Holistic Pet Care

Disease Considerations for the Mother

Uterine infections, mammary gland infections, and eclampsia (milk fever) can occur after whelping. Dark-colored material will be expelled from the uterus for several days following whelping. Under normal conditions, this discharge should cease within 4 weeks. If the uterus becomes infected, however, this discharge may increase and become red and foul-smelling. Other signs and symptoms of an infected uterus include an elevated temperature, and a loss of appetite. The dog will also act depressed. If the mother shows signs of an infected uterus, seek immediate veterinary care and keep the puppies warm and nursing.

An infection of the mammary glands will also cause depression and an elevated rectal temperature. One or more breasts will become hard, swollen, reddish-purple and extremely painful. This condition also requires immediate veterinary care.

Milk production and the nutritional demands of puppies can be a severe strain on the mother. She may suffer from a loss of calcium during the first month after whelping because her supply is utilized to produce milk for the puppies. This calcium reduction can create a disease known as eclampsia or milk fever

. Emergency veterinary care is essential if the nursing mother shows any of the following signs:

muscular incoordination and excessive trembling,

muscle twitchings or convulsions,

excessive drooling, or

extreme nervousness and panting.

Calcium injections can reverse these signs, but treatment must be immediate to prevent death. Although both the puppies and the mother will try to nurse, in the case of untreated eclampsia, nursing will further drain calcium from the mother's body.

.

From: Terri Knutelski <herpnut@comcast.net>
Subject: [HolisticPet2] Infection?
To: HolisticPet2@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 7:46 AM

 

I have a bitch who whelped April 8th and she is running a temp ranging from 101.2 and 102.6, she is eating and drinking fine. Pups are nursing and slowly gaining weight every day. She doesnt seem to be as full of milk as my other bitch who whelped a week earlier. She is doing heavy panting which is normal for my girls the first week then it goes away, hers seems a little more excessive (from the fever?) She is still wagging!!! She seems a little depressed at times. Other times kinda anxious. She goes outside and runs under the picnic table and starts digging. She has some goopy eyes I have been washing them with a warm rag and then colloidal silver and they are doing better. I am giving her Parvaid (keep her tummy settled in case needed) and Vibactra Plus 4x a day. I am wondering of the possibility of a retained placenta maybe or just an infection? She has quite a bit of discharge but its a creamy sticky stringy pink there is no black or green tinge to it at all. I am still fairly new to natural, holistic ways so trying not to panic and run off to the vets here in town as they are terrible and very conventional, no holistic ones around. Any advice?

 

Thanks!

Terri K :)

 

video of her panting http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=eWARy66pxgs (the whirring sound is just from the battery free crank flashlight I was using)