How to treat mastitis in a dog at home

The dog in the house is a full-fledged member of the family, which must not only be fed and raised, but also treated. Especially if the dog has survived childbirth. After the puppies have appeared in the bitches, her health is very vulnerable and sometimes she cannot cope with certain diseases, such as mastitis, for example. Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary glands, which can be very dangerous if not treated in time.

Causes of mastitis

In order to fight the disease and prevent its recurrence, you need to know where the mastitis comes from and what provokes it.

1. Often puppies scrape the mother's mammary glands during feeding. Especially if they are older than two months - the claws become strong. An infection, a virus, a fungus can get into an open wound.Inflammation begins, which can turn into a purulent form.
2. Mastitis can occur with false whelping. False bone is a hormonal imbalance in the dog's body, which is caused by a failed mating or death of embryos. That is, the dog behaves like a pregnant woman, her nipples swell, she is preparing for the upcoming offspring. But there is no fetus, so the accumulated milk gets stuck in the ducts, the mammary glands swell and become inflamed.
3. Due to the absence of milk outflow, canal blockage may occur after death or if the puppies are not properly weaned. Mastitis may also occur after transferring babies to an artificial type of feeding.
4. Hypothermia or overheating of the mammary glands often leads to inflammation and fever. Mastitis progresses very quickly.
5. Sometimes inflammation of the glands can occur if the dog is poisoned by toxic or chemical substances.
6. It happens that the nipple is clogged, which prevents the normal outflow of milk. Most often this provokes mastitis of one breast.
7. Infections of the stomach, urogenital system, intestines can often affect the mammary glands, causing their inflammation.

If the bitch has mastitis, you need to show it to the vet as soon as possible. He will unmistakably determine the nature of the inflammation and give recommendations for the care and treatment of the animal.

How to recognize dog mastitis

Among the symptoms of mastitis are the following changes in the body and behavior of the animal.

1. General malaise bitches, which manifests lethargy, apathy, unwillingness to move and play. Appetite decreases, sometimes the dog completely refuses to eat. The animal becomes drowsy, hides from people.
2. In addition, the dog may rise in temperature - both general and local.
3. When viewed from the mammary glands, it can be noted that they are enlarged, asymmetric, and various seals can be detected by touch.
4. Often the dog does not allow to touch the glands because of their pain.
5. When mastitis can be found at the site of the glands swelling and redness, sometimes purulent education.
6. If you gently squeeze the nipples between your fingers, milk begins to flow from them with an admixture of pus and, possibly, blood. The color of the liquid is gray, yellow, white. There may be an unpleasant putrid odor.

If your pet's symptoms are exactly like this, you need to start treating your pet as soon as possible.

Mastitis treatment

If the disease is at an early stage of development (without suppuration), you can try to cure it yourself. Try to express carefully the swollen and mammary gland filled with milk. This should be done several times a day to restore the flow of milk. Pumping should be done very carefully, because for a dog this is an incredibly painful process. After decanting, it is necessary to lubricate the glands affected by mastitis with camphor oil or other warming compounds and tightly bandaged. Camphor prevents the development of inflammation and softens the seals, and a tight bandage limits the flow of milk. Keep the bandage need a few days, until redness, soreness and swelling subside.

If home remedies do not help and the condition of the dog worsens, it is necessary to seek professional help. The doctor in such situations usually prescribes antibiotic therapy. Medications dog must take orally or intramuscularly.In advanced cases, injections are assigned to the mammary glands, due to which local treatment of mastitis occurs. Mature abscesses open and treated with antiseptic.

The drug Mastometrin helps very well. Injections of this medicine should be given to the animal, according to its weight and age. Mastometrin is an anti-inflammatory drug that suppresses various infectious infections in the breast and reproductive system.

If you arrive at the hospital at the stage when therapeutic treatment is no longer useful, then veterinarians are forced to treat the dog promptly. A dog removes tumors and all necrotic tissues by surgery. In particularly difficult cases, the entire mammary gland is removed.

How to help the dog during mastitis

Once your doctor has prescribed treatment for your dog, you need to take extra measures to help you alleviate the suffering of your pet.

1. Puppies with mastitis are often weaned, they switch to artificial feeding. Caring for the owner will increase - taking care of a sick animal and feeding babies by the hour.
2. Rinse the dog's nipples with calendula and chamomile decoction. Pour one tablespoon of each plant in a jar and pour boiling water over it. Wrap and leave for three hours. After this, the broth should be drained, moisten a cloth in it and wipe the glands with it. Chamomile will relieve inflammation and redness a little, and calendula disinfects the skin's surface.
3. If the doctor has allowed, you can make warm compresses - for example, alcohol. The use of the heating pad is also effective.
4. If a dog has mastitis, it can become infected again, even with sufficient treatment. It is very important to have a clean litter on which to lay a diaper. The diaper must be changed several times a day to prevent recurrence. Wash diapers need at hot temperatures, it is better to boil.
5. Make sure that the dog lies in a warm place, without drafts and cracks.
6. Do not forget to tightly ligate the mammary glands after treatment, so that they do not fill with milk.

Gradually, with proper treatment, the mastitis will disappear - the inflammation will disappear, and the milk will simply burn out and stop producing. To further prevent the recurrence of mastitis, you need to take care of preventive measures.

Prevention of mastitis in dogs

If you are not going to reduce your dog in the future, it should be sterilized before the first heat.

After giving birth, the bitch should be monitored very carefully to prevent the development of mastitis. To do this, all cracks and nipple wounds should be treated with an antiseptic agent in a timely manner. Claws of puppies after two weeks of age should be cut regularly. If the birth of puppies is undesirable, you need to leave one or two puppies for the prevention of mastitis - so that they suck milk and prevent it from stagnating.

If during the next inspection you found a seal in one of the mammary glands, it means that there was a stagnation of milk there. In this case, you need to gently massage the gland and try to drain out the milk. If this does not work out, attach to the puppy's sore nipple and make sure that he tries to suck milk there. At first it will be difficult for him, since the duct is closed and the milk is flowing in a weak stream. He will try to find another source of power, but do not let him. Careful sucking the milk better than any medicine will save your dog from mastitis.

With the death of all puppies you need to lubricate the nipples of the dog with camphor oil and tightly bandaged to prevent the mammary glands from filling with milk. To limit milk production, reduce the amount of food and water consumed. Do not forget to fill in the lack of love and attention to your pet.

Dog mastitis is a serious disease that requires special care and attention. Often, the owners make a serious mistake by neglecting to go to the veterinarian with these symptoms. It can cost health, and sometimes life of your pet. Be prudent and merciful, do not start the disease!

Video: how a dog is treated for mastitis