Something is wrong with Shortie

[splemons77]

I just noticed one of Shorties nipples is swollen, red, and hard around it. It looks engorged but one of the puppies is always eating on it when she feeds them. I am so worried. Should I take her to the emergency vet or is there something I can do for it? I am so scaired that something is major wrong. The puppies are all still doing fine.
Thanks,
Shelly P.
BTW her temp is 100.8

[Bentley&BitsysMom]

I'm not sure but I think that temp is normal for a dog. How long has it been red and swollen and hard??? When Bitsy was nursing (the little bit she got to) I had that happen a few times and last for a few days and the vet said to put warm compresses on it and try to get the pups to nurse on the affected nipple as much as possible. It worked for us. It was scarey though because it looked painful. Depending on how long it's been that way, I'd do the above and see if it improves and call your vet.

[Ciera's mom]

I am not an expert on dogs or anything, but it sounds like she has mastitis. With that it will get really red and swollen, engorged and very painful. The pups need to keep eating from it or you need to express the milk from it though. I don't know exactly what they do for dogs for it. I am sure someone on here knows. I would definately call or take her to the vet. Hope she is ok.

[splemons77]

I just noticed it a little while ago so it couldn't have been that way long. I will try the compresses and putting a puppy on it and see if it helps. I will let you know if it does. Thanks for the quick reply. I am worried but your message has helped calm me some.
Thanks again,
Shelly P.

[feminvstr]

If your gal has swollen, hot, hard, red teats, Mastitis might have set in. Mastitis is an infection of the milk gland. DO NOT put the pup on to the infected teat. Call Your Vet, you need to drain the teat, throw away the milk, the infected milk can harm the puppies.

[Marie]

Im not a breeder but I think you should call you vet ASAP.
I found this info on Mastitis. I hope it helps. Please keep us posted.


Mastitis in Dogs and Cats: What to expect when you take your pet to the vet

(Of course, your veterinarian may treat this problem a little differently)

by Roger Ross, DVM





Mastitis refers to swelling, inflammation, and infection of the breast...one of the many things that can go wrong during the pregnancy, birth, and nursing process. Having babies is a fairly high risk venture in all species, and of all the potential problems that can occur, mastitis is usually fairly easy to treat ...but not always: this disease can be deadly. Yet another reason to recommend spaying female pets unless you really want a litter and are willing to take on the responsibility and expenses of when things go wrong.



Some Basics:



Mastitis refers to the swelling, inflammation, and infection of one or more mammary glands (breast tissue)...a problem that sometimes occurs while nursing puppies or kittens.



Think about it; the spongy glands of the breasts have been recently stimulated by hormone changes to swell and produce milk and colostrum...full of nourishing fats and sugars...A NEAR PERFECT situation for bacterial growth. All a bacteria has to do to gain entrance into the milk enriched gland is find a way up the teat canal...which very likely might be swollen and raw from being suckled and gnawed on by greedy little infants.



If the bacteria can't make it up the nipple, it can possibly gain entrance from the blood ; after all, it's common to have an extra high bacteria count in the uterus, the vagina, and the near-by urinary tract for a few weeks after delivery...AND NOT ONLY THAT, but the mom's immune system is often out of whack during the massive hormone changes of pregnancy and nursing. So, bacteria might gain entrance into the blood stream, evade the immune system's defenses...and settle happily into the milky goo of the mammary glands.



To top it off, the intestinal system...the number one source of bacterial invasion into the blood stream...is more likely to be raw and inflammed during nursing. Why? Because the hormones of pregnancy stimulate intestinal worms to come out of dormancy and feast on the intestinal tract...AND...GI upset (inflammation) is very common post delivery due to the mom eating all those nasty placentas, cleaning up all that vaginal discharge, and licking all those puppy or kitten butts.



After reading the above, you might not be surprised to know that ALL (100%) nursing dogs and cats get bacteria in their breast tissue. Luckily, most of the time, the immune system is successful at keeping the bacteria numbers low enough so as not to cause obvious disease needing medical treatment. But sometimes the immune system is not up to par...often due to poor nutrition, poor parasite control, or poor vaccination protection...and sometimes due to poor dental care. (Inflammed gums are a major source of bacterial entry into the blood stream) Sometimes the immune system is simply over-whelmed:



This article is about what to expect if your pet happens to get an infection of the breast tissue during nursing...a disease known as MASTITIS



Symptoms:



The most obvious symptom is a swollen mammary gland (breast, tit, etc) that is either more red, discolored, painful, firm, or lumpy than the other breasts on the pet.

The breast may discharge pus...or milk that looks different from the other breasts.



Other symptoms might include:



Fever (rectal temperatures greater than 103 F in both dogs and cats)

No or poor appetite

Dying pups or kittens

Poor energy level



Note: the above symptoms are not exclusive to mastitis; they could be caused by other or additional problems.

[Marie]

What to Expect When you go to the Vet:



A good exam. It's tempting to simply look at an obviously infected breast and make

the diagnosis of mastitis...and start treatment. But it's not that simple. There are usually multiple problems and a good vet will go over the entire pet checking out all the major body systems to see what we're up against. Here are some examples of problems that are often associated with gross infections of the mammary glands:



High fever and all the secondary vascular changes that can occur with high fevers such as blood clots.

Dehydration

Toxic Shock and Sepsis

Stress, bacterial invasion, and resulting dysfunction of the liver, kidney, and lymphatic systems.

Toxic Milk

Gangrene (from gas producing organisms)

Moderate to severe Intestinal upset and inflammation resulting from the fever and infection...or as mentioned in the introduction above...as the cause of the problem.



And remember...nursing is a time when multiple problems can happen together: Milk Fever (Calcium-phosphorus imbalances), protein deficiencies, post delivery diabetes and other blood sugar irregularities, as well as immune system suppression, greatly increased parasitism, and to some extent hormone induced depression.



The take home message: a good professional exam by a veterinarian is important even though it's usually not difficult to determine that your pet has mastitis.



Lab work your vet might recommend:



As you might gather from reading the above...lab work isn't usually needed to make a diagnosis of mastitis. But lab work might very well be needed to determine how badly the rest of the body is faring. Also: Many mastitis cases require anesthesia and surgical draining and debridement (cutting away of dead, putrid, and damaged tissue). Therefore, to minimize the risk of anesthesia and surgery, your vet may recommend:



Blood Work: (usually a CBC and Blood Chemistry). These common tests flag sepsis, diabetes, anemia, kidney, liver, and pancreatic diseases, dehydration, and electrolyte problems.



Fluid analysis with microscopic evaluation of the milk or any discharge. What the vet will be looking for is a high white blood cell count of the milk, free or encapsulated bacteria, and a type of white blood cell called degenerate neutrophils. Milk pH might also be considered as different antibiotics work better at differ pH levels.



Aspirate (inserting a needle and syringe to remove a sample of material) and cytology of solitary masses



Bacterial culture and sensitivity of the fluid to allow better choice of antibiotic



Bacterial culture of the blood if sepsis is suspected



Urinalysis: useful anytime a patient acts weak and sick as a screening test for dehydration, diabetes, debilitation, and kidney function.





TREATMENT



Treatment options will depend on how sick the patient is in general and how extensive the local damage to the breast tissue. Mastitis can be a minor, inexpensive nuisance or a major, life threatening disease requiring a big commitment.



Probable treatments will include:



Antibiotic injections followed by oral antibiotics



Some type of anti-inflammatory medication to reduce swelling. This usually means

some sort of short acting steroid...our most effective treatment...but also one with

potential problems that needs to be monitored.



Lancing and draining of the infected breast...either without anesthesia for minor

cases or as part of a major surgical procedure involving debridement and surgical

drains. Sometimes complete surgical removal of the breast is needed.



Topical wound cleaners, compresses, ointments, wound healing enhancers, and

various soothing remedies (each vet seems to have their favorites)



Supportive care of the whole patient if needed: IV Fluids, antioxidants, electrolytes,

pain meds, etc.

Knowing when and how aggressive to get with supportive care for each different case

is where experience and the practice art become so important. Too little and the

patient suffers or dies. Too aggressive and we waste your money and lose your

respect for making a mountain out of a mole hill.



Time to heal and good home treatment by the pet owner. Once bacteria gets

established in such a perfect growth media as a milky breast it won't be easy to kill it

off...It's critical that you administer the pet's antibiotics faithfully for at least 10 days.

Even if your vet does everything right, mastitis is a potentially fatal disease and

there's a fair chance that the initial medical treatment won't be entirely successful

and more aggressive treatment and/or surgery will be needed. You can greatly

increase your chance of initial success by making sure you give the prescribed meds

even if difficult or inconvenient to do so.



Clean bedding. A pet with a draining breast shouldn't be lying on wet, urine soaked,

filthy bedding. Nor should the bedding be irritating.



Recheck/follow up exam if not obviously all better. Some people seem to think that

the vet somehow failed if a treatment plan doesn't go perfectly. Hey...this is a

serious disease with lots of complicating factors. A certain percentage of cases will

need additional work.







Some Other Treatments or Things that your vet may consider:



Early weaning of the pups or kittens to allow the mammary glands to dry up or to prevent death of the babies. Sometimes we recommend total separation (different buildings) so that the momma pet can't smell or hear their babies which stimulates lactation. Another reason for early weaning is if the momma pet is simply too weak to both fight off her mastitis and nurse. There are negatives to early weaning too...so the decision will be based on each case like so many other situations in medicine.



Supplemental feeding of the puppies or kittens. A sort of compromise of early weaning.



Shaving the hair from around the teats and clipping the toe nails of the puppies or kittens.



Manual milking of the infected breast to keep it draining.



Herbal and other "Alternative" treatments.







Caution: Disorders that might be confused with mastitis include:



Insect or snake bite wounds to the breasts. This is, technically, still mastitis, but

treatment would also include antihistamines etc.



Mammary gland enlargement caused by advanced pregnancy, lactation or pseudo-pregnancy. Sometimes there is an excessive accumulation (galactostasis) of milk in the glands, and they may become warm and somewhat painful. In other words...just because the breasts are firm and tender doesn't necessarily mean they're infected.



Mammary hypertrophy is a benign growth of the mammary tissue causing a firm swelling.



Mammary gland tumors are fairly common in older animals and could be confused with mastitis especially if they are draining.

I found this info here.

[splemons77]

Last night I put warm compressions on the swollen breast. The area that was swollen was the part around the nipple, but the nipple itself is not swollen. I also expresses out all the milk. She just layed there liking and playing with me while I did this so I assume it wasn't painful. The milk was normal color, normal smelling, and there was a LOT of it. This morning it is not red or swelled. It looks like all the rest. She hasn't lost her appitite, is very playful, and all the pups are doing fine. We have had no pups die or get sick or anything. She still has a normal temp, too. Does this still sound like mastitis? I called the vet they are having a tech call me back. It all has me so confused. I just hope she is ok. Thanks for the quick responses.
I also want to thank you all for all the help you have given me throoughout her pregnacy and everything. If it wasn't for you awesome ladies I would have been so lost. I am so grateful you guys have taken the time to help me. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Shelly P.

[Bentley&BitsysMom]

tHAT IS great news Shelly Mastitis is not good but I think that sets in when the affected area is not attended to promptly and it sounds like you noticed it pretty early....I think they run a fever with Mastitis too and are sick becasue it means an infection has set in. Great job and let us know what the vet says

[Marie]

Im glad that the swollen has gone down and that she is doing well. I will keep and eye on her. Still talk to your vet, is best to be safe. I hope the info I posted it was helpful. Im not a vet or a breeder so I really dont know if is Mastitis or not. SO I think is best to discusse it with your vet. Ploease keep us posted.

[feminvstr]

Please have the vet check her out today you need to know you didnt infect your kids let alone her. We are not vets something as serious as this can rear it ugly head when you dont expect it, better always to be on the safe side.

[splemons77]

I took Shortie to the vet today and they told me it was just engorged. Since it is on the bottom when she lays on her side to nurse he said it is probablly not getting nursed good enough. If it swells back up I am to take her straight in. It is still not swelled and still no temp. Pups are also still doing great.
I was doing some searching and came across a site saying that it is good to suppliment the puppies, only after mom nurses them of course, if they have a large litter. What is you guys thoughts on that?
Thanks,
Shelly

[Bentley&BitsysMom]

I am not by any means a breeder but I have learned on here and from my experience with Bitsy, she had a litter of six, that it might be a good idea to supplement...but of course, I'd feel better if you had responses from breeders. There are some great ones on here!!

[Marie]

Im so happy that Shortie doesnt have mastitis and is doing better. Im not a breeder so I dont know about supplementing but Im sure someone will know the answer. How many pups does Shortie had?

[feminvstr]

so glad mom is doing better, you can suppliment the pups with esbliac mixed with a bit of goats milk, they love it.

also give mom 1/2 tums in the morning and 1/2 in the evening, give mom some goats milk too and cottage cheese mixed with her dry food, you find goats milk in the canned milk or baking section in your local market.

hope this helps