Please have a look at "Milk Flow?" thread. It's now day six and the dam has increased her milk flow, but by only a bit. The milk is still rather thick, the pups are thriving, but I dare'nt leave them as 3 pups seem to be greedy and nick milk meant for the others. The pups suction is very strong, teats are enlarging, but still can't understand why the dam wont add water to her milk. I am now giving pups a watered solution of whelpi rather than just water as for some reason they can taste the difference. Someone must have an idea or something as, although this is not common, it must of happened to someone before, so please help.
Thanks in anticipation,
Elmbridge

Hi Elmbridge, Has the vet checked mum and seen the quality of the milk? If not perhaphs he should do. If there really is a big difference in how the pups suckle, I would put the three greedy ones in a little box or bed, two or three times a day, to give the slower ones some quality sucking time on their own. I have never tasted bitches milk ;) but there obviously is a difference betwen Whelpi and mums milk, and yes the pups will notice it, but if they are drinking it, and their tummies are OK,then I wouldnt worry too much.

Yes have the vet check the bitch she may need somthing to help her. But you do seem to be doing OK and so do the puppies. Jackie

Hi Elmbridge

I can't understand your problem? :)

You say the pups are thriving and gaining weight.

What makes you think pups are dehydrated ? Young pups have very pliable coats/skins that can stand up for some time. Bitches milk is thick, thicker than goats milk and much, much thicker than cow's milk.

If the pups are doing well then I would be reluctant to feed whelpi or other supplement as the more of this you do the less your bitch will produce. Her milk will get runnier as the pups get older, to start with it is probably something like the consistency of cold olive oil - viscous I think is the word I am looking for.

Pups do need to be warm to be able to digest food - a chilly pup cannot suck properly or digest what it does obtain.

Good luck with your pups
Christine

Thank you for replies. Yes the bitch and pups were checked by my vet (who I've trusted for over 15 years) on the start of day 3. He said she was "dry" but I was able to milk her. I have been a breeder for over 8 years now & this is a first for me. As per previous thread, her milk is extremly thick and the pups are able to take it, but they were always hungry & unsettled. They became lethargic and cold (even under a heat lamp) and I diagnosed the dehydration part. I filled a baby's bottle with preboiled water and a little glucos and got the pups to suckle from the bottle. Within half an hour I had warm, settled, content puppies. Thru the second night I gave them a drink every 2 hours & by morning the pups were great. After the visit to the vets, I stopped the water drinks for the rest of the day & that evening I had a dead pup & the others were cold again. I started the water drinks again & pups were thriving with wieght gains ect. Last Sat. they didnt like the water drink anymore so I decided to make a mix of 1 part Whelpi to 5 parts water, instead of the recommended 1 part Whelpi to 2 parts water(a: so I didn't make the pups sick with too much food & b: to find out wether the bitches milk was actually working). I wiegh the pups twice daily now. I also faviour the 5 smallest and the 3 largest (greedy pigs) are put on the teats after the other 5 have had a real good go. The 3 largest are putting wieght on but the 5 smallest have the best and are growing slightly faster, & catching the 3 largest.
It's now day seven and the bitches milk is ever so slightly runnier but is still very thick to what I am used to. I'm so tired that I have missed the 4 am or 6 am feed (never together and only because I sleep right thru alarm) and have noticed a difference in the pups attitude with even one missed meal, so now not taking any chances at all. If you could all see mum and puppies and didn't know I was helping so much you would think everything was brilliant
Excuse spelling, can hardly see screen.
Elmbridge

Oh my goodness, poor you. I think you have done wonders, and deserve a huge hug and pat on the back. I have bottle fed a litter of 8 and know just how totally shattered it makes you. No wonder you have missed the alarm a couple of times.May I make a suggestion here? As soon as the pups are two weeks old,start trying to wean them. I do realise this is very early, but thats what I did with my litter, and by two and a half weeks,the strain of bottle feeding was starting to ease. Bless your heart, you have worked so hard for these babies, I wish you the very very best of luck with them.

Hi Elmbridge

That's the trouble with talking by writing - have to say so much to get full details across :-(

In case you don't know, another method of heat apart from the lamp which can be very drying is by using those flattish round animal heat pads that you put in the microwave (about 7 or 8 inches across - I either wrap these in towels or put under whelping box and recharge them every few hours amd find that puppies really congregate around them when they need to, this way I can have the heat lamp higher so it warms the area (and the bitch does not singe herself on it).

With regard to excessively thick milk - perhaps she is the Anglo Nubian of the dog world -

Good luck with them and hope you get a decent night's sleep soon

Christine

Hi elmbridge

You poor thing - I'm not surprised you are exhausted. So sorry to hear you lost a baby - so sad. I do hope things get better soon.

Pam n the boys