Hi all, I’m new to this forum but would really appreciate some advice please!?

I have a litter of [medium size dogs], they are now 16 days old and all growing and thriving - apart from one little girl.  I took her to the emergency vets Friday evening as her tummy was so so bloated, looked like it was going to pop! They done an ultrasound which showed nothing unusual, there was poo and movement in her bowel and they thought she was a bit dehydrated so was finding it difficult to pass.  They gave her some subcutaneous fluids and sent her home.  Over the weekend we gave her supplements of water to try and help hydrate her (which she strongly argues about!) and gave her a couple of warm water enemas to help move things along.  Took her back to the vets this morning for a check, they feel there is some dismotility there so have given her some medicine to help move her gut, but he wasn’t overly concerned - said she wasn’t dehydrated and didn’t seem particularly weak.  He also said that this could be caused by mums milk and suggested it might be a good idea to start weaning her

My question is - has anybody started weaning this young? I asked about the normal food we would soak and give but he spoke about rice paste? any advice would be amazing, I’m really worried about her, she is tiny compared to her litter mates

Thanks in advance..
Michelle

It sounds like trapped wind to me, which puppies can get - like babies - and it can be very uncomfortable for them.  You can try gently massaging her belly round and round to try to encourage the gut to move.  But really what is best, is giving some 'gas drops' which they make for babies (simethicone is the ingredient you need).  Just 2-3 drops on the tongue will relieve bloating like this.

I can't believe vets don't know this stuff.  It makes me really angry - so many puppies suffer unnecessarily due to abysmal knowledge about reproduction from vets who really should know better.

Here in the UK we don't have totally liquid form 'gas drops', but we do have it in capsule form:  http://amzn.eu/d/bXIgZ5E  You can puncture a capsule and use a dropper or pipette to take a few drops from the capsule and place on the tongue.  Do not give tablet form (as pup can't chew yet!) and check the ingredients to ensure there are no artificial sweeteners etc.

Scroll to the bottom of this article: https://whelpingpuppies.com/how-to-burp-a-newborn-puppy/

Or this video:  https://youtu.be/4cxzofD_hEE

I definitely would not wean early.  That will do nothing for the trapped gas, in fact it can make it worse because bottles tend to put more gas into pups than drinking from mum does.

Why don't you bottle feed her for a short while to see if her condition improves ? She sounds like she has good suckling instinct. Cannot understand why anyone would suggest giving a new born puppy anything like rice. Very finely minced meat maybe but rice ?

A friend had a litter of GSD whose mother developed a condition(not genetic) that required an urgent specialist operation at a Veterinary hospital & a prolonged stay there when the puppies were 16 days old & they bottle fed & started early weaning with very finely minced beef(to an almost mush that could be licked) that had been warned slightly to room temperature. As there were 10 puppies this was time consuming, but rewarding. All the puppies survived & grew normally

Thank you, I will see if I can get hold of some of these and give it a go. I’m guessing I will be able to get these in boots or a local chemist?  All pups seem to still be feeding well and she’s suckling well so reluctant to wean her early!

Thanks for the advice.

We did try and give her some supplemental bottle feed but the vet said it wasn’t necessary

Yes you should be able to find in a chemist or Boots.  Hopefully they are on the shelf and you don't need to ask, but if you do need to ask someone don't say they are for a puppy because then they can be a bit weird about helping you or selling you stuff.  Just say simethicone gas capsules with liquid inside, for trapped wind...

If you want to compare to the exact thing used by breeders in the US, they use Mylicon Infant drops, which are these:  https://www.amazon.com/Mylicon-Infant-Anti-Gas-Relief-formula/dp/B011EVPAHG/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1539688234&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=mylicon&th=1

Ingredients and info:  https://www.drugs.com/drp/infants-mylicon-drops.html  Each 0.3 mL of drops contains simethicone, 20 mg.

Is your vet a breeder ? Few vets have experience of normal newborn animals of any species it's not something covered in depth in their training unless they do their placement with a practice that deals with a lot of breeding. I've had vets in the past(not current one who is a sheep farmer's son)try to advise me about my in lamb ewes/ new born lambs totally incorrectly. Could have cost me several deaths if I had followed their instructions !

Infacol is the UK equivalent  therr are others often called colic drops.just check whichever u use that the ingredients are safe for dogs without telling the chemist or they won't sell them to u

Rather than go to 'early weaning' (the earliest we've ever started would have been at the end of week 3) why not try the old-fashioned Gripe Water.   Also I had a litter with a mum who'd pee them, but anything else was well beneath her.   As a result those puppies spent pretty much their early days relying on me and gravity.   I tried sitting them in warm water to stimulate elimination even.

For early weaning, you could start by trying her on warmed goats milk, which is close in make-up to b itch milk.   And you might give a very tiny amount of natural yoghurt (goats if you can source it) too.

Too many vets have never had experience with breeding - so sad.

Gripe water is similar to the colic drops etc.mainly using the herb dill . Woodward the famous one no longer contains alcohol! Somewhere someone decided giving babies alcohol was irresponsible:) so it was removed unsurprisingly

> Infacol is the UK equivalent  therr are others often called colic drops.just check whichever u use that the ingredients are safe for dogs without telling the chemist or they won't sell them to u

I was going to recommend Infacol too, its active ingredient is simethicone. Dentinox Colic Drops have the same ingredient, but it's listed as "activated dimethicone", just another name for simethicone.

I keep it on hand for my rabbits and while they can't stand the taste of it I do think it helps make them more comfortable when they have tummy upsets (one of mine is prone to GI stasis which can quickly be fatal in rabbits, and sometimes a massage and some Infacol can stop it if I catch it really early).

Because it only works on the stomach contents and doesn't get absorbed by the body, it's almost impossible to overdose on simethicone and if it doesn't work, it won't do any actual harm.

With the rabbits I like to massage the abdomen with my finger tips. You can press fairly firmly as long as you aren't causing any pain, it just helps to break things up a bit especially if there are large air bubbles trapped in the intestines. Disclaimer: I haven't done this to a dog. But it does seem to help rabbits, so I see no reason why you shouldn't try it on a puppy as long as you're gentle.

I didn't know about alcohol in Gripe Water.......

I did find this old thread -
https://forum.champdogs.co.uk/topic_show.pl?tid=80370

Yep but the original one that isn't sold my more.  No wonder it put baby to sleep never mind getting rid of colic but there is always the dipping the dummy in whiskey method  of course :)

Infacol contains sodium saccarin as a sweetener though, I'm not sure if that is ok for dogs?  (I know other artificial sweeteners are problematic.)  It might be fine.

It was Dinnefords Gripe mixture I used to steal from the cupboard because I loved the taste. Not having any idea about the alcohol!

Many years ago I had a crying, colicky, Cavalier puppy, and called my vet for a Sunday appointment. He told me to stop at the duty chemist on the way, and pick up some Nurse Harvey's Gripe Water - no other brand, he insisted that it had to be Nurse Harvey's. Checked over, dosed-up and tummy massaged, the puppy did recover fairly quickly. I haven't seen any Nurse Harvey's in decades.

> I haven't seen any Nurse Harvey's in decades.

Like all the old products (which used to work just fine) it probably got 'Europeaned'.  In other words, banned by EUROPE!!

I loved Woodwards Gripe Water.  It always used to be a spoonful for the baby and a spoonful for me!

Nurse Harvey's is a POM item & still available. Can be prescribed by your vet(vets can legally prescribe human medication for animals)

It has NOT been banned by the EU

https://www.boots.com/boots-gripe-mixture-1-months-plus-150ml-10131776

Not Nurse Harvey's but it would appear not to need a prescription?

It only seems to contain Sodium Bicarbonate now. I think the formula might have been different in those days. So many old product names still exist, or reappear, but the products themselves have changed. I blame the EU as well Mamabas.

As said it is likely trapped wind perhaps from gulping air while trying to get on a teat.

A friend had this happen and I suggested and vet concurred to try a little infant gripe water, we gave about half a teaspoon to a pup of this age.

As for weaning I have started pups on weaning foods (soaked mashed puppy food and puppy milk) as early as 10 days but normally introduce the first taste at 18 days if pups gaining well.

Puppies main nutrition will continue to come from Mum to about 5 weeks when the proportion of milk reduces and food we give increases.

I start with 1 taste of about a teaspoon per pup, then next day two, then three, then 4 mealtimes. I then feed four times a day to appetite bringing Mum in to clean up leftovers, at which time pups will take the opportunity to top up, and the reward for the bitch is the extra bit of food.

Importantly except for when you feed them, the bitch has unrestricted access to her pups until they leave, but always able to get away when she wants.

Haywards still contains sweet fennel/dill.  In fact herbal tea from fennel is often given to babies and adults for gas.

So, I’ve been going with the metoclopramide given by the vets and a few drops on infacol on the tongue, plus lots of massage and trying to wind...... she’s worse than ever ☹️ She doesn’t seem in pain at all and goes crazy for mums milk, along with all the other pups!! Don’t know what else to try! This is my third litter so I’m not a complete novice but this has me stumped!!

Any way I can post a photo of her?

M

Is she actually uncomfortable and unsettled.  I have certainly had greedy pups with very tight bellies after a guzzle. If she is/was the smallest then her belly will seem big as she is trying to make up ground.

Nope, no whining or whinging at all - but her belly is huge, all the time - not just after a feed! She was very lethargic for a few days but now seems to be more up and about and playing with her litter mates!

I don’t know whether to step back and let nature takes its course, or keep intervening?! I’ll keep giving the meds to keep her comfortable but let Mum do the rest? I really don’t know....

Have you wormed the litter?    Puppies with 'bloated' tummies after feeding are often carrying a worm load.  I've not read through all your answers.... but puppies should be wormed at 2 weeks, along with mum at this point, and then (puppies) every two weeks to the time they go home, with the new owners given a history of worming, when and with what for their vet to see.   They should be told to worm again at 3 months.  

Just a thought re big tummies after feeding.

Yes.  This was my first thought too - even though Mum is wormed and all other puppies are fine I wormed them a day early on Saturday - has made no difference and there is no evidence of worms in their poos.

She is literally full of gas! Going to buy some gripe water today and see if that helps

It may be that as she gets more active, nature will resolve this problem.    Just having one like this would tend to rule out worms but having seen a wormy litter, with distended tummies (and rather harsh starey coats too) it was a thought.  This was a litter I was interested in seeing (a fellow breeder) - her comment was oh they've just fed.   Yeah right!!

Do try the gripe-water.   I suppose time will tell whether there's something going on with this one puppy.  

If she is well in herself, active and interacting with the other pups, drinking from mum etc, then I wouldn't over-react to her swollen belly.  It will probably resolve itself as she grows and if not, there was something more serious causing it and you couldn't have done anything about it anyway....

Is she pooing ok? Just wondered if she is slightly constipated?

I’ve tried everything, nothing seems to be helping her

Sadly my beautiful little Koko lost her fight last night and it was time to let her sleep!

I’m devastated

Sleep well little koko x

So sad, but breeding can be heartbreaking sometimes.   Not for nothing do dogs have multiple births.   Now you can concentrate on rearing the others to the time they are ready for their new homes, knowing you did your best for your little one.