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Topic Dog Boards / Breeding / mum no milk
- By dawson [gb] Date 11.06.05 09:05 UTC
hello just need some advice my bitch whelped on tues she as very little milk and the pups sound to me that there hungury ive got some puppy milk and bottles etc.. but we are scared if we over fed them weve been feeding them every two hours
- By Brainless [gb] Date 11.06.05 09:18 UTC
Thing is if you feed them then Mum won't make any milk, you could also be giving them idigestion. 

Before you started feeding them were they gaining any weight?  Even if they were not gaining much in first three days but not loosing then it is best to encourage lactation in the bitch. 

Plenty of food offered 4 times a day at least, with a high liquid intake.  If it is complete food and she isn't drinking much soak the food as well. 

There is no replacement for mothers milk, and if you can keep the pups ticking over and gaining reasonably then you can start early weaning as soon as they eyes are open if weight gain a bit slow.  Bottle fedign should really be a lst resort, and should be applied to biggest pups so that the smaller ones get the benegit of Mums milk.
- By sandra33 [gb] Date 11.06.05 09:58 UTC
I hand reared a litter last year due to mum not having much milk.....they dehyrdrated really quickly and we lost two by day 3.  If your pups are lively, not dehyrdrated, then I say don't rush into bottle feeding.  I was bottle feeding 2ml of welpi every 2 hours both day and night, if you give more you'll give them tummy ache, you also need to 'wind' them or they'll end up with gassy tummies, which in turn will stop them feeding.

Are the pups gaining weight?  if so, then mum is doing her job, sometimes they look as though they don't have milk, but the pups always manage to bring it down.
- By Dill [gb] Date 11.06.05 20:43 UTC
The milk is brought in by the action of the pups suckling, if you are topping them up then it won't come in properly. 
At first the bitch doesn't have a lot of milk, this is normal and as long as they aren't crying constantly and aren't losing a lot of weight then they are fine, the milk 'comes in' after a few days and then the pups start gaining steadily. 
If you weigh them daily you should see a steady weight gain over a few days.
The bitch should be encouraged to drink if she isn't drinking and if necessary you could give her the puppy milk half strength, it'll do more good that way ;)

Brainless, (should be called NotBrainless!! :D :D )
Not many people realise that the biggest pup should be topped up not the smallest (Its what cat breeders do too) in fact most people I know think it would be the other way round!!

Edited to say:

Pups can cry because they're too hot/too cold as well ;) and its likely that they were too hot if you've had the hot weather lately (all lying apart rather than together ;) )

If there is really a problem with the milk supply then FENNEL TEA given to the bitch will help, but only give it until the milk comes in or there could be too much!
Topic Dog Boards / Breeding / mum no milk

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