeks with the pups still suckling bad milk.

Thanks for getting back - I obviously missed that.  :-( 

I think it is great that she is showing such an improvement.  :-)