The canine mastitis is one of the most common diseases that affect lactating dogs, those who have just given birth and can even occur in non-pregnant bitches.
For this reason, if we have a female dog as a member of the family, it is important to know the symptoms that cause it, the treatment and the care that we must offer our pet to ease the passage of this illness. In this article on our site we will delve into mastitis in dogs so that you know what it is and how you should act if your dog is suffering from it right now.
What is mastitis?
We can call mastitis the infection of the bitch's mammary that normally occurs during pregnancy and lactation. The main cause is the lowering of the defenses that the mother suffers after giving birth to her puppies.
This lack of defenses causes germs called staphylococci to settle in breast milk and from there pass to the breasts, producing a painful infection for our dog.
In many cases when puppies suckle they instinctively push the teats with their paws to extract milk, thus scratching her mother's nipple with her sharp nails. It is at this time that mastitis can occur, which if not treated correctly can end up affecting the puppies. The milk becomes toxic for them, and can even end their lives.
Canine mastitis symptoms
Knowing how to identify the symptoms of mastitis in our bitch is essential to start treatment as soon as possible, relieve her discomfort and save the lives of little newborns.
If you suspect that your dog may be suffering from mastitis, pay attention to the first of the symptoms of this serious disease, which is lack of appetite in the affected bitchThis lack of appetite, in addition to causing the consequent weight loss in your dog, also makes her sad and listless, conditions that could be confused with the typical symptoms of depression.
The symptoms of mastitis in the bitch are:
- Discharge of pus
- Bloody discharge
- Swelling
- Irritability
- Pain signs
- Sore breasts
- Reddened breasts
- Protrusions
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Discomfort
- Fever
- Apathy
- Heart rate increased
- High temperature
Although all these symptoms together are proof that our dog suffers from canine mastitis, without a doubt pain in the nipples is the clearest indication and at the same time the most dangerous since the dog can stop feed the puppies.
Furthermore, another serious consequence is the toxicity of the mother's milk that can cause intoxication in the puppies, the appearance of tumors in the breasts and even the death of newborn dogs.
Treatment of mastitis in bitches
If you have the slightest suspicion that your dog is suffering from canine mastitis, the first action will be Go to a trusted vet so that they can perform a physical exam, a blood test, and a bacterial culture.
The treatment to follow is the administration of antibiotics to combat the infection and the application of hot water compresses to improve the condition of the breasts.
Not receiving adequate veterinary treatment can lead, in an extreme case, to the removal of the affected teats and the artificial feeding of the puppies, which is a costly process (in terms of time and effort) on the part of the owner.
Canine mastitis prevention
We must be clear as an advanced society of the 21st century that using our bitch to breed is a bad practice. Diseases such as mastitis or others reflect that this process must be carried out by qualified people and approved centers such as breeders. Additionally, the disproportionate number of dogs (including puppies) in millions of shelters around the world makes foster care insensitive and irresponsible.
To adequately prevent the appearance of canine mastitis due to infectious, parasitic or bacterial causes, it is important to clean the bitch's mammary glands with moist gauze padsregularly. Check the mother's nipples daily and carefully trim the puppies' nails to avoid scratching this delicate area
