My girl gave birth to 7 puppies 12 days ago - two were stillborn. This morning she has been having diarrhoea and being sick. She is also refusing her food. She normally eats James wellbeloved kibble. After the puppies were born she was refusing this so we gave her James Wellbeloved wet pouches and goats milk.  As she needed so many we were advised to swap to the James wellbeloved puppy wet food pouches. So she’s been on these for the last 7 days. She’s also having scrambled eggs in the morning. The puppies are thriving and feeding well but I’m worried now if my girl should continue to feed incase she has a virus. Also concerned she’s going to get malnourished

What is her temperature?  That should always be the first thing to check any time a bitch is unwell :)

I checked it this morning and she is 38.3.

That is a normal temperature.  But it's not normal (or good) for a lactating bitch to be refusing food and throwing up with diahorrea so I think a vet visit is needed - I'd recommend calling them out for a home visit, so you don't have to take a lactating bitch into the vet. 

Depending on how long it's gone on for, you could try:  Add half a cup of kefir and FortiFlora for probiotics.  ProKolin, Slippery Elm etc can help firm up stools.  Pumpkin powder can also help firm up stools.  But it all depends on her general state and how much of an emergency you judge it to be.  To make milk for pups she needs to be taking in considerable amount of food and fluids and she can get dehydrated quickly, so if she's not eating I would really consult the vet.

She may have a gastro bug and some ABs are fine for nursing puppies (Synulox, for eg, is fine - metronidazole is not).

We were in the vets last week for a suspected retained pup and mastitis. The vet was bloody useless, prescribed metacam and ABs which we never gave her. The dog that saw the vet before her had a gastro bug

Sorry but you need a new vet.  Ask other breeders in your area for recommendations.  Whereabouts are you based, someone on here may know someone?

We’ve been to the out of hours vet with mum and puppies.  They think she has a gastro problem due to the goats milk she’s been having.  She’s had bloods taken and has an infection and slight anaemia. She’s been given amoxicillin but we’ve been told these are not safe for the puppies and she has to stop feeding. I’m so confused I thought amoxicillin was safe for nursing bitches.

https://www.vetinfo.com/antibiotics-nursing-dogs.html

> They think she has a gastro problem due to the goats milk she’s been having.

Unlikely!!   Goats milk is similar in make-up to bitch-milk and shouldn't be the cause of any 'gastro problem'.    We start our puppies weaning on warmed goats milk which if it wasn't ok, would surely upset them.  The link given to what ab to use says amoxicillin is ok for nursing bitches so I hope you don't have to take the puppies off her as this would potentially cause many other problems - mastitis for one and unnecessary stress for her.  To say nothing of having to feed them yourself.    If we ever had to use abs with our nursing bitches, we'd get some natural yogurt in (goats if available) and put a tiny drop into the mouths of each puppy - probiotics should counter any problems with the abs coming through from mum via her milk.

You do need another vet!!   Small wonder you are confused...............

ps   I would just say that if I had stillborn puppies, I'd have had her straight in once you felt whelping was over, to make sure she was empty - x-ray!  The infection could well be down to retained birthing material/another dead puppy.

Well it's pretty easy just to stop the goat's milk.

Amoxicillin is fine for nursing bitches.  Don't take the puppies off her yet, that is a ridiculous suggestion for this stage of things.  Where is this infection they think she has?  Is it metritis?  Google that and you'll see what it is...

Adult dogs often cannot digest lactose and whilst goat's milk has less lactose than cow's milk, it still has some.  Dogs don't need goat's milk when nursing... Feed foods that you KNOW she is ok with because you have fed them to her before pregnancy and whelping.

I would not feed her yoghurt or kefir if you are suspecting goat's milk is the cause - stay away from all dairy and see if she improves.

PS Just to add and be clear (as I read the link above) - if your dog has had bloods taken which indicate she has an infection (presumably a lot of white blood cells and evidence she is fighting something off) and if she is vomiting and has diarrhea and is refusing food (so is significantly unwell), then you should be very concerned about something like metritis - you can google that, but it is life-threatening. 

Amoxicillin is safe for nursing puppies.  It is part of Synulox (which is amoxicillin and clavulanic acid) and Synulox is safe for nursing bitches:  https://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/Synulox-Palatable-Tablets-50mg/productinfo/SYN50/  "Synulox Palatable Tablets can safely be used during pregnancy and lactation."

Or:  http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/cesarean-section-bitch-why-mine-different-yours-proceedings?id=&sk=&date=&pageID=11   "If antibiotics are continued, it is important to choose a drug that will not have a deleterious effect on the nursing neonates. Generally, cephalexin, amoxicillin and clavamox are good choices in that regard, while enrofloxacin, ampicillin and tetracycline should be avoided."

I think you have to choose between stopping the dairy and seeing if that makes a difference or just starting the ABs, depending on her condition and how worried you are.

Onetwothreefoir - she seems a little brighter today. She has eaten several meals of white rice and chicken. She’s been getting stressed about getting to her babies so she have let her feed and toilet them. Her antibiotics are kesium 250mg but it says amoxicillin on the package too. We’ve had one vet say they are safe and another who said they are not. It’s a nighttime

She’s also been five pro-max paste

Hi mamabas. We visited our local vet last week for suspected mastitis and the dog in before her had a gastro bug. I do wonder if she caught it there as we’ve been so careful taking shoes off and not taking her on walks. Her antibiotics are Kesium 250mg but it also says amoxicillin on the package. One vet said they are safe and another said they are not. Spent nearly £500 in vets bills and I’m still no wiser. My girl had an x Ray a few days after she whelped to check for a retained pup etc

It sounds like they are suspecting mastitis then if they are prescribing kesium?  Mastitis, you can visually see more how things are going - does it look like she has bad mastitis?  It could be that her body is fighting it off (causing the blood results) and if you keep the pups on the affected glands and use hot and cold compresses you could be ok - that is often all that's needed for mild mastitis.  But if it's more serious then you'll need to give ABs.

Are the kesium and the amoxicillin separate?  Or are they in the same product?  (I don't see how they could be the latter, I can't find a product with both.)  Personally, I would go to another vet practice and get a second opinion and I wouldn't trust these guys at all.  It sounds like they are completely inexperienced dealing with pregnancy and lactation. 

The Kesium hasn't been tested as being safe, although there also isn't evidence it is harmful:  "Use during Pregnancy, Lactation or Lay
Laboratory studies in rats and mice have not produced any evidence of teratogenic, foetotoxic or maternotoxic effects.
In pregnant and lactating animals, use only according to the benefit/risk assessment by the responsible veterinarian."
https://www.vetuk.co.uk/pet-meds-prescription-only-kesium-chewable-tablets-c-21_1063

The amoxicillin is known to be safe and is quite commonly given during pregnancy and lactation, so you could potentially give just that and not the kesium if they are two separate products - but I think you need to consult with a vet who knows what they are doing before changing the meds you've been prescribed.

I would always call a vet out rather than take a lactating bitch to the vet - for infection reasons but also so she can stay with her pups.

I’m so stressed with it all. Been given so much different advice and don’t know who to trust. Her back mammary glands hang down lower than the rest, always have since she’s given birth. They don’t feel particularly hard, red or inflamed though. I’ve been managing to get the puppies on all of her teats. I don’t know of a vets to ask as the out of hours vet and her regular vet gave me different advice on whether the meds were safe. I’ve posted on here to see if anyone knows of a good repro vet in my area. My girl does seem brighter today, she is eating and wanting to be with her babies which is an improvement on yesterday

The rear teats are always bigger & lower than front ones, think about the amount of "loose" or expandable skin under the bitch. My friends dogs usually have more milk produced fron the rear teats than the front.

Not sure how a reproduction specialist vet would help now the puppies are on the ground, they specialise in dogs having problems breeding not problems after a successful whelping

I think the op just wants a vet who is knowledgeable about her situation after getting so much mixed advice . I know most vets arnt good with breeding but there must be some who have a clue

https://www.ndrugs.com/?s=kesium
This gives explanation of what is in kesium .it's amoxicillin plus another ingredient.

>Her antibiotics are kesium 250mg

The datasheet for Kesium says "In pregnant and lactating animals, use only according to the benefit/risk assessment by the responsible veterinarian."
These vets don't sounds very experienced with breeding, and what is normal.

& a repro specialist has extra post whelping knowledge then ?? Not in my farming related experience, good for helping get animals pregnant using various techniques, but once this was acheived they had nothing else to offer that an average GP vet couldn't.

I think that's why her vet was saying that she would have to stop feeding the pups.  I wish vets thought a bit more about what's involved in that as they seem to move to it very quickly(!).

If she is brighter today, is eating again and is feeding her pups, then why not cut out all dairy and see how she goes?  You have the meds if she needs them. 

It is very normal for the rear teats to hang down lower - those are the most productive teats usually and the most active.  It doesn't sound like she has mastitis to me if they are not red or hard or swollen.