Canine Mastitis

Canine mastitis is a breast infection in brood bitches, usually occuring a few weeks after whelping. It is not that common, but you should be aware of it. The breasts of a lactating brood bitch are normally warm and enlarged, but never red, dark, hot or painful when touched. Advanced canine mastitis presents as a hard, hot and almost black breast segment, which is extremely painful for the brood bitch when touched. Canine mastitis can be caused by weaning puppies too early, severe scratches from puppies claws or some other infection.

A bitch with canine mastitis may be running a fever, be listless and possibly be off her food. She may not allow her puppies to nurse, and if she does, she will be "snappy" when they touch the affected area.

Treating Canine Mastitis

If your brood bitch shows signs of breast infection it may be canine mastitis, so get her to your vet immediately. He will prescribe some antibiotics and possibly advise hand feeding of the pups. However, I have found that on getting the canine mastitis fever down, she will allow the pups to nurse again, and feeding from the infected breast will not affect the pups at all... in fact I've found it helps clean the breast infection out.

Invariably the infection will cause the breast will rupture out the side, leaving a large open wound which must be cleaned daily. The antibiotics will prevent further reinfection. You'll find that when she has litters of puppies in future, she not produce milk in the breast segment that was affected by canine mastitis.

Russell Savige has 18 years experience as a professional dog breeder. He is the owner of Training Dog Breeds, which includes a massive Directory of dog related websites, covering breeds and breeding, training, rearing and health issues in dogs.

---

Dog House Training: Straightforward Advice

Making sure that accidents don't happen in the first place... Read More

Tips for Overcoming Boredom and Routine Stress

There are many ways in which you can prepare for,... Read More

Determining Skin Disorders In The Aquarium

Many different skin problems can arise in the aquarium. thankfully,... Read More

Breeding Your Goldfish

If you are keen on breeding Goldfish, you should know... Read More

Essential Oils and MRSA

Natural preventative pet care isn't a new thing but it... Read More

?Sit Up? Buddy: Training Your Dog To Sit Like You

The trick of "sitting up" is easily taught to small... Read More

Mind Over Matter

Understanding where horses come from has been a long road... Read More

Dog Training - How To Communicate With An Elderly Dog

As dogs grow older, their senses become less sharp and... Read More

Filtration Methods For The Discus Tank

Good filtration is the prime priority in the discus tank.... Read More

Dog Breath-It Doesnt HAVE to Be SO Bad!

While your friends and family are amazed that you're raising... Read More

Raw Feed? Are You Joking?

Let's think about this for a minute: God did not... Read More

Teach a Dog To Swim

You want your dog to swim?We're going to try to... Read More

Seeing Past Cuteness When Selecting the Best Dog Breed For You: Part 2 of 3

Are there so many great dog breeds out there that... Read More

Dog Safety: How to Keep Your Pups Safe From Loss or Theft

According to the American Humane Society, just 15% of dogs... Read More

The Fun of Do It Yourself Snake and other Reptile Cages

Are you nuts? You think banging your finger with a... Read More

Choosing A Rottweiler Puppy? What You Need To Know

So you're getting a Rottweiler puppy? Here are some general... Read More

Electric Dog Fences: Keep You Pet in the Yard and Out of Places You Dont Want Them to Be

Electric Dog FencesIs an electric dog fence something for you?... Read More

Essential Oils and Our Pets

Before we talk about using the essential oils, we first... Read More

How To Get Your Horse To Obey You and Look To You For Instruction

In the animal kingdom there is a pecking order. Richard... Read More

*Understanding* - The First Of The 6 Keys To Building A Life Long Partnership With Your Horse

Yesterday we talked a little about the 6 Keys for... Read More

Afraid To Buy A Horse At Public Auction?

Here are 5 things to do to put the odds... Read More

Nikki and Benny, My Therapy Visiting Dogs.

My two therapy dogs, Nikki and Benny, bring joy to... Read More

Leash Training Your Dog-Take The Time To Get It Done and Do It Right

Attempting to train your dog to walk on a leash... Read More

Pet Services Are A Multi-Billion-Dollar Industry

There are many of us who consider our pets as... Read More

Crate Training Tips: How to Crate Train Your Dog

A crate is a valuable and useful training tool. Its... Read More

Dog Clicker Training

Dog clicker training is so much fun for both dogs... Read More

7 Tips To Keep Your Pet Safe On Halloween

... Read More

What You Should Know About Your Puppy And Play Biting

The main ways a puppy will play with another dog... Read More

Dogs And Their Allergies

A former coworker has a dog that had begun itching... Read More

A Guide to Bird Cage Covers

As much as you love the sound of your new... Read More

Bringing Home a Puppy ? Be Prepared!

So you just loved that sweet little puppy that you... Read More

Puppy Vaccines Assure Wagging Tails and Wet Noses

When you get a new puppy it is imperative that... Read More

Weaning Puppies Is Only Natural

Weaning puppies is a perfectly natural process. Mamma dogs have... Read More