i feel like stress is my middle name, as you all know my girl has 9 puppys, today she started walking really funny,shaking and eyes dilated, i rushed her to the vets, she was nearly on deaths door, this was half 2, she has eclampsia, she has had calcium drips and suplement, everything, im so upset, shes coming home in ten mins, i just hope she is ok, has anyone had this before and what kind of advice would you give

My first bitch got eclampsia when her puppies were 3 days old - I'd made the mistake of giving her calcium supplements during her pregnancy thinking I was doing the right thing, which threw her metabolism out of kilter. She was given a calcium injection and had to have a liquid calcium supplement for a few days, but after that she was fine and all the litter (10) thrived.

One of my bitches had eclampsia, her pups were five days old and I had left her to go make lunch, when I found her she was rigid.  Within five mins of having calcium into her vein she was walking about a little dazed and shaky but within a couple of hours she was back to her old self.  Vet said we were very very lucky another half hour or so and we could have had four orphans.  She had calcium supplement for 5 days from the vet as well.

Hope your girl is home soon and well.

she's home and well, the vet says to get these puppys weaned soon as, i feel reluctand to letting her feed the puppys herself as i done ever want to see her like that again, shes been in once to feed them, i know your a little bit of an expert as you have bred dogs time and time again, just a question, when i feed the puppys on a plate, hey only seem to lick for about 1minute, is this normal? they seem happy, i feel like i should feed them more than every 4/5hours, oh and they start to shiver after they eaten, its funny to see,

i was told you had to hand rear after eclampsia as they shouldnt drink the milk??

I had a GSD who had this once and after intervention from the vet and couple of infusions she was right as ninepence. Went on to feed her babies no problems but I think I did start to wean them a little early, at about 2 1/2 weeks.
Good luck let her have her babies she will be OK.

My girl was quite happy to feed her pups until the day they were leaving home.
I started weaning when they were three weeks.  Whenever they woke up I took Mum away and put food down for them.
First few days was the usual food absolutely everywhere and Mum cleaned more off the pups than they
actually consumed.  But once they get used to the taste and texture no stopping them.
I have a cracking photo of the four pups at 6 weeks pinning there mum to the floor for a suckle. LOL
Both Mum and pups came through with no problems.

Enjoy your girl and her pups, it is all over to soon.

No one ever told me to hand feed due to eclampsia.  Both girls I had with it were both well and able to feed pups themselves.

Many years ago my first bitch got eclampsia and I was told by a man that had racing greyhounds to add bonemeal to her feeds.I now give it to my bitches as soon as they whelp right upto weaning time and I have never had a bitch with it since.I just add about 1/2 tps in morning feed every day.

>i was told you had to hand rear after eclampsia as they shouldnt drink the milk??

No, you're thinking of mastitis.

well i shall check that again, my vet said as long as we do as much as we can, i mean they only spend about 5/6 hours with mum through the night they have drank the milk now for 3days and they seem to be ok,

oh, thankyou, i nearly rang vets, was getting a bit chewed there, thought i was harming my puppys

Happened to ours at 2 weeks. She stayed overnight at the Vets and we fed the four pups Whelpi with a syringe. When she returned we continued feeding pups through the day, although afterward we'd let them back in with mum for their "pudding". Mum then fed them through the night, we also gave mum cottage cheese and goats milk each day, finally weaning the pups at 4 weeks.

If there's a next time we'll make sure mum starts on the cottage cheese and goats milk the day after pups are born.

Things I think good are Skimmed milk.. not half or full fat just skimmed it has more calcium that semi.. add water.     Continue with a dash of coli cal D till weaning complete.   Soak her food even with the skimmed so she only eats food full of fluid.

Always make sure you have some calcium tablets when you have a nursing bitch. At the first sign of eclamsia, crush a couple of tablets into milk and spoon feed if necessary. Obviously this is an emergency measure whilst the vet is on his way but it can often make the difference between life and death. I always used to have a phial of callo cal d and a hyperdermic handy but vets aren't allowed to let you have it nowadays as it has to be injected intraveinously and not everybody can do that, although if you inject it subcutaneously it can buy valuable time until the vet arrives. I always give my nursing bitches a drink of milk every 4 hours throughout the day until the pups are weaned.

Collo-Cal D can be picked up in liquid form in several places.  At 2 diffrent places at any champshow and also on line easily.

http://www.penstone-petstore.co.uk/acatalog/index.html?http%3A//www.penstone-petstore.co.uk/acatalog/Penstone_Petstore_Vitamins___Mineral_Supplements_221.html&CatalogBody

I personally think the tablets are not the best for bitches with pups but if it is all else you have. I think a bottle of Collo-cal D is something that should be in your whelping kit. A 200ml bottle is cheap and a live saver.

Goodness Saxon I don't know any vet who would allow someone to inject Calcium into a vain..    That is not something anyone but a doctor or vet should do. The injection alone is or can be life threatening if you inject air.

Pays to have calcium in liquid form.

Thats why vets aren't allowed to let you have it any more. My old vet used to let me have it because I've been breeding dogs and horses for over 40 years and he knew I am capable of giving intraveinous. But my old vet is now dead, I'll certainly be getting some liquid calcium in time for my next litter. I've never had a case of eclamsia but you can never be too careful

I think Saxon is saying they would give it subcutaneously.

Ah I see not.

I watch my vet do it to the bitch of my first litter, he was shaking a bit and I said something like why are you shaking and will she be OK.. He roared at me that it is equally risking injecting it  oppps I shut up and kept quiet. She bounced back. Since then as soon as pups start arriving I give skimmed milk and water and only half a tea spoon every day. Touch wood never had a problem and my breed prone to it. ( terrier or wired breeds get half the doze on the bottle by the way due to over heating)