Mastitis
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Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.
Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.
Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.
Sunflower lecithin
Q: You mention Sunflower Lecithin Granules for preventing mastitis. Can you provide more specific feeding info and amounts? Sprinkle the granules on their food, or dissolve them first? I have Pembroke Welsh Corgis. How much do I feed? Should I do it four times a day, like in human Moms?
A: I use the Sunflower Lecithin Granules, mixed into their food at a rate of 1 teaspoon per 20lbs of weight, twice a day. Yes, you could spread it out to 4 servings, which would be ½ teaspoon per 20lbs of weight, given 4 times a day. This makes the milk less “sticky” so less prone to mastitis for our girls. The use of sunflower granules came from nursing my own children and the Le Leche methods.
Avoiding mastitis in future breedings
Q: My bitch whelped 8 puppies; I was giving Doc Roy after delivery at 2 1/2 post whelp and she developed Mastitis which then ruptured and she could not nurse pups after that. Should this female be bred again, and can we do it on her next heat? What else can be done to prevent mastitis?
A: Mastitis is a risk that we run into with our nursing moms. Although, mastitis has nothing to do with giving calcium, supplemental calcium use is to avoid eclampsia. From the Merck Veterinary Manual - The subclinical, or early, signs of eclampsia are panting and restlessness. Mild tremors, twitching, muscle spasms, and gait changes (stiffness and ataxia) result from this as well. Behavioral changes such as aggression, whining, salivation, pacing and hypersensitivity to stimuli and disorientation are frequent.
Mastitis that has only impacted one of the mammary glands, and is now healed, should not be a problem for a future litter. Mastitis is something that you need to monitor your lactating girls for daily. You want to be able to run your hands over them, feeling fullness, but you should not feel hardness nor should you feel one hotter than the others. You should also visually inspect your girls daily too, and there should be no discoloration. Staying on top of mastitis once it starts is critical. I have had good luck with preventing mastitis by using sunflower lecithin granules*, not any other kind, only sunflower lecithin granules. This has helped both my girls and Gayle Watkins dogs avoid mastitis over the years.
*NOTE: The use of sunflower lecithin is taken from human use and human studies where it has been shown to be an emulsifier and thin the milk, thus helping avoid mastitis. Check with your veterinarian for supplement use, and to make sure it will not react with any other medicines that are being given.
