Mother's Milk Not Enough for her Litter! - Page 1

Hello friends,

I would like to ask for your advices on how to augment the milk for my 7 newborn puppies.  They were born yesterday and we have observed that the milk from their mother is not enough for them.  It can take them 45 minutes to an hour before they are full.  Is this situation normal?  How can we increase the mother's milk supply?  Any commercial milk substitute suitable for them?  Thank you and I hope to hear from you all.

Raw liver   read the old germans breeders books  thats what u feed for two weeks ahead and for two weeks after birth....go to super walmart in the extra condiment and uyou will dfind plent y ...freeze and each day give a pound with normal kibbles.....cottage cheese and yogurt for calcium   milk ought to come down today  sometimes its slow, but if not get bottles with premie nipples and start letting them get use to a nipple , not their moms,,,,,its hard and a very time consuming chore but must be done   Goats milk replacement pup milk can be bought at any pet supplier........goats milk has more mineral and vits need thanany other kind of milk.....good luck      liver  liver  liver....pork or calf   doesnt matter   you can steam it for a minute in skillet if you like   not needed thought you want it almost raw...

Animal Naturals PUPPY GOLD is outstanding for increasing the mothers milk supply and can also be fed directly to the puppies. Also continue to add to the puppies food when they are a bit older.  Many places to order online including directly from manufacturer. Best if the mother is started on this early in pregnancy but you will still quickly see an improvement in milk production. 

     http://www.an-nat.com/naturalsupplements_pupgold.html

A friend sent me this recipe to feed the mother.  They swear it makes her produce milk -

Ingredient List:

1 large box of vanilla pudding (cooking kind not the instant kind)
1 can of goat's milk mixed according to instructions (enough to make amount needed for pudding…about four cups)
½ cup sugar
4 egg yokes (can scramble whites to make omelet for momma dog Though you can add them to the mixture if you mix them into the pudding, sugar and yokes before you add milk to pan.  Just add that much less milk to make thick pudding or complete four cups for a thinner mixture, it doesn't make any difference to the dog :). 

In pan, whisk pudding, sugar, and eggs until smooth. Add milk slowly while whisking. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Must stir constantly or it will stick and scorch.

Let  the pudding cool to near-room temperature.  Place in covered containers and put in refrigerator . Twice a day mix about ¼ cup (smaller dogs could do with a tablespoon or so) mixed with dog food. Dot warms hers up but my momma did not want it warmed and boy did she scarf it down. I also added a tablespoon of canned pumpkin (cheap kind not brand name I use Hytop Brookshire brothers brand (I didn't want the runs from the very rich mixture). These babies (all six on a Mini RAT) are fat, shiny and very healthy.

I do feel we would have lost at least two of the smaller ones if it were not for this mixture. I'm totally sold on it….:) I have been letting my TFT girls lick the spoon and now when they whelp they will be ready for the mixture. They love it and I don't think I will have any problems getting them to eat it. I know I didn't with the RAT momma, and it was brand new to her.

I doubled my batch when I made it to have a supply on hand.  It keeps refrigerated for about two weeks.  For a GSD I would feed about 3/4 of a cup twice a day for the first four or five days then cut it back to 3/4 cup once a day.

The fastest and easiest way to bring milk in is an herb called Fenugreek.   It is used for milk production in humans as well.   I order it in powder form online however if you have health food stores near you they should carry it.  I have bought it there in capsule form as well.  To bring the milk in fast you want to give more than the directions say.   If giving capsules give her 2-3 capsules three times a day.    Make sure she also has lots of water available.  It should increase her milk in 24-72 hours.  Make sure that the puppies are nursing often and draining mom well.   

As long as the pups seem to be getting enough milk that they are not losing weight it is best not to supplement them if at all possible.  At least not for the first couple of weeks.  Anything other than mom's milk can give them diarrhea.   Of course if they are not getting enough to eat you will have to supplement them.  

Good Luck and keep us posted.  

Keep in mind !!!!!!   If the pups don't nurse often enough the mother will stop her increase in production and may even decrease...  See if she won't come into her milk encourage pups to nurse often and allow them nurse for 45 minutes if that's what it takes,  This is what MUST happen in order for her to fully "come into" her milk.  You may be right,  she may simply not be producing enough and the pups may need supplemented,  However just take care not to over supplement causing a decrease in they're want/willingness to nurse and cause a decrease in her milk production. 

Good Luck keep us posted.