Benadryl and nursing

[sferrini]

not sure if this is the right section to post but you all have always been so helpful, I am wondering if it is safe to give the momma benadryl if she is still nursing.

We are almost done with the weaning process she only feeds them like two or three times a day for a few minutes but mostly they eat their food.

thank you,
Shannon

[bjh]

According to this website it is not safe:
Drugs That May Or May Not Be Used in Pregnant Dogs

How old are the pups? Just curious, why does mom need benadryl?

[smartpuppiepets]

I am wondering the same, why do you need to give her benadryl?

XOXO

[sferrini]

Originally Posted by smartpuppiepets

I am wondering the same, why do you need to give her benadryl?

XOXO

She has allergies. The pups are six weeks old and both momma and I are weaning them. They eat three times a day, sometimes four if they are hungry but they have been nursing off of momma a few times a day.

I am stopping that!!

Momma has scratched her right eye so bad the top of it is red and raw and she is scratching at her nose on the carpet, it's sad. The previous owners (I have only had momma for two months) said she gets this way when she is pregnant and a little after but that she is also allergic to dust mites.

[smartpuppiepets]

Originally Posted by sferrini

She has allergies. The pups are six weeks old and both momma and I are weaning them. They eat three times a day, sometimes four if they are hungry but they have been nursing off of momma a few times a day.

I am stopping that!!

Momma has scratched her right eye so bad the top of it is red and raw and she is scratching at her nose on the carpet, it's sad. The previous owners (I have only had momma for two months) said she gets this way when she is pregnant and a little after but that she is also allergic to dust mites.

This momma should not have been bred, but this is another story. I am not saying this to criticize at all.
You can stop the nursing, period!! 6 weeks old puppies should not be nursing anymore at all. You can get a tiny "onesie" for mom and just dress her in it when she visits with the puppies. They are able to eat perfectly on their own without mom's milk by now.

Then go ahead and give her the benadryl she needs. Poor mom, a raw eye is not fun and must hurt. Also if the puppies are that old already you start to get into the risk of low calcium as they are big and they demand a lot of milk.

they will be better , mom and babies.

Good luck, and spoill that mommy... poor thing, they get drained at the end of a litter! She deserves the spoilling now !

XOXO

[Mardelin]

No drugs of any kind should be administered to a nursing mom without vet authorization.

[bjh]

Personally, I would never take the pups away from mom at 6 weeks unless it was absolutely necessary. The weaning process should be slow. If they are eating extremely well then they might be okay but mom still needs to interact with them.

I feel that she should probably be seen by a vet and perhaps the vet can give you something that will help her scratching. Some oloe vera jell might be helpful and you could make sure her taisl are cut short and maybe put some socks on her back feet. Benadryl might temporarily help the problem but you need to find something to cure the problem and not just mask the symptoms.

[smartpuppiepets]

We start to wean the puppies at 4 to 5 weeks, by 6 weeks i am usually finished with the weaning process, and actually my females are not willing to nurse the puppies after they have those sharp teeth hurting them, so it is mother nature timing, not me... if we do not dress them on a onesie they withdraw and run away from the puppies as their teeth hurt them. Mom interaction is another complete subject. Mom's should interact with the puppies through 12 weeks !!! That is why we use the "Onesies" on them or a tight shirt, something to cover the nipples.
Also if you plan to give the puppies a shot around 8 weeks old, you probably can find information about how the mother's antibodies on the milk can affect the vaccines. 2 weeks without nursing prior to the first shot is usually the recommendation given.

XOXO

[smartpuppiepets]

Window of susceptibility

The age at which young animals can effectively be immunized is proportional to the amount of antibody protection they received from their mother. High levels of maternal antibodies present in a young animal's bloodstream will block the effectiveness of a vaccine. When the maternal antibodies drop to a low enough level in the animal, immunity (protection from disease) can be produced through vaccination.

The antibodies from the mother generally circulate in the newborn's blood for a number of weeks. There is a period of time from several days to several weeks in which the maternal antibodies are too low to provide protection against the disease, but too high to allow a vaccine to work. This period is called the window of susceptibility. This is the time when despite being vaccinated, a young animal can still contract the disease.

The length and timing of the window of susceptibility is different in every litter, and even between individuals in a litter. A study of a cross section of different puppies showed that the age at which they were able to respond to a vaccine and develop protection (become immunized) covered a wide period of time. At six weeks of age, 25% of the puppies could be immunized. At 9 weeks, 40% of the puppies were able to respond to the vaccine and were protected. The number increased to 60% by 16 weeks, and by 18 weeks, 95% of the puppies could be immunized.

As you can see, it is really impossible for us to determine, when in the presence of passive immunity, an individual animal should be vaccinated. There are just too many variables. Even if we did blood tests on them, each animal in the litter would probably have a different titer. Some will have absorbed more antibodies, the antibodies may have broken down more quickly in others, or some may have used a portion of their antibodies if they encountered harmful bacteria or viruses. Additionally, a young animal may have a protective titer (level of antibodies) for one disease but not enough for another.

Progress is being made. Some of the newer vaccines can stimulate active immunity in the young animal even when maternal antibodies are present. As vaccines improve, we will hopefully be better able to protect puppies throughout their early life.

[sferrini]

Originally Posted by smartpuppiepets

This momma should not have been bred, but this is another story. I am not saying this to criticize at all.
You can stop the nursing, period!! 6 weeks old puppies should not be nursing anymore at all. You can get a tiny "onesie" for mom and just dress her in it when she visits with the puppies. They are able to eat perfectly on their own without mom's milk by now.

Then go ahead and give her the benadryl she needs. Poor mom, a raw eye is not fun and must hurt. Also if the puppies are that old already you start to get into the risk of low calcium as they are big and they demand a lot of milk.

they will be better , mom and babies.

Good luck, and spoill that mommy... poor thing, they get drained at the end of a litter! She deserves the spoilling now !

XOXO

I agree with you on the breeding, as I am NOT the one that bred her but she was rehomed to me a week before she had the puppies. While in the owners care, she received no prenatal care and sadly we lost one of the babies tonight due to a congential heart disease.

Having said that, I have actually heard many different times to start the weaning process on this site some say they let the momma nurse up until the babies are 10 weeks old. However, thank you for letting me know that six weeks is a good time. The onesie is a GREAT idea, I will get one from my daughter as she just had a baby and has a ton.

I am giving mom extra, extra love and attention not only for the allergies but for the loss of one of her babies.

[smartpuppiepets]

Originally Posted by sferrini

I agree with you on the breeding, as I am NOT the one that bred her but she was rehomed to me a week before she had the puppies. While in the owners care, she received no prenatal care and sadly we lost one of the babies tonight due to a congential heart disease.

Having said that, I have actually heard many different times to start the weaning process on this site some say they let the momma nurse up until the babies are 10 weeks old. However, thank you for letting me know that six weeks is a good time. The onesie is a GREAT idea, I will get one from my daughter as she just had a baby and has a ton.

I am giving mom extra, extra love and attention not only for the allergies but for the loss of one of her babies.

I know you are not the one that bred her, that is why i told you i am not saying this to criticize you at all.

I am so very sorry for the loss of the baby , it is so hard. the excitment of having the puppies and see them grow is wonderful, but i imagine your heart is also broken !

I want to ask you what happen with the puppy but i respect if you do not want to even talk about it.

Due to the circumstances with the mom believe me it is ok to wean the puppies so you can give her the benadryl. Poor momma, and poor you ! Your heart is just as broken i can feel it.

If you need any other help just ask.

I am watching my pregnant female, tomorrow we have a c-section scheduled but she may not need it ... she is huge and starting to milk , so i will watch her through the night anyways .

XOXO

[sferrini]

Originally Posted by smartpuppiepets

I know you are not the one that bred her, that is why i told you i am not saying this to criticize you at all.

I am so very sorry for the loss of the baby , it is so hard. the excitment of having the puppies and see them grow is wonderful, but i imagine your heart is also broken !

I want to ask you what happen with the puppy but i respect if you do not want to even talk about it.

Due to the circumstances with the mom believe me it is ok to wean the puppies so you can give her the benadryl. Poor momma, and poor you ! Your heart is just as broken i can feel it.

If you need any other help just ask.

I am watching my pregnant female, tomorrow we have a c-section scheduled but she may not need it ... she is huge and starting to milk , so i will watch her through the night anyways .

XOXO

My little Lady had aspiration penumonia brought on my congestive heart failure. She was with us for six weeks and had loved her like she had been with us sixty years. It is very hard bringing these babies into your life, nursing them, feeding them and loving them and to have something like this happen. I know, I am not cut out to be a breeder I would be a basket case every day.

I am curious as to why you say Miracle should not have been bred? Which actually, my understanding is that she got out and was not purposely bred which I am sure led to part of Lady's medical problems since Miracle received NO prenatal care.

Rebel has not had anything off of mom for two days now, he tries but between me, my daughter and momma we all tell him no. He is eating well, I feed him three times a day and make sure he has Karo Syrup always because I fear hypoglycemia (I lost my husband due to diabetes and low sugar).

I have made an appointment with our vet to have Rebel checked out throughly, blood, x-ray, anything I can do to make sure my little guy stays healthy.

Thank you,
Shannon

[smartpuppiepets]

Originally Posted by sferrini

My little Lady had aspiration penumonia brought on my congestive heart failure. She was with us for six weeks and had loved her like she had been with us sixty years. It is very hard bringing these babies into your life, nursing them, feeding them and loving them and to have something like this happen. I know, I am not cut out to be a breeder I would be a basket case every day.

I am curious as to why you say Miracle should not have been bred? Which actually, my understanding is that she got out and was not purposely bred which I am sure led to part of Lady's medical problems since Miracle received NO prenatal care.

Rebel has not had anything off of mom for two days now, he tries but between me, my daughter and momma we all tell him no. He is eating well, I feed him three times a day and make sure he has Karo Syrup always because I fear hypoglycemia (I lost my husband due to diabetes and low sugar).

I have made an appointment with our vet to have Rebel checked out throughly, blood, x-ray, anything I can do to make sure my little guy stays healthy.

Thank you,
Shannon

Not everyone has the heart or may be is crazy enough to endure breeding. I am here watching my happy family !!! Mom had a C-section, she went into labor this morning but was not able to push them out. she was not recognizing them... me holding them, trying to burp a gassy baby ... huhuhuh hard work.
She just took her first round of licks on them !!! i forgot all the stress ...kkkkk

Usually we choose only the healthiest to breed, if Miracle has allergies anything could go wrong and the best idea would be never to breed her. she can pass the trait to the offspring ( but lets keep our fingers she did not) and she can go through a hard time as you saw.

If you ever decide to breed again you should start with the best and healthiest parents, that is how anyone who breeds are supposed to act.
Please do not take it as criticism as i am not. Just answering your question.

Prenatal care would not have avoided her allergic reactions.

is she happier now? i mean, mommy???? I told you the puppies will do fine without nursing. Good for you they were old enough to just go into food.
Are you keeping him?

XOXO

[sferrini]

Originally Posted by smartpuppiepets

Not everyone has the heart or may be is crazy enough to endure breeding. I am here watching my happy family !!! Mom had a C-section, she went into labor this morning but was not able to push them out. she was not recognizing them... me holding them, trying to burp a gassy baby ... huhuhuh hard work.
She just took her first round of licks on them !!! i forgot all the stress ...kkkkk

Usually we choose only the healthiest to breed, if Miracle has allergies anything could go wrong and the best idea would be never to breed her. she can pass the trait to the offspring ( but lets keep our fingers she did not) and she can go through a hard time as you saw.

If you ever decide to breed again you should start with the best and healthiest parents, that is how anyone who breeds are supposed to act.
Please do not take it as criticism as i am not. Just answering your question.

Prenatal care would not have avoided her allergic reactions.

is she happier now? i mean, mommy???? I told you the puppies will do fine without nursing. Good for you they were old enough to just go into food.
Are you keeping him?

XOXO

My understanding is the allergies came when she was pregnant with her first litter, so I will give them credit for the first litter. Miracle will be four in October and this was her 5th litter, which I thought was crazy. They should have spayed her at least after the 3rd one.

I was wondering if the prenatal card would of helped Lady at all.

Yes we are keeping Rebel, there is NO way I could part with him now. I knew it would have been hard before but now that lady has left us, there is just NO way.

I know you are not judging me, so no worries, I appreciate you answering my question. As I stated I am not, nor do I want to be a breeder. I took in a wonderful, loving baby who was pregnant and would have otherwise been put down. Before we found out that lady was sick we did think about breeding her once but I know now I am just not cut our for it.

Momma is still itchy so I am not sure whats going on, nowhere near as bad and I think her milk is almost all dried up. She growls at Rebel when he tries to nurse and I think he is even backing off from trying and just wants to play with momma since her playmate is now in heaven.