mothers milk
Submitted by miss0699 on December 25, 2011 - 10:10pmMy dog marley had 5 puppies . 4 puppies died at birth as water puppies. The 5 th puppy died 4 hrs later. Wonderin does Marley need ? to help dry milk up? Any info on these water pupppies?
Was this your girls first litter?
If this wasn't her first litter, did she have any water puppies in previous litters?
What did you feed her? Expectant Moms should be on a low sodium diet.
What about the sire? Did any other litters he sired have water puppies?
Did you have an ultrasound performed during pregnancy?
So sorry about your pups.
This was her first liter. She
This was her first liter. She eats Pedigree and feed her chicken & veg.
This was his first liter he sired. No US was done.
Thank you for responding.
In that case
It would be hard to pinpoint the exact cause. If she is ever bred again, lots of precautions and prenatal care should be given and that's still no guarantee you will have a healthy litter.
Being a breeder of bulldogs takes a lot of research, dedication and hard work and even then there are heart breaks.
drying mom up
Back off on the amount of food you give her from the extra she got during pregnancy. She should dry up fairly quickly.
OR, check around your area, there might be a new litter who's mom doesn't have milk and your girl can help nurse those babies - doesn't have to be a litter of Bulldogs either.
Sorry your litter experience went so badly. Over the years I've had a little bit of water on several litters, lost 3 of 4 once, and my last litter (4/4/11) had a giant water pup in it with no chance of survival, the 4 others didn't have issues. During the last of that pregnancy I saw the mom retaining water and took counter-measures, possibly more pups or all of them would have been water pups if I hadn't.
Since I know my girls might have water issues with pups, I keep them on a low sodium diet thru pregnancy. If I suspect them retaining water (roll them over and see if the last row or 2 of nipples have a 'tissue paper' look to them) they get a cranberry pill and I brew a tea from dried dandelion leaves, sweeten it with honey and pour over their food as a diuretic. If it looks severe, they go onto a commercial water pill.
Thank you for info. What type
Thank you for info. What type of dog food is good for low sodium? I thought she had been urinating more at last. Should this had been a sign?
Sorry....
about the loss of the litter of puppies. Have you contacted your breeder and the breeder of the sire to find out whether they've experienced this issue in the past?
A suggestion for low sodium diet is feeding raw. I don't feed raw regularly, but do give raw blend to expectant bitch starting 10 days to a week before delivery when she starts losing appetite. With your experience of the water puppies, you might want to start your low sodium diet sooner or give througout the pregnancy. After delivery, I continue feeding this (along with rice pudding and cottage cheese) through weaning.
I agree with the suggestion of finding orphaned pups or those whose mothers don't have milk to allow your bitch to nurse.
Good luck and all good wishes.
low salt foods
Long ago when I first had a litter, low salt foods were tough to find, so I did home cooked food for my pregnant girls. Now low salt foods are easier to find and my favorites are the Solid Gold varieties. The formula I use most ofen is the Wolf King (bison and salmon) and the Wolf Cub, if I can find it - it is a puppy food and the girls get it the last 2-3 weeks of pregnancy, thru nursing and I wean the pups onto it too.
My Marley is now nesting.
My Marley is now nesting. carrying a toy to a corner of a room and staying she never goes to. Does this happen even after c-section & puppies died? any experiences. This all new to us. We feel very bad for her.
Yes. This is natural
I'm sorry but this could go on for awhile. I would speak to your Vet.
Pardon my ignorance but....
I have not heard of "water puppies" before and am hoping someone will fill me in on what this term means.
Here's a link
http://www.bulldogsworld.com/breeding/spinal-nerve-muscle-conditions-and...
The info on water puppies is near the bottom of the page.
Prenatal Care
First let me say I'm sorry for your bitch and the puppies.
You didn't mention what prenatal care you did if any? Do you have an experienced mentor?
IMO I would not continue to breed a bitch that has had a full litter of water puppies. This is one reason why c-sections are done. If you try to free whelp a bitch with a water puppy it is very likely she will die. Folks it's just not good for the breed, prenatal care of not. IMO there is just something completely wrong with breeding bitches that don't produce normal puppies. We should be working toward breeding bitches that can produce healthy puppies and move toward free whelping. With that said it is likely for the bitches sake that I would never chance a free whelp.
What I fed during pregnancy was nothing different then what I feed everyday with the exception of adding additional liver the last 2/3 weeks. At that time I was feeding Raw prepackaged food, I still feed raw, just not prepackaged. I also added folic acid.
You bitch will nest, it is normal. She still thinks she has babies. Many breeders will do a 24 hour fast, no water or food to help dry a bitch up.