hi sorry to bother you all again! :) but after flicking through my breeding book for the umpteenth time came accross a pic of a pregnant bitch whose teets were huge and full of milk. so my quetion is when should your bitch start producing milk? someone has told me that first timers sometimes have difficulty producing milk- is this true? also probably a dumb question to ask but when should you be able to see/feel the pups moving? my bitch is just six weeks gone today so wondered when we should notice some movement in her stomach. thanks for any info you can give me! by the way sorry if i seem to keep asking so many questions but just want to make sure i know all i can! :)
THANKS!
Liz

Hi Lizzy

It can depend on your bitch as to as and when she produces milk. I have had bitches dripping milk for 24 hours before whelping and I have had bitch's where the milk arrived as they whelped. I try to get the pups on and suckling asap after they arrive as the more they suckle the more oxytocin is produced which helps the bitch to contract. For the first few days she will produce colostrum milk and then at around and about 4/5 days her milk will really come in.

Your bitch and mine are at about the same gestation we were exactly 6 weeks on Monday. I would expect to start feeling pups moving just slight tremors at first in about a weeks time.
By the time she is close to whelping it will seem like a football team in there. :-D

oh wow i can't wait! even though shes got a swollen stomach and teets etc it'll seem more really when we can finally see them moving slightly. great that theyre on the same week! what breed is yours? im finding it hard to act normal in front of molly cos as im so excited if a bit nervous too but i don't want to alarm her at all! i find shes quite eager to show me her belly tho- never known her lie on her back so much, she seems quite proud if herself! :)
Liz

My bitches love me to gently stroke their fat bellies when they are pregnant, they seem to get comfort from it, so maybe that what she is asking for. :-D

I have Border Terriers for my sins.

i will try that- just worry that ill press to hard for some reason, im a complete worry wort at the moment because every book iv read seems to outline the negatives so im really expecting something to go wrong! would really like a complication free birth with mother and pups doing fine but i suppose you have to wait and see! :)
Liz

HI, I expect the photo you saw was of a bitch that had already had a litter or two before as they often bag up earlier than maiden bitches. Some first timers dont have a drop of milk til all the babies are born. I have never had a bitch that did not produce enough milk for her babies, though one did scare me as she didn't have a single drop til the seventh and last was born and she had settled down after a drink and light meal! The oldest puppy was about 7 hours old before she got any milk from mum and was absolutely fine.