Puppies are Weaned but Mom still producing milk

[sweetpuppypaws]

Jade's puppies are now 7 weeks old - they are all healthy, happy puppies and are all doing great. The only issue is that even though the puppies are fully weaned - Jade is still producing milk. We are trying our best to keep them from nursing at all - which is not always easy because they smell the milk and she is not good at telling them "no" so we have to step in. I have cut back her diet to her pre-pregnancy diet but she is still producing milk. How long does it take to "dry up"? Does anyone have any advice? I tried withholding food from her like I had read somewhere else on here but then I had issues with her trying to get into my other dogs' food and the puppy food. Is there any other way to help her to stop producing milk?

[francis53]

Why are you in such a hurry to have the puppies weaned? When my dogs had puppies, I let them nurse the pups as long as they wanted. As they ate more and more solid foods and nursed less it just kinda happened naturally and she let them suck on and off until about 10 weeks old. anyway, that is what worked for me, good luck with your pups

[lillymae]

I agree, let them nurse as long as they want & as long as mom will tolerate it as the longer they nurse the better their immune system will be for life.

[carmen in nj]

Parsley put about a teaspoon of parley in her food, my girl had a litter 9 weeks ago, and she is completely dry..
hugs,

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by francis53

Why are you in such a hurry to have the puppies weaned? When my dogs had puppies, I let them nurse the pups as long as they wanted. As they ate more and more solid foods and nursed less it just kinda happened naturally and she let them suck on and off until about 10 weeks old. anyway, that is what worked for me, good luck with your pups

I agree, it's best for mama if done gradually, and in turn she gradually dries up.

[carmen in nj]

if you are going to let them to continue to nurse, just remember NO vaccines until the puppies are completly wean off , and then you should wait at least 2 weeks for the vaccines, or the vaccines can fight against the mother's milk inmunities., this is why I wean by 7 weeks and start vaccines at 9 weeks, my litter just got their first vaccines at 9 weeks, that way i can watch for reactions and other posible problems while the babies are still here, then they get their 12 week vaccine right before they go home and the new parents are responsible for the 14- weeks final booster and the rabies at a year old.
hugs,

[sweetpuppypaws]

I was following what my vet suggested - fully weaned by 7 weeks - the vet actually preferred 6 weeks. They are scheduled to get their shots at 8.5 weeks. They are scheduled to go to new homes at 11-12 weeks and I felt it was best for them to be fully weaned before that. Waiting until 10 weeks doesn't give them much time to learn to eat completely on their own.

Thank you Carmen for the parsley suggestion. I will try that.

[luckylady]

Carmen, you are so knowledgeable! Parsley is a new lesson for me although I have never had a problem with the milk drying up. On the note of weaning, I usually let my mama's decide when it's time to start the weaning process, which is probably around the 7 week age give or take.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Originally Posted by carmen in nj

Parsley put about a teaspoon of parley in her food, my girl had a litter 9 weeks ago, and she is completely dry..
hugs,

Carmen, you helped a friend of mine (jan with the silky) and she said this worked like a charm!! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!!

[beasiegirl]

Originally Posted by BabyGirl Rosie

Carmen, you helped a friend of mine (jan with the silky) and she said this worked like a charm!! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!!

Yes it did. Amazing how fast. Sassy felt so much better.

[carmen in nj]

I am very happy to help, knowledge is no good if you don't share it.. i am glad to share ..
hugs,

[Breny]

Originally Posted by sweetpuppypaws

Jade's puppies are now 7 weeks old - they are all healthy, happy puppies and are all doing great. The only issue is that even though the puppies are fully weaned - Jade is still producing milk. We are trying our best to keep them from nursing at all - which is not always easy because they smell the milk and she is not good at telling them "no" so we have to step in. I have cut back her diet to her pre-pregnancy diet but she is still producing milk. How long does it take to "dry up"? Does anyone have any advice? I tried withholding food from her like I had read somewhere else on here but then I had issues with her trying to get into my other dogs' food and the puppy food. Is there any other way to help her to stop producing milk?

I personally don't force wean. I let mom do that and decide when she is done.

[Lorraine]

NEVER force wean. The problem is that although they are eating the mom is not ready to complete the weaning process so she is producing milk. The puppies getting the milk and continuing the bonding process at 7 weeks is IMPORTANT for happy healthy puppies.
The mothers of any of my puppies do not complete the weaning until about 10 weeks of age. I never force them.
The mom will dry up naturally as nature intending.
The only time you have to wean early is when mom has developed a problem such as mastitis. Even a low calcium is not an issue, give 1 cc of liquid calcium daily or 1/2 tums daily. There is enough calcium in tums to keep mom happy with calcium intake.
There should never be a rush for anything. The moms know best and let them make the decisions. If I am going to sell anything for pet, I am in no hurry anyway to wean, first vacc's etc because they don't go anywhere until minimum 3 1/2 months.

[sweetpuppypaws]

Just to clear things up - I DID NOT force the weaning process. Jade started to stand while nursing at 3 weeks - a sign that she is starting to wean. She also would not nurse them unless made to nurse by the time they puppies were 4 weeks old. Last week she would only nurse if they were out on the floor and got a hold of her - again standing and again briefly. The vet told me when she started standing and we were literally having make her go nurse at 4 weeks that we had better get start the weaning process and get them on food. She did in fact develop mastitis last week after I wrote this because she was producing milk and not allowing the puppies to nurse for a long enough period of time. I asked for helpful advice - not criticism. I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm upset but I just think we should all be here to be supportive and not critical of one another. Thank you again to Carmen for the extremely helpful advice. Her milk is drying up and her mastitis seems to be clearing up as well.

It's great if you want puppies nursing until they are like 3 months old but that was not going to happen with Jade as she did not want it.

[carmen in nj]

My Chanel had always started weaning pups at 4 weeks, same thing, and she is NOT a maiden bitch, as soon as the litter is 4 weeks old, she only goes in the pen with them for about 5 minutes max and jumps out, she is a bigger stronger dog, so she does not cry or anything she just jumps right out of the pen and that is it, and the litter still crying for more, so I start supplementing them at 4 weeks, by the time they are 7 to 8 weeks they are fully wean off to goat's milk with soft canned food mix it. and I start Slowing Chanel's feedings and adding Parsley to her food at about 5 weeks by 7 weeks she is all dried up and goes in the pen to play and teach the puppies, it might not be as everyone does but this way works for me..
HUGS.