Content
- What is mastitis in bitches
- Symptoms of Canine Mastitis
- Types of canine mastitis
- Treatment of mastitis in bitches
- Canine Mastitis Prevention
THE canine mastitis it is one of the most common diseases that affect lactating bitches that have recently given birth and can even occur in bitches that are not pregnant.
For this reason, if we have a female dog as a member of the family, it is important to know the symptoms that cause this condition, the treatment and care that we must offer the bitch to minimize the discomfort of this disease.
In this article by PeritoAnimal we will explain more about the mastitis in bitches so that you know the symptoms, treatments and how to act if your dog is suffering from this disease. Good reading!
What is mastitis in bitches
mastitis is a breast infection that usually occurs during pregnancy and lactation of the bitch or when a psychological pregnancy occurs. The main cause of the disease is the reduced defenses that the mother suffers after giving birth to her offspring and it can occur in one or more breasts.
This lack of defenses causes germs called staphylococci to settle in the breast milk and from there to the breasts causing a painful infection in the dog.
In many cases, when the puppies suckle, they instinctively push the breasts with their paws to extract the milk, scratching your mother's nipple like that with your sharp nails. It is at this time that mastitis can occur, which if not treated correctly can end up affecting the puppies as well. The milk becomes toxic for them and can even end their life.
Symptoms of Canine Mastitis
Knowing how to identify the symptoms of mastitis in our dog is essential for diagnosing the disease and starting treatment as soon as possible, alleviating her discomfort and saving the lives of little newborns.
If you suspect that the dog may be suffering from mastitis, pay attention to the first of the symptoms of this serious disease: a lack of appetite in the affected bitch. This lack of appetite can also cause the dog to lose weight, leaving her sad and listless, conditions that could be confused with the typical symptoms of depression. To avoid this confusion, you should pay special attention to other symptoms:
- vomiting
- Diarrhea
- malaise
- increased heart rate
- High temperature
- Fever
- Apathy
- nipple pain
- Irritability
While all these symptoms together are proof that our dog suffers from canine mastitis, there is no doubt that the nipple pain is the clearest indication and, in turn, the most dangerous, since the bitch can stop feeding the puppies.
In addition, another serious consequence is the toxicity of the mother's milk, which can lead to poisoning in the offspring, the appearance of tumors in the breasts and even the death of the newborn babies.
Types of canine mastitis
Canine mastitis can be classified into two groups: clinical and subclinical. The first is divided into three phases: acute, chronic and gangrenous mastitis. [2]
acute mastitis - In it, the mammary glands are visibly larger, swollen, hotter and more painful for the bitch. In addition, the gland secretion is brown and may contain small amounts of pus and blood and, consequently, puppies may have toxic milk syndrome because of bacterial infection in their breast milk. It is also common to have fever, apathy and loss of appetite.
gangrenous mastitis - It is usually a consequence of untreated acute mastitis. In this situation, the mammary glands can become ulcerated and necrotic. At this stage, puz is produced and abscesses form, and the mammary glands undergo color changes, becoming a little darker, colder and with a strong bad smell. It is a very aggressive mastitis.
chronic mastitis - There are still few studies on chronic mastitis in bitches, but it can be the result of less severe acute cases of the disease or even be related to breast cancer - a pathological process that can generate benign or malignant tumors in the animal. In these cases, the breast can become slightly inflamed or swollen and also poses a risk to the puppies, possibly causing their death by intoxication or preventing their satisfactory growth, as the milk loses a series of properties and becomes less nutritious.
In turn, the subclinical mastitis it is imperceptible as there are no signs of the disease. This form of canine mastitis is quite common, and the main indication is the slow growth of puppies and weight gain below expectations. In this type of disease, there are no changes in the breasts, which makes it difficult to detect the problem.
Treatment of mastitis in bitches
If you have the slightest suspicion that your dog is suffering from canine mastitis, the first thing you should do is take her to the your veterinarian trusted to carry out a physical examination, a blood test and a bacterial culture.
The next treatment is the administration of antibiotics to fight the infection and the application of hot water compresses that improve the state of the breasts.
Not receiving proper veterinary treatment can result in an extreme case of removal of the affected breasts and artificial feeding of the puppies, which is a difficult process for the guardian as it involves a lot of time and effort.
Canine Mastitis Prevention
We must be very clear from an ethical point of view that using our dog to breed in continuous ways is bad practice. Diseases such as mastitis or others reflect that this process must be carried out by qualified persons and approved centers as in the case of breeders. Furthermore, the disproportionate number of puppies (including puppies) in millions of refuges around the world makes irregular breeding and selling in a home an act. insensitive, irresponsible and it can still generate fines according to the legislation of each state.
In Paraná, for example, the Municipal Mistreatment Law number 10.712 establishes that the person who works with the reproduction, breeding and sale without a permit authorized to carry out the activity can have the animals seized and be fined in R$ 2 thousand for each dog or cat.[1]
To properly prevent the appearance of canine mastitis due to infections, parasites or bacteria it is important clean the bitch's breasts with wet gauze with regularity. Check the mother's nipples daily and carefully trim the puppies' nails to avoid scratching this delicate area.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.