Proper Handling of Dog Lactation: Essential Care Guide

Dealing with a MilkEngorged Bitch: Pet Owners' Home Care Guide

After giving birth, many bitches may experience milk engorgement, a condition that can lead to mastitis if not addressed promptly. It's crucial to handle this situation with care and efficiency. Below is a detailed guide to help you effectively manage milk engorgement in your canine companion.

Understanding the Causes of Milk Engorgement in Bitches

1. Maternal Physiological Response: Following delivery, a bitch's mammary glands begin to produce milk. If puppies die or are prematurely separated, the glands continue to secrete milk, leading to engorgement.

2. Mastitis: This common cause of milk engorgement is often due to bacterial infections. Inflammation can block milk ducts, preventing milk from flowing normally and causing engorgement.

3. Overnutrition: Some pet owners may feed their bitches highprotein, highfat foods to aid recovery, which can stimulate milk production and exacerbate engorgement.

4. Endocrine Imbalance: An imbalance in hormonal levels, such as an overproduction of prolactin, can also lead to milk engorgement.

How to Handle Milk Engorgement in Dogs?

1. Observation and Initial Management:

• Monitor the breasts for signs of redness, heat, hardness, pain, and pus. Mild engorgement can often be relieved by allowing puppies to nurse frequently. Severe lumps or infection may require veterinary treatment.

• Apply Gentle Heat: Use a warm, damp towel to gently apply heat to the breasts for about 1015 minutes to help milk flow and alleviate blockages.

• Regular Massaging: Apply a small amount of olive oil to lubricate the breasts and gently massage in a clockwise direction. Be gentle to avoid damaging the mammary glands.

2. Increase Nursing:

• Encourage frequent nursing from all puppies to ensure milk flow. If there are insufficient puppies or they cannot nurse adequately, consider hand expression or using a milk pump to gently extract milk, but do so carefully to avoid injury to the glands.

3. Diet Adjustment:

• Avoid feeding highprotein, highfat foods like pork feet, peanuts, and soybeans, which can worsen engorgement.

• Offer the bitch some barley water to help regulate milk production and induce milk letdown.

• Increase the intake of green vegetables like spinach, lettuce, and cabbage to aid in milk letdown.

4. Medication and Veterinary Intervention:

• If the condition is severe or there are signs of infection (such as redness, heat, pus), seek veterinary care immediately.

• The vet may prescribe antibiotics, such as penicillin, or administer injections as directed.

• In severe cases, surgical drainage may be necessary, to be handled by a professional.

5. Environment and Hygiene:

• After each feeding, gently wipe the bitch's breasts clean with warm water to keep them dry and clean.

• Regularly change the pads in the dog bed to maintain a clean and tidy environment, preventing infections.

In summary, milk engorgement is a common occurrence in dogs, but it's important to intervene promptly to prevent complications. If you notice that engorgement has led to mastitis, seek medical attention and follow the vet's advice for medication and care.