# Best way to treat Mastitus?



## curdogsforhogs (Oct 6, 2009)

My Pit gyp is having issues with mastitus now that she has weaned the pups and has been pulled off them for a few days. Checked her today and she was having troubvle standing and walking. Sacks were tight and hot to the touch, could tell she was in pain, Only option I could come up with to releive her pressure was to have the pups suck her down, She wouldnt let them nuse so I held her head while they sucked her dry. Milk was shooting everywhere. She did feel better afterwards but still has hard spots in a few teats. She is not eating well either. She did try and grab a hog which perked her up a little. I gave her a dose of penicillian to fight any infection and bcomplex to pep her up..besides wrapping her with warm compresses  and binding her tight which i beleive she would chew off. What elese works for this problem?


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## southern_pride (Oct 6, 2009)

Hit her with antibiotics daily(depending on the size of the girl, from 3-6cc). You did right letting them nurse. Very warm compresses help. 
Monitor it CLOSELY.
It's something that's easy to treat, but left untreated, can kill your gyp in a few days.


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## zzweims (Oct 7, 2009)

Don't let the pups nurse!  Her milk is toxic and VERY harmful to the pups.  Plus the more she nurses, the more toxic milk she will produce.  Remove her from the pups completely so that her milk can dry up (if she even hears the puppies cry, she will continue to produce milk)  She needs to be on heavy duty antibiotics immediately.  Continue with the warm compresses as they will help to relieve the pressure and open the milk ducts to speed up the drying.  Mastitis is serious.  It can kill your girl.


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## southern_pride (Oct 7, 2009)

zzweims said:


> Don't let the pups nurse!  Her milk is toxic and VERY harmful to the pups.  Plus the more she nurses, the more toxic milk she will produce.  Remove her from the pups completely so that her milk can dry up (if she even hears the puppies cry, she will continue to produce milk)  She needs to be on heavy duty antibiotics immediately.  Continue with the warm compresses as they will help to relieve the pressure and open the milk ducts to speed up the drying.  Mastitis is serious.  It can kill your girl.



The jury is out wether to nurse or not to nurse. I've seen different vets say to do each. It can cause the pups to have a lil runny stool, but according to the vet, the pups digestive system will kill and nastys in the milk. So who knows. It is best if you can milk the affecsted teat to relieve some pressure, cause the teat could rupture.


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## K9SAR (Oct 7, 2009)

How many teats are affected?

It's good that you've given her penicillin. Mastitis is not something to fool around with.  

Caution - you NEED to monitor this.  With the teats already being tight and hot to touch and mastitis moving quickly, she could have a blow out of her teats or come down with gangrene.  

Monitor the pups while they are nursing as well as monitor mom.

In the meantime, make sure that the area where she is nursing is kept 100% clean and continue with the warm compresses.  

If more teats swell/become hard, red, hot, take her to the Vet.


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## wareagle5.0 (Oct 8, 2009)

when cows have this we give anitbiotics and dont let the calf nurse. but a dogs digestive system is different idont think the toxic milk would kill a puppy. we also insert a long heavy gage needle into the teet to drain and relieve the pressure to prevent the teet from rupturing. the needle we use is one for a ral-grow gun , for injecting growth implant pelets under the skin of cattle. but you may not need one that big for a dog. hope this helps and good luck.


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## CedarSwampRetrievers (Oct 8, 2009)

I've always been told not to let the pups nurse. Do strip the milk in the affected teats a couple of times a day. I would relieve some of the preassure off of the other ones, and to keep checking them. I have never had one rupture to the outside, but a friend of mine has and it isn't pretty. Antibiotics are a must. Good luck!


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## curdogsforhogs (Oct 9, 2009)

She is doing better but has one teat that is swollen now. continuing antibitoics daily and have not let her nurse pups. They have been weaned for two weeks. I have  reduced feeding but will pull feed for a couple days.


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## FrancoMo (Oct 9, 2009)

Celephlexin for 5 days will clear it up


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## K9SAR (Oct 10, 2009)

Yep.  Cephalexin is an antibiotic (aka the general term for Keflex).  However, I think Gyp is already on antibiotics.

Glad to hear the swelling has gone down some.


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## BulldogsNBama (Oct 13, 2009)

Natural vitamin E, selenium, zinc and others are are great where mastitis is concerned.

If you google it, you will see all kinds of studies done on dairy cows, where these supplements work well to help reduce the incidence and duration of mastitis in both cows and goats, esp the vitamin E and selenium.

It is also shown to be useful in the treatment of cystic mastitis in humans as well.

We supplement our Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ---- when they are lactating and never had a problem so far.  Just thought I'd mention incase you want to look into it.  :  )


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## BulldogsNBama (Oct 13, 2009)

Oops.. I should have just typed "female" instead of the doggie alternative LOL.  Sorry didn't think about it being profanity.


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## TripleXBullies (Oct 13, 2009)

I've had one dog that got it. Along with antibiotics I massaged the crap out of it all the time. I treated her with the antibiotics for only 4 days though. Any longer than that I was supposed to bring her in.


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## curdogsforhogs (Oct 13, 2009)

Took about  four days of giving antibiotics and taking away her feed almost completely for three days and shes doing great now. Thanks for all the info.


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## BulldogsNBama (Oct 13, 2009)

Glad to hear your dog is much better now.


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## K9SAR (Oct 14, 2009)

curdogsforhogs said:


> Took about  four days of giving antibiotics and taking away her feed almost completely for three days and shes doing great now. Thanks for all the info.


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## pbyles (Oct 28, 2009)

Cephalexin, warm compress, hand express....don't let them nurse especially if they have teeth now...she may also need a e-collar


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## pbyles (Oct 28, 2009)

OOPS..see shez better...good to hear...

Im always late for somethin!!


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## SHADOWRUNNER1812 (Nov 3, 2009)

never let pups nurse on a dam who has mastitis the pups can die from this an give keflex for an antiboiotic this is what i do i raise dogs for a living an been doing so 49yrs i lost a litter because my kennel help did the same thing the mastitis is a very bad infecttion of the milk duct an is very dangerous to not only the dam but the pups i sent you an private message an told you what you can use to bring it down to nothing , this is a trick of the trade if you will have it an very few people no this rub will take the mastitis away an dry the dam up i raise dogs now for hog  hunting been so for the last 23 yrs but at one time i  raised  akc reg show dogs only an was aprofessional dog handler back then you try what i told you in a private message an you will see she will dry up an the mastitis will disapear an mastitis comes from her hitting her nipples or her pups biting them keflex is what vets give i told you where you can get it legally,an forany one else all antibiotics that say for fish can be given to dogs an you can carry them legally with out a script, i do every time i go to the woods with my dogs i hope the dam will be okay


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## DOGMANN63 (Nov 9, 2009)

*mastitis*

i see doglady has been here i no her well im not related to her at all  she helped me with a colby female pit i had who got mastitis an i lost all the pups but 1 dog lady s rite she nos, some thing to use to dry the dam up i used it an gave keflex an my dog was 100% with in 14 days from the day i started on keflex an the rub, had i listened to her as my vet said i might of had better results an all the pups maybe would of lived some times we dont want a woman telling us what we need to do but this is one women who nos what she is talking about, when vets tell you she does theirs got to be some thing their they no about her that i dont but she saved my dam of the pups, an next time i will listen to her when she tells me dont allow a pregnant dam to jump up on the dog box an hit her nipples thats how my dog got the mastitis my mistake totally!


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## K9SAR (Nov 9, 2009)

DOGLADY1953 said:


> i sent you an private message an told you what you can use to bring it down to nothing ,



Dog's been okay for almost a month now


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