hi every one me again lol ,
can i start to ween pups on monday mum is so tired and pups are draining her so fast when feeding ,before she feeds them i check her milk and there dont seem much ,thay are only sucking for 2mins and are fussing aroud for more ,shes feeding them every hour and half ,the pups are working breed (small/med size) but mum is on the smaller size for the breed size. thankyou x

How old are the puppies and how many of them?

sorry pups will be 2weeks old ,there is 8 of them .i dont think she a much milk at all !!

The guide to how much milk she has is a steady weight gain.  I have had the bitch who has a litter now last time hardly show any mammary enlargement yet pups gained readily just as now when she is more obviously nursing.

If pups weight gain is steady and increasing not slowing down then they won't need to start weaning until close to three weeks.  If the rate of gain is slowign then you can start offering puppy milk thickened with soaked mashed puppy food.

I usually offer mien a taste of semi solid food at 18 days so that they have had it a few days before I worm them.

I agree, as long as they are gaining weight you should try to hold out until 3 weeks. Make sure you're weighing them every day so you can monitor this.

thankyou ,i weigh them every day ,some of them are slowing down and im trying my hardest to keep moving them around from back x

Dorwest herbs do a homeopathic remedy to increase milk flow..try their website for info..

had a look but ouldnt find it ?

I think this is it ;-)

http://secure.dorwest.com/prodinfo.asp?number=URT30C

thankyou jolene got it now x x x

can i worm mum tonight ? pups will be wormed on wedneday at vets ,i wormed her just before mateing and she is due ,just wondering if thats why she dont want to eat !!! ive noteist 1 of the pups tum is blowted they are 12 days old

It is a bit pointless worming the bitch before the pups as she will re-infect herself whn cleaning the pups, best to do it a few days after them as if doen at the same time she may get a bit much from them and ehr own dose.

You could also try Fenugreek seeds flour.  You should be able to find it in your local health store such as Holland and Barret.  I'm not sure that you will find it under that name there but the latin name for it(which they should know) is Trigonella foenum-graecum.  It works wonders with milk flow.  All you need to do is add a teaspoon to their food.  They will smell a bit of this product when you give them it but I have have used it in the past and after a day I have noticed an increase already.  You can get more info here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigonella_foenum-graecum

My last litter of 9, I thought it would help trying to wean them early, they were gaining weight steadily, but tried them at 2 & 3 weeks and they just weren't interested, it wasn't until they reached 4 weeks that they even attempted solids, mum was being fed around 6 times a day and although she was a lot slimmer than normal, she still insisted on feeding them and wouldn't give up, so we would put down a small dish of food for the ones that wanted to try it and mum carried on with the rest.

GUYS im in a mess ,rushed bea to vets (not sure yet what it is ) vet said mum canrt feed pups no more !!!! my mentor and guy hows dog ive used for stud as took 2 of the pups and is going to put them to a litter he has already !!!! so ive now got to feed 6 of them on my own ,so im going to have to start and try and ween them ,ive been up all night going out my mind with worry ,carnt get the pups to poo ,tring everywhere to get parafin for them ,but what can i do before i get it ? if any of u get give me some help please with what to do ,this isnt her 1st litter ,but all was mormal last time x x x

Contact Heather Ridley  01945 450475.  She's the expert in this field.

Sounds like Eclampsia where the calcium levels in the bitch get too low.  Normally if caught quickly with special liquid Vit D and calcium supplementation the bitch can continue to feed the pups but early weaning is advisable.

If pups eyes are open then I would get them lapping formula thickened with soaked puppy food, rather than try bottle feeding them.

good news mum is back she an injection and is doing fine now ,vet says she can feed them and we will be ween very soon xx
thankyou so much for phone number i did ring her she was fantastic xxx

(((((((White Lilly))))))))))))
What a rollercoaster you've been on this last fortnight.
Glad to hear your girl is back and doing well.
Will be sending lots of healthy doggy vibes your way xx

rachel thankyou hun ,im going to sleep well tonight !!! ive just got off that horrid rollercoaster now (((hugs)))x x x

i got 8hours sleep and im feeling on top of the world today ,pups look so well to , and bea as been eating !!!!! x

That's great news, fingers crossed it will all go smoothly now :-)
What did the vet say the problem was?

thay just gave her anibiotics to be on the safe side ,thay scaned her and couldnt find anything ,gave her a calcium injection just incase ,thay seem to think she was soooo worn out and stressed , she is only feeding 6 of them now as two of them have gone to the man how is having them ,(we used his stud dog) he has a bitch that has lost 2 and it was a small litter ,and his bitch isnt having any probs and all is going well with them so im happy xx
thankyou cocopop xx

What a nightmare you have been through hun, hope all goes well from now on with mum and puppies, its very stressful, hugz to you all.

thankyou annastasia ,yes the biggst nightmare ive ever had ,
pups eyes are starting to open up today yay!!!! there 2weeks old today xx
(((hugs))) and thankyou xx

No worries, hope your nightmare is now over, and you can start to enjoy the puppies, people dont realise what we go through at times with litters, the joys and heartbreaks.

thats so true ,bea is back at vets in a hour just to have her checked ! its got to be plain sailing from here ;) xx

Hope all goes well for you from now on, im sure mum and puppies will be fine now.