Reduce Supply by Reducing Demand
Production depends on demand. If the puppies keep on suckling milk, they will empty the milk reservoir, causing mama to produce more milk, and the milk operation will continue to thrive and stay in business. Your goal is to lower the pups interest in milk and reduce the milk supply by making some adjustments to the diet of the pups and mother dog. The lower the milk demand, the higher the chances moms milk production will eventually slow down.
For How Long Do Dogs Usually Produce Milk?
So lets take a look at how mother dogs milking ordeal starts and ends.
What to do if your Dog is Producing Milk
If your dog is pregnant or has recently given birth, she should be producing milk. Leave her to it. Neither are a false pregnancy or spontaneous nursing problematic. They are interesting phenomena, but they do not typically present a health problem. Discomfort or engorgement of the mammary glands may occur in any of these cases; these may be eased with alternating warm and cold compresses. However, hypothyroidism or mammary gland tumors require immediate medical attention.
Hypothyroidism is the less serious of the two conditions. It cannot be cured, but it can be treated, and a dog with medicated hypothyroidism can live a normal and healthy life. Your dog’s veterinarian will give your dog thyroxine, an oral hormonal replacement, which she will take for the rest of her life. The dosage may need to be adjusted as your dog’s weight and drug tolerance fluctuates. Mammary gland tumors will need to be surgically removed, possibly followed by chemotherapy or, less likely, radiation. Following treatment, the owner should take care to regularly check the dog’s mammary glands for a recurrence of tumors.
There is no need to prevent a normally lactating female dog from producing milk, even if it is experiencing a false pregnancy or nursing without being pregnant. Hypothyroidism is typically not preventable; however, mammary gland tumors are almost entirely preventable by spaying your female dog before her first heat.
A normally lactating dog does not require any medical treatment, nor does a dog experiencing a false pregnancy or spontaneous milk production for another nursing animal. The average cost of treating hypothyroidism is $1300, while it costs an average of $5500 to treat mammary gland tumors.
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Mom Dog Has No Milk – What To Do?
Nursing dogs rarely need assistance in slowing and stopping milk production. When the puppies are weaned and the mother dog goes back to her normal feeding schedule, lactation will naturally slow and stop. Take time to care for the mother dog during the weaning process. If the milk production doesnt slow as expected, avoid home remedies to dry up your dogs milk without consulting your veterinarian first. If necessary, your vet will likely prescribe a safe medication to stop lactation.
Weaning the puppies is the best way to dry up the mothers milk. This is a natural process and most dogs will dry up naturally with no additional help or treatment necessary. Weaning can begin when the puppies are 3 weeks old. Begin by placing puppy food soaked in water in a small dish in the pen for the puppies to eat, along with a water bowl.
During this time, you should gradually allow the mother more time away from the puppies. As the puppies have likely started to grow teeth, the mother will be ready to spend more time away as nursing can become painful for her. Continue to decrease the amount of time the puppies have with the mother until they are fully weaned at around 6 weeks of age.
During the weaning process, the mothers milk production will decrease as the puppies feed less. This is a gradual process and you should not expect the milk to dry up overnight. Avoid removing the puppies from the mother suddenly as this can cause her to develop mastitis.
Your veterinarian can treat this with antibiotics and pain medication. She may also recommend you hand-milk the mother for a period of time and apply a cabbage leaf to the enflamed areas, which VCA Hospitals says can help further decrease pain and inflammation.
While the mother is nursing, you should increase her food supply to accommodate for her increased energy needs. As the puppies begin the weaning process, the mother will not need to produce as much milk. Gradually decrease the amount of food you give her. The decreased calorie intake helps to decrease milk production.
If lactation doesnt stop after the puppies are fully weaned, it can become painful for the mother dog and she may develop mastitis. Cabergoline is a medication your veterinarian may prescribe to help dry up your dogs milk. It works by decreasing the hormone prolactin which stimulates milk production. Give your dog the oral medication twice per day in the dosage recommended by your veterinarian based on your dogs size.
Always consult your veterinarian before using any home remedies to dry up dogs milk. Many home remedies may actually put your dog and her puppies at greater risk. For example, in humans, there is some evidence that certain herbs, such as parsley and jasmine, may help dry up a womans milk.
However, you should never use parsley to dry up dogs milk. Parsley contains furanocoumarins and is toxic to dogs. It can cause dermatitis and sun sensitivity. While your dog may not suffer ill effects from a small amount, dont risk the health of your dog or her puppies. Instead, consult your veterinarian to get a prescription to reduce lactation that is safe for your dog.