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A problem you may experience with your mother dog is a low milk supply. This can happen with large litters, or litters with small puppies that aren’t nursing enough to bring in milk, and especially after a C-section. During the first week post-whelp your mother dog’s milk will transition from colostrum, to milk. Colostrum is high in energy, nutrients and antibodies, so despite appearing thinner it provides vital nutrition to the pups. Even though it may not appear as though she has a lot of milk, breeders can use the pups’ weight to determine if she is producing enough. Pups...

When thinking about semen and how to breed our dogs we have three options; fresh, chilled, and frozen. They each have their place and offer benefits to a well rounded breeding program.  Fresh semen is just that, it’s fresh, straight from the source with nothing mixed into it. It gives the highest conception rates with a high margin for error due to the long survival time in the female's reproductive tract. It also comes at the lowest cost when compared to chilled and frozen. Fresh is perfect, but, there is a down side as with anything. Fresh semen can not...

Sometimes we only get one chance at a breeding, other times we have the flexibility to try again if it doesn't work out. In either case having a successful breeding can make a huge impact on a breeding program. Many things are at play when it comes to the success of a breeding, in this post we will talk about proper ovulation timing.  Before we can pinpoint ovulation we should know what hormones are at play in the process. First we have estrogen, this hormone is vital for preparing the reproductive tract for breeding as it thickens the membranes in...

Let’s talk Incubators If you’ve ever had a problem litter you may already be familiar with incubators used for intensive care. While this is what many people think of first, incubators can be a very useful addition to a breeder’s tool-kit as they provide a controlled environment in which to keep puppies and kittens warm. There are several situations where one may want to use an incubator on new puppies or kittens: 1. to help to dry them off or out of the way during a whelp; 2.  To keep warm after a c-section while your dam is still a...

Mastitis – Prevention and Treatment Mastitis is a bacterial infection of the mammary glands. Breeders need to monitor their dam closely after whelp as mastitis can become very serious in only a few hours. Detected and treated early, many cases of mastitis resolve quickly and without veterinary treatment. Get into the habit of examining and running your hands down her breasts several times each day checking for redness, heat, hardness or sores. All of these could be indicators of mastitis. Avoiding Mastitis Monitor how much milk your mother dog is producing. Feed her enough to keep her milk supply appropriate...