Hi...I have a girl who has suffered from mistitis it's clearing up with antibiotics really well and she seem comfy I haven't left her side since she's had pups pup r also doing really well she didn't catch it till they was 5 week and already started weaning prosses I was just woundering if a girl has had it can she catch it again with another litter or should I spay her? Thanks

A bitch which had mastitis wont necessarily have it again IF bred from again.

A bit surprised that already thinking of another litter already though.....

I'm thinking of spaying her when I next go to vets that's y I asked not thinking about another litter right away but I also have another girls and wanted to knw more about it.......

It will not necessarily happen again as there are a lot of factors involved. Also if you are observant, management of the bitch can help to avoid mastitis.

What are the first signs it all happens so fast this time is there anything I should be doing or avoiding x

Making sure the pups suckle from all teats at least daily

That is what I was thinking.It can simply be caused because there is a build up of milk in one or more teats so number of pups can be a factor. Puppies often prefer some
teats over others and ignore or seem separate to avoid some. That is what happened to me but as I realised early enough I just managed to save the situation before things got more serious. I don't think mastitis is something a bitch is necessarily prone to- is it?

Unlikely but they don't 'catch' mastitis.  It's a condition that can happen.  We've only had it once in one of our girls.   And yes, it's important to rotate the puppies so they cover ALL the teats.   Many time, my newborns avoid the back teats, preferring the middle ones - obviously if you have a big litter, they usually more or less drain all the teats.   It can be that with a small litter, there they don't, that this happens.

And this is another reason why I didn't pile rich food into my pregnant bitches.   Newborn puppies don't need lashings of milk - it's wisest to up the food intake once you see how many puppies she's catering for, and into the second week when the puppies are normally taking lots of milk.

You need to feel and inspect her there at least daily if not twice daily.  If you notice one starting to get hard or red or swollen, you need to put your strongest-nursing puppy on it immediately and keep a close eye on it. 

If you wean too quickly, it can also cause it - if she is at max milk production and you suddenly for some reason stop them nursing, they can get very full and swollen then too.  So wean gradually and once you have introduced solids, let pups nurse after eating as a 'top up' to take some pressure off for her.

> So wean gradually and once you have introduced solids, let pups nurse after eating as a 'top up' to take some pressure off for her.

This is exactly what we did - fed the puppies with mum outside the box and when they'd finished, let her in to clean up - at which point she'd be allowing 'comfort nursing', standing up.   But you must be there as once she feels the sharp teeth, she'll want out - fast.   Some breeders prefer to have a cut-off date for taking mum off the litter, but we preferred to do it slowly, and to our mind, 'naturally'.