This was not funny; poor chaos got mastitis while nursing her pups – a very painful infection of her mammary glands. We had to prevent the pups from nursing. Taking mom away would be one way, except chaos wanted to take care of her pups in spite of the fact we could not let her feed them.
So with goats milk in bottles and a bed sheet to the rescue, Service Dog Project devised a solution. All the pups did very well. Mom got put on antibiotic right away and because of the bed sheet/bra, she could sleep with and care for the pups as she wanted to as she was not ready to wean them.
Eventually, at about 3 weeks, the moms usually start feeding pups semi-solid food. How do they do that? Get ready…by vomiting up a big meal which the pups rush in to devour.
Hey, this is supposed to be educational. How else would a mommy wolf carry home semi-solid breakfast for the family if not in her tummy? Many times we have had our dogs do the same thing. It not only works, but it tells us she is ready to quit nursing. It may also tell us the pups now have teeth.
– Carlene White, founder of Service Dog Project in Ipswich, MA. The organization trains and places Great Danes with people who live with Multiple Sclerosis, Friedreich’s ataxia, and veterans with disabilities.
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