What Is the Treatment of Mastitis in Dogs?
Timely treatment of mastitis in dogs will stop the infection from spreading and reduce the damage caused by the infection.
If the infection is mild, early treatment at home will help reduce pain. For example, you can apply warm compresses to the mammary glands. For warm compresses, you can use cabbage leaves or towels.
When your dog lactates, the teats flush out bacteria with the milk. Every six hours, milking out the mammary glands will encourage blood flow and clear the milk ducts. Since accumulated milk worsens the infection, hand milking helps treat the infection. But the frequent expression of milk by hand is too painful for some dogs. In this case, the veterinarian may also prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for managing pain and inflammation. If your dog does not nurse any puppies, your vet may recommend a medicine to help reduce milk production.
In case of infectious mastitis, vets prescribe antibiotics. Antibiotics such as Clavamox or cephalexin are prescribed. If your vet prescribes these antibiotics, you should look for the side effects in your dog.Â
Untreated mastitis can cause gangrene, abscesses, or lead to a septic shock. Therefore, it is vital to treat the condition immediately. Â In case of a severe infection, bacteria enter the bloodstream, and this causes sepsis. In this case, immediate hospitalization is vital for your dog to receive IV fluids and antibiotics.
How to Treat Mastitis in Dogs
Timely treatment of mastitis is necessary to reduce the spread of infection and decrease the damage to the mammary tissue.
If your dog is diagnosed with mastitis, your veterinarian may recommend one or more of the following treatments:
Antimicrobials. If an infectious cause for the mastitis is identified, antimicrobial medication will be prescribed to treat the infection. Ideally, antimicrobial drugs will be chosen based on the results of a milk culture. Most antimicrobials used in the treatment of mastitis do not pass into the milk, so it is safe for the puppies to continue nursing.
Pain Control. Medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be prescribed to manage pain and reduce inflammation in the affected mammary gland.
Cabbage Leaves. Although we don’t know exactly why or how they work, cabbage leaves have long been used to treat swollen mammary glands. Applying raw cabbage leaves to the affected gland can reduce inflammation and speed recovery from mastitis. The leaves can be held in place with gauze or a light bandage and should be changed every few hours.
Hand-Milking. In post-partum dogs who are still nursing puppies, milking the affected gland as frequently as possible can help flush the gland and improve blood flow. Applying warm compresses before milking can help.
Reducing Stimulation. In cases of pseudopregnancy, or when there are no puppies for the dog to nurse, it is best to allow the milk supply to dry up. Hand-milking should be avoided, and the dog should not be allowed to lick her own nipples. In some cases, medication may be prescribed to decrease milk production.
Hospitalization. In severe infectious cases of mastitis in dogs, bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause sepsis, making your dog extremely ill. If this is the case, a dog may need to be hospitalized for intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and supportive care for several days.
Surgery. In rare cases, the affected mammary gland may be so damaged by the infection and inflammation that it must be removed. Most dogs recover well from mastitis-related surgery and can continue nursing puppies on the other unaffected glands.
What is mastitis?
Mastitis is a term used to describe inflammation of a mammary gland (breast).
In most cases, mastitis is caused by a bacterial infection. Trauma to the nipple or teat canal can allow bacteria to enter, traveling up into the mammary gland and creating a bacterial infection. Even in the absence of trauma, a female dog living in unsanitary conditions may be exposed to large quantities of bacteria and other irritants, allowing this ascending infection to occur.
Less commonly, mastitis can be observed without evidence of infection. Trauma to the mammary gland or prolonged periods of milk accumulation without milk removal can lead to inflammation within the mammary gland.
Mastitis is most frequently seen in the postpartum period after a dog gives birth. Many cases follow sudden weaning (which can lead to excessive milk accumulation within the gland) or the death of a puppy (leading to decreased milk removal from the glands).
‼️HOW TO CURE MASTITIS ( Instructions on Warm Towel Compression READ Caption)
Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary glands in female dogs. It can occur with or without infection. Typically, mastitis occurs postpartum, due to how messy the whelping box can get and/or weening the pups abruptly or too early. There are multiple types of mastitis in dogs.
Acute Mastitis: Sudden swelling of the mammary gland that includes heat and pain. The milk will be obviously abnormal. This type of mastitis may also cause changes in the mother, such as lethargy.
Septic Mastitis: Sudden swelling of the mammary gland associated with heat, pain, abnormal milk coloration, and changes in the mother such as lethargy, changes in appetite, fever. Septic mastitis and its symptoms are typically caused by bacteria.
Chronic or Subclinical Mastitis: Long-term inflammation of mammary tissue accompanied by a lack of obvious clinical signs such as swelling or warmth.
Gangrenous Mastitis: The teat, and possibly surrounding tissues, appears black or bruised. The milk may be blood-tinged or bloody. The mother will also be very ill, with symptoms such as vomiting, decreased appetite, fever, changes in blood pressure.
The symptoms of mastitis vary, depending on the type of mastitis. Affected glands will have milk or fluid that may be described as discolored, bloody, or pus-like in appearance. If they are infected, glands may be described as swollen, warm, firm, discolored, or ulcerated (skin broken open).
Acute mastitis symptoms may include glands that are hot and painful. This condition may progress to septic mastitis if it’s not treated in time. In septic mastitis, clinical signs include fever, depression, anorexia, lethargy, or mother neglecting puppies.
The only clinical sign observed with chronic or subclinical mastitis is failure of the pups to thrive. For non-septic mastitis, which commonly occurs at weaning about 3-4 weeks after birth, common signs include swollen glands that are painful to touch, even though the dog is relatively healthy and alert.
In severe cases of mastitis, the mother will be sick and may show symptoms such as:
Mastitis is most commonly caused by bacteria, such as E. coli, enterococci, staphylococcus, and streptococcus spp. Other causes include: