[pyrnet] Fw: 12 PUPS & MOM's MILK

["Barb Bowes" <bamb@monmouth.com>]

Forwarded for Jean F-V

> From: prystar
> To: pyrnet-l@pyrnet.org
> Subject: 12 PUPS & MOM's MILK
>
> Hi Ken,
> When Callisto had her pups (8), she wasn't in the mood to eat
any food but
> was drinking water.    I cooked her 2-3 cans of chicken broth,
let it cool
> to being warm, and brought it too her to drink in the whelping
box/pool.
> After a few sniffs, she decided she'd take a few licks.   Then
a few more
> 'til finally deciding to finish it off with a little more
enthusiasm.    A
> couple of hours later, I fixed the same thing for her and she
willingly
> drank it all down and seemed pleased that I'd fixed it for her.
I kept
> doing this every couple of hours 'til I finally went to sleep
next to her
> puppy bed.   The next day I did the same in the morning but ran
out of
> broth after her first bowl.    I did have several really big
cans of
> chicken noodle soup and prepared them for her throughout the
day which she
> really enjoyed drinking and even ate the noodles and little
chicken pieces.
>    Since she was still only leaving the box when she needed to
go to the
> bathroom which was when she would drink her water and didn't
show any
> desire to eat her dog food, I decided to go to the supermarket
and stock up
> on chicken broth & the large cans of chicken noodle soup.   I
also got some
> beef broth to intersperse between the broth & soup feedings.
She seemed
> to appreciate the little change of menu.    Since she was
getting plenty of
> fluids, I knew she was having good milk production and didn't
worry about
> her inclination not to eat her kibble.    She did after 5 or 6
days start
> to eat her kibble, but not enough to keep her weight up.    It
was a good
> 10 to 14 days when she started eating better although I still
fixed the
> broth & soup for her but not as frequently as I had in the
beginning.
>
> If there's a nipple for each pup, you're okay.    If not, then
be sure to
> see that the 2 or 3 smallest are switched with the 2 or 3
biggest and are
> getting enough of mom's milk.    I have a couple of friends
that have goats
> but they've never had any milk available the 3 times I've had
litters.
> The goats milk would be my first choice.   We can get it here
in a can but
> it costs close to $4.00 (sometimes more) for a can the same
size
> (12oz/354ml) as the evaporated (cow's) milk which costs under
$1.00 at the
> supermarket.
>
> I didn't have to do any suplementing 'til the end of week 3
when Callisto
> was getting uncomfortable with the new puppy teeth coming in.
By the
> middle of week 4 she made it clear to me that she expects me to
take up the
> slack 'cause she's only feeding them when they attach
themselves as she
> goes to get a drink or eat their food.    This week (4) she's
decided she
> doesn't want to eat her kibble but instead would rather eat the
puppy
> kibble I'm fixing even now that I've stopped using the
evaporated milk and
> am only using water on the kibble to make it into a soft mush.
The last 2
> days I've even stopped putting the kibble in the blender first
to grind it
> up.    With Callisto making the puppy mush her main diet, I've
got to fix
> alot of mush to be sure the pups are getting plenty to eat.
Next week
> I'll have her dry kibble in the puppy kennel with Callisto &
the pups and
> their mush.    Maybe she'll get tired of softened up kibble and
start
> eating it dry again.  BTW, pups & mom are eating the same
kibble, so I'm
> not worried about Callisto's apparent lack of interest in
eating her own
> food.
>
> Good luck with your pups.    I learned after my first litter
that the more
> you do for the pups, the more the bitch will let you do 'til
eventually
> you're doing it all.    It's a very exhausting way to raise a
litter and
> not something that is apparent to the inexperienced caretaker
of the bitch.
>    If mom does all the feeding, then she'll be doing all the
cleaning up
> after the pups because their poop & pee either tastes just like
*her* or
> has no flavor to discourage her from cleaning up after the
pups.    As you
> start to supplement, the pups will start to not *taste* like
her and begin
> (I guess) to have a flavor that she doesn't quite like the
taste of.
> This will make her disinclined to clean up as often after the
pups.    The
> more suplementing 'til eventually weaning the pups off mom, the
pups' poop
> then tastes rather unappetizing and mom would just as soon you
start
> picking up the scooper/tissues/towels to clean up after the
pups while she
> carefully finds a poop-free area to lie down and watch you
work.
>
> Jean F-V
> W.PA.
>
>