[bjh]

Originally Posted by kjcmsw

Thanks for responding.
Yes, we've clipped their nails (three times since they've been born, so nearly once a week - yes, they are sharp) they also have very sharp teeth..maybe that's the problem.
We used the warm compress this morning, held her down, and she nursed them for about 4 minutes. But she would not have nursed them on her own.

She's pretty much done with nursing I'm afraid. The pups also didn't seem that interested in nursing after about 4 minutes. Animals usually know what they're doing without human interference, so I'm not too concerned with the weaning, they've continued to put on weight (though the daily gaining is less these days), and are active and healthy.
My concern is what to do with mama now that's she's weaning (be it 5 or 8 wks) Do I let her dry up naturally or is there something I should be doing? Like a shot from the vet to speed up the drying up process? I don't want her to get an infection.
Any further advise is really appreciated.
Kendra

I always let mine dry up naturally and I have never had a female get engorged teats or an infection during the weaning process. I would not take her completely away from the pups but she needs to be able to go to them when she wants to. I use a 8" board to separate mom from pups so she can go to them when she wants to but they can't get to her. Her snapping at them is part of the weaning process. The pups will need mom around to teach them social skills. How big is mom and her pups? Bigger pups are easier to wean early than the tiny ones are.