Low milk production...
 

I noticed today that lexie had little to no milk, she has been eating good, my mom cooked her chicken and rice and i went out and bought her canned food and mixed it with her kibble, her puppies are supper fat they eat literally all day, so it might just be a little much for her, i will keep an eye on her and if she doesn't produce more in the next couple of hours i will go out and buy formula, can you please give me advise on what can help? And what formula would be best...

Thanks in advance, by the way the vet looked and them yesterday and they are very healthy!

I am just seeing your post. How is mom and babies this morning? How many pups is she nursing and how old are they? My feeling are that if the pups are fat and gaining and act content then they are probably getting enough might. The milk will just come down every couple of hours so you might just be checking after the pups have nursed. Not all females make an over abundance of milk. Their bodies adjust the milk production according to how many pups are nursing. As for what formula is best, I have always liked the powdered Esbilac for supplementing but I have seen several people post home made formulas. I have really never had to supplement that much over the years.

Update...
 

They are all doing very good this morning, I checked her this morning and she did have milk, not alot but I guess enough for them because they seem pretty content. She has 3 puppies, I know I might have checked her after she nursed but I'm still worried that it might not be enough I mean they literally eat all day, they are really chubby and growing. I would love to help her out just so she wont be stressed, a lot of people have told me to give her and the puppies goats milk is this true? should I help her out by bottle feeding them? Please advise.


Thank You,

Talina

Personally, I would never bottle feed a pup if the mom has plenty of milk. Supplementing with a bottle or dropper can be tricky. Sometimes if the milk comes out to fast the pup can get milk in their lungs and choke. It sounds to me like they are doing fine but it is always a good idea to keep some puppy formula on hand just in case. Some people swear by the goats milk and other don't like it. If you use canned goats milk it has to be diluted with 1 parts water to 1 parts goat milk.

Oh ok, I will go buy some just in case, as far as the mom what can i do to help her with her milk production, any tips on what I can feed her, I bought her puppy food, both canned and dry I am also feeding her chicken and rice and the broth. I heard yogurt helps...

Goats Milk with equal parts of distilled water is absolutely correct. It's 97% closest to mothers milk. What I usually do is attach a puppy preemie nipple to syringe. You can better control the amount of milk you're feeding and making sure cutting down the amount of air they're consumming (which can cause colic). I really can monitor their intake much better. But only do this for supplementing.....not taking over for mom.

It sounds like she is getting plenty of food. I would mainly concentrate on getting her to eat the dry puppy food and canned food. That is all mine get and they do very well. You can add a little cottage cheese or some scrambled egg or hard boiled egg. Just make sure she eat all she wants about 4 times a day and make sure her last meal is at bed time. A little Nutri-cal a few times a day would be okay too.

Thank you very much..
 

I will stop by petco today and get her some nutri cal, I have been hearing a lot of good things about it.

Don't overdo, it can cause her to go diabetic on you.

There is also a whelping pudding you can use

1 can evaporated milk = parts of water
1 enevelope of unflavored geletin
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons of white karo syrup.

disolve the geletin with the water in the microwave. add milk, beat the egg yolks and add and add the 2 tablespoons of karo. and chill in the fridge.

I spoon out a tablespoon a day throughout the time she's nursing. Scrambled eggs is the best source of protien.

You are right, I always have concerns about using too much Nutri-cal. I only use it if the mom is not eating well and I don't experience that too much. I have never used the whelping pudding because I had the same concerns that it had to much sugar but the recipe you posted looks like it would not have as much sugar as some of the other recipes I have seen. Plus one tablespoon is not a lot. Thanks.

I add no sugar other than the karo and for 24 ounces of fluid........it's not much.

I usually do a can of goats milk with = parts of distilled water, 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of karo right after they've finished whelping and sometime continue it through their nursing time.

The whelping pudding I give to the pups too when I begin weaning. The other thing I do is give a half tube of benebac at birth (probiotic) and when I begin weaning or anytime I make changes to their diet.

we use some soy milk. we give it to the moms and it helps the milk production.
I met a wonderful vet once and just talking about this she recommended "ensure" , which is basically a enriched soy milk flavored blend. I tried and some momma's love it and some do not care much for it. i think it is because of the flavors and sugars. Anyways i always have both, soy milk and ensure when my momma's are whelping... they lick it just out of the bowl. it does not cause any diarrhea. Good luck with your babies !!!
So far it seems that all is ok and well... her milk production is more likelly to increase as the puppies needs grows...
XOXO

Soy is a calcium leach....something you never give a nursing mom as it can bring on eclampsia, you can lose your mom that way.

"Soy is a calcium leach....something you never give a nursing mom as it can bring on eclampsia, you can lose your mom that way."

What you mean a calcium "leach"???? I never heard of it before...

And we use the soy milk... not any other type of soy for years and we never had eclampsia... i am actually from a family of breeders and Grandma , mother.. aunts... all breeders... over 45 years of breeding experience! Different breeds and never heard of it before/

If you do not mind i would love to hear more explanation on your opinion...
I take things as living and learning , but the vet i mentioned is from Israel and during a very interesting conversation the subject came up and she mentioned that they also use soy milk and the "ensure" at her practice ... so i am very curious about your input !

I have never used the Benebac before but I am expecting a litter soon and am planning on using it.Could you please explain how you give it to the puppies.

I'm on a list of long time yorkie exhibitor breeders that discuss all aspects of showing/breeding etc. In addition, I have a vet that is a canine repro/nutrition specialists.

Revival Animal Health - Oral Cal Plus #60210-493
new product from revival, same as calsorb with out the nasty taste, does not make them vomit.

If you must give calsorb, put it on your finger, and rub in bitches mouth, gums, inside of mouth, underneath tongue, then follow with nutrical, don’t just squirt a blob in their mouth. Even if they throw up, it HAS absorbed (not 100%.. but a lot) because the bloodstream picks it up immediately through the mouth..it does not have to be digested to work. Give calsorb or Oral Cal Plus if bitch is exhibiting signs of eclampsia. Some signs are very subtle. My bitch would dig like crazy when I took her outside, then try to climb up the side of the wall of the house…that was her first sign she was going south for me.. and we’d treat with calsorb immediately. Anything “odd” should be taken as a sign…especially, panting, pacing, restless behavior etc… understanding of course that bitches pant after delivery anyways for a few days.

Okay to hold it at bay, so it never comes at all… forget everything about giving tums, cottage cheese, cheese, icecream.. etc. It’s useless. The body needs the calcium to be delivered with the correct ratio of Vit D and Phosphorus or it doesn’t absorb it, it’s useless. Pet Cal has this correct ratio. Another thing that has it is, believe it or not.. a scrambled whole egg! Of course everyone knows not to start calcium until the litter is whelped.. no giving it to PG bitches… I do give some calsorb during whelping If things slow down on a larger litter, but never before whelping. Make it a general practice to scramble your bitch an egg every day, and depending on weight, give ½ to a whole pet tab per day. I gave it to a 8 lb bitch ½ in the morning ½ at night…this is the “daily dose” for about a 20 lb dog who was NOT nursing a litter…so just fine for ½ the size, but nursing a litter. I would grind up the pet tab in the food processor and put the powder in the egg when I scrambled it.

Also, check your dog food for Soybeans, soy protein, or anything related to soy in any way. For SOME reason that is not completely understood by me (many menopause supplements contain soy, or are soy based, so this seems to be a contradiction).. soy protein can interfere with the absorption of calcium in dogs. If your food has soy of any sort, change to a food that does not for the duration of the weaning of the litter.

I agree about the soy, I avoid any dog products that have any form of soy in them. I also won't eat any human products with soy. To learn more just google 'dangers of soy'. Here is just one link that talks about soy:
The Golden Goat, llc: Dangers of Soy Consumption


For a calcium supplement, I really like the Doc Roy's Healthy Bones sold at Revival. My females like them much better than the Pet Cal.

Mary, do you ever give pups additional calcium during the weaning process? Like grinding up a calcium supplement and adding to the food? I never have but wonder if it would help when ears are going up and down.

You can purchase it at PetSmart/Petco

However, I order it either through RevivalAnimal or Dr's Foster & Smith or Omaha Vets, much cheaper that way and have plenty on hand.

As soon as they are born, cleaned, stable and before I put them to mother's breast, I administer a half tube (they are small) of Benebac. As I begin whelping I do the same. But, by that time they are big enough for a whole tube. I've never had lose stools, lil stomachs adjust easier. I use benebac whenever my furkids have had a bout of dirreah and been on antibiotics.

Thanks for posting that link, I was looking all over my files for it.


You know I've wondered that too. Expecially when a pup is a larger boy and they have the testicle and teeth thing going on. I know that once Mrs. G had a boy she was showing, a pup (6 or 7 months of age). Ears were a bit floppy and she administered Calcium prior to a show.....ears would stand up perfectly. It's something I need to discuss with her and our vet in Dallas.

Be sure to let me know what she thinks.

Spoke to Mrs G on the calcium. She'd really never considered it, but said it was worth a conversation with our vet in Dallas. She stated that she felt it would have to be administered in small doses and not for any great length of time, as the dangers of causing kidney stones exists.

Thank for that info. I might try adding a small amount of calcium next time I have a litter teething and the ears are going down.

I was just doing a comparison between the Pet-Cal and the Doc Roy's Healthy Bones.

Here are the ingredients of the Pet-Cal:


Doc Roy's Healthy Bone's:
My bottle of Doc Roy's Healthy Bones says it is formulated with a proprietary, highly palatable roast beef and liver flavor base. It does not mention soy flour like the Pet Cal does. My girls really like the Doc Roy's Healthy Bones.

I give my females nursing females 1/2 tablet twice a day.

Wait till we talk to the vet and I'll talk to my Canine nutritionist.