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 for the number of puppies she has, but not so much she is engorged a lot.
- Keep the whelping nest clean and disinfected.
- Trim puppy nails regularly to prevent scratches on your dam’s breasts. Fingernail clippers are an effective tool for this delicate job.
- Keep her breasts clean. You can wash with soap and warm water or use our Breeder’s Edge Nursemaid wipes. Anti-bacterial washes and wipes remove good bacteria and can increase the risk of mastitis. Our nursemaid wipes are a convenient hygienic and non-toxic option that is safe around new-borns and mother dogs. These wipes are a great way to keep your dam’s skin clean to prevent mastitis.
- Use lanolin to treat cracked or damaged breasts. We recommend Vermont’s Bag Balm which is a lanolin based salve and safe to use on your mother dog’s skin.
- Add non-GMO Sunflower lecithin granules or powder (not liquid) to her food. Lecithin is thought to help prevent mastitis by emulsifying the fat in milk helping it flow easily. Feed 20 – 100mg/pound (dog’s weight) of lecithin twice daily. Sunflower lecithin granules can be found at natural food and supplement shops as well as through many online sources.
Treating Mastitis
If you feel hardness or heat in a breast:
- Take your mother dog’s temperature. If it is above 4°C take your mother dog to the vet for assessment and treatment.
- Check the milk! Gently express a small amount of milk and examine its colour and smell. If it is white or yellowish white with a pleasant odor allow puppies to nurse on that breast. If the milk is red or pink, is curdled or has a sour smell take your mother dog to the vet.
- If you feel hardness in a breast without heat put your strongest puppy on to nurse on that breast. If there is still milk in it after that puppy has quit put on another puppy until that breast is nursed dry.
- Put hot compresses on the hard area(s) for at least 20 minutes every 2 hours. You can make a hot compress soaking a hand towel in hot water. Wring it out well and use water that is hot but not so hot to be uncomfortable on your arm. I like to use a warmie (expired IV saline bag) heated in the microwave for about 1 min to keep the cloth warm while you apply the compress. I wrap the cloth around the warmie and only heat the warmie long enough to keep the cloth warm. If the warmie is too hot it could cause burns, so check the amount of heat before applying the compress. Repeat with compresses every 2 hours until the hardness goes away.
- Between compresses put a frozen cabbage leaf on the hard area. Leave on until the cabbage wilts. You can use vet wrap to keep the cabbage leaf on the hard area. Alternate cabbage leaves with hot compresses.
- Monitor your mother dog’s temperature every 4 – 6 hours. If it goes above 39.4°C or you notice that she has become lethargic or the breast is painful, take her to your vet. You can take mother dog’s temperature using our digital thermometer. We also now carry the new Mella Pet Thermometer that measures temperature under the foreleg and displays the result on an app. Either option will work well and a thermometer should be a staple in your whelping kit.
- If the hardness and heat in your mother dog’s breasts does not resolve within 36 hours of compresses and cabbage, or her body temperature goes up, take her to your vet for assessment. In this case your vet will likely put your mother dog on antibiotics. You will want to ask your vet for the best antibiotic they have found to treat mastitis that will still allow your puppies to nurse.
Mastitis is a very serious condition that can require you to wean puppies early. At its worst, it can be fatal to your mother dog. If the mastitis is very severe you may need to remove your litter from their mother. Check out our prior blog post on tube feeding for information on supplementing. At The Breeders Cupboard we have several options for milk replacers and bottles in addition to tube feeding supplies.
If we can assist you in any way please reach out to the team at 587-988-2406.