Sick puppies - Page 1

A friend of mine in Prince George has a litter of Dobe pups that have been sickly since the start.  They are 10 days old today.  It was a litter of 14 and she is down to six I think last count.  Everyone seemed fine last night and this morning she called in a huge panic.  One of the original bunch has pus coming out of its eyes ( still not opened ) and she swears it has no eyeballs?  The eye area is swollen and she describes him as looking like a frog?  I have never heard of such a thing.  She has been to the vet continuously since the birth of the pups.  She does not have the option of going to another vet as in our area we are stuck with what we have.  They have been given antibiotics, are being hand fed and also put on the teats.  No one has fevers, mom has tons of milk.  Anyone heard of anything like this at all.  I was wondering if dogs can have toxic milk like some mares have.  With horses it is one of the first things we test for if a baby becomes ill.  Any thoughts?  I was going to drive up there and haul the remaining pups into Vancouver.  Not sure what else to do...

I would probably start feeding them some type of formula and take them off Mom.  See if they do better, if they do better on formula then it the bitches milk.  Sure it could be bad milk.  Why?  Maybe never find out but watch mom if she has a lot of milk so that she does not get mastitis.  I would probably add some sort of baby food in the formula; at this point sounds like they need something nutritious.  BOL Nan

Can ten day old pups digest baby food? I would substitute bitches milk with goat's milk, no solid ( baby ) food so young.

Are the bitch's teats warm and firm? It could be an infection in the female. No baby food. Pups need to be on milk. Get a formula from the vet or the petstore specifically made for puppies. Are they inside or outside? Is the area that the pups in clean? I've seen pups and kittens come in with pus coming from the eyes, and it's typically from being in unclean environments, having lower immune systems that can't fight off the infections, or being covered in fleas. I would definately get them looked at by a vet and see what they think is going on with the situation. Is this the bitch's first litter?

Sorry to hear about your problems , I planned for the worse .
The below formula was sent to me by Euroshepherd .


Sent Aug 31, 2012 03:15 AM from EuroShepherd

       

Recipe for puppy replacement milk, this is for approx. 1 quart, which will need to be refridgerated and used within 4 days of making. The milk of course will need to be warmed to 98-100 degrees F before feeding to pups.

Things you'll need if hand-raising pups:
baby bottle, a human baby bottle and nipple works fine for larger breed pups, you will need a special puppy or kitten nursing bottle for small and toy breed pups. I suggest getting the anti-colic type baby bottle, you may need to try several different types of nipples to find the one that the pups like best.

ingredients:

Milk: there are several different options, the best kind of substitute milk is fresh goat's milk. Raw if it's been handled properly is best. but if you are not sure that it's been handled properly then it needs to be pasteurized (but not homogenized.) Evaporated canned goats milk can also be used (use equal parts water and equal parts evaporated canned milk.) If goat's milk cannot be had, then use evaporated canned cow's milk, with equal parts water. Do not get the sweetened condensed canned milk. Most evaporated canned milk is about 14 ounces, reuse the same can to measure the same amount of water. whether you use fresh whole milk or evaporated canned milk and water the total amount for the recipe is 28 ounces.

Fresh, raw eggs: 2 chicken eggs, separate the white from the yolk. Put the yolk in a fine mesh strainer with jar underneath to catch what flows through. Beat the egg yolk to get as much through the strainer as possible, what is left in the strainer is membrane that will clog up a nipple (and prevent pup from getting nourishment) Some people add egg white to their formulas, I don't because it is more difficult to digest and contains enzymes that harm the skin and coat (if cooked it's ok, but can't give a nursing puppy cooked egg.) So just the egg yolk is used.

Karo syrup: the colorless kind. 1/2 teaspoon

Plain whole yogurt: 1 cup

blend together smoothly

Also, this site has very good tips too, I use one more egg yolk in my recipe than leerburg does. http://leerburg.com/bottlefeeding.htm

Leerburg likes to feed large meals to their pups and less feedings through the day, I prefer smaller meals fed every 90 minutes-2 hours so it's easier for the pups to digest, but of course this will consume your entire day and night.
puppies need stimulated after every feeding, use warm wet washcloth or baby wipes to make them pee and poop, gentle belly massages to help their digestion. If they do not have their dam to clean up after them then they get very messy and very stinky, so occassionally they may need a warm washcloth bath (make sure they are completely dried afterwards to prevent chilling)

Keep nutri-cal or karo syrup on hand, if a puppy is weak then you can put a dab of this in their mouth to help with their blood sugar level.

Pups that are bottle-fed only may also need 1-2 small feedings of pedialyte (plain) each day, add with a lil milk formula or raw egg yolk and karo syrup so it tastes better.

Bottle feeding (and tube feeding) take a LOT of patience, often times puppies will struggle and refuse to take the nipple, use your finger to gently pry a mouth open and get the nipple in there. It can be a very frustrating process and it takes skill and a lot of patience.

Hopefully mother dog will do just fine nursing her own pups and you won't have to worry about any of this!

Thanks for the replies I will pass the info along. I think she has the babies in a plastic kiddy pool but she has no pig rail. ( that freaked me out especially with 14 babies...)They are in the house .So it should be clean.  She is feeding them the formula she got from the vet at the moment.  Vet visits are a daily occurance but she is still losing them.( lost 4 almost immediatly when they were given antibiotics) I asked what the antibiotics were for and she didnt know.   I havent seen them but I could hear the cries on the phone and they were  not right.  I'm sure you know what I am talking about if you have raised a litter.  I believe this is the bitches second litter, 1st for her new owner. Uggh I hate being so far away and not actually having my hands on the pups ..

This sounds very bad all the way around for these pups :(  If any survive you may want to suggest to your friend that the survivor pups be pets only, none kept for breeding.  Even if their situation was not from a genetic cause, their poor start in life can alter the DNA/RNA of their eggs/sperm and cause problems in future generations.  
yes, it is possible for a bitch's milk to be toxic, to not have the right balance of nutrients or even to have an infection that is not detected (as in, no hard/lumpy/hot breasts/teats.)  Has the bitch been given antibiotics too?

If this was my litter, I would take them off of mom entirely, feed them my formula that Lanhua posted above and also give the pups Bene-bac for dogs/puppies and a drop of Dyne in the mouth periodically throughout the day (inbetween nursings.)  2 of those "meals" should be plain pedialyte with Dyne/Karo or egg yolk each day (for flavor.)  For sick pups, I believe that more frequent feedings of smaller meals is much better for the pups.  Feedings every 60-90 minutes.  Gentle belly massages inbetween feedings and gentle cleaning before and after each feeding.  The massages and cleanings are vital to help puppies digest and keep their bowels moving.   Keeping the pup's energy up and well hydrated is the most important defense they can have against infection/illness.   
She may also want to get needles/syringes and sterile lactated ringers solution and have her vet show her how to administer them to the pups.  This will help her with keeping the pups hydrated and she may be able to skip some of the feedings and get some more rest.  

How well did your friend know the dog's previous owner?  Did she get to see the bitch when she had her first litter?  It's quite possible that the previous owner was not honest with your friend, perhaps the dog's first litter had the same problems and that is why they sold her?  
I had this problem myself once, I bought 2 show bred mini. Dachshunds that were pregnant from a kennel that was selling out.  I was told that both doxies were wonderful mothers and had no problems raising pups.  Long story short, both moms had major problems.  I retired both mothers and all the surviving pups from both litters went to pet homes only, I did keep one puppy from one litter (my little Clarabelle) but she will never be bred, strictly pet only.   I am positive that the previous owner lied to me when she said that both females were great moms and never had problems.  

Any chance she would be willing to try one of the other clinics for a 2nd opinion? There are 4 different
clinics in PG, so a 2nd (or more) option is within reach. Wishing the pups all the best :(

powdered esbilac is excellent, just mix it 2:1 and tube feed them......

be careful with other homemade formulas, they can cause problems later in life.

Hi Northern ,
 She has been to two clinics in PG and in now consulting with a vet in Quesnel.  I havent spoken with her since this morning :(  Sadly the Vets here just do not have the knowlege that the repo vets in Vancouver have.  I consulted my vet today and he would really like to do bloodwork on the mom. Figures if they don't see what is going on with her it is unlikely any of the pups will survive. I made the offer to do the 14 hour trip on my dime... it's all I can do.