Agalactia (No Milk)

¼ liter of whole milk at 38°C/100°F  /  1/8 liter of weak chamomile tea  /  3 or 4 tablespoonfuls’ cream  /  a pinch of lime  /  a sugar cube.

2 drops of Vigantol. vitamin

We use a graduated bottle, from the chemist's, and take great care to see that the hole in the teat is so small that the pups have to suck really hard. If the hole is too large, too much milk at once gets into the mouth to be adequately mixed with saliva, resulting in gastrointestinal problems.

During the first few days, the bottle should be offered once an hour, later every two or three hours, also at night. Attention must also be paid to quantity, for the small stomach should not be overloaded (5-lOg).
The stools of the newborn are yellow and mushy, and it is important to know that the bitch triggers the excretory reflex by licking the anus. The pup needs to be cared for in this respect, too: the anus has to be massaged in a circular motion with an oiled finger, until elimination has occurred. The chamomile tea may be omitted after the first five days, and from the third or fourth week onwards cereal products are added and the pups are introduced to their food bowl.

Excess Lactation:

If the pups for some reason do not require all the available milk and it is still freely flowing when they have had enough, Urtica urens 6x, given serveral times daily, will stop milk production.

Eclampsia:

A complication which may occur in suckling bitches is parturient eclampsia. Fits or convulsions develop,with no loss of consciousness. This happens during or after parturition, but mostly for up to five weeks afterwards. There is a sudden temperature and muscular spasms develop, with the limbs held rigidly apart. The head is drawn back spasmodically, as though pulled by invisible forces. Finally the bitch lies on her side, breathing so fast and panting so loudly as she does so that she can be heard from a long way off. If the eclampsia occurs in a case of pseudopregnancy, which may also happen, the symptoms are less marked.

Veterinary surgeons can effectively treat the condition with Calcium injections and sedatives. Ferrum phosphoricum 6x injected into the peritoneal cavity or into a vein has also effective, with the same remedy (Ferrum phosphoricum 6x) given every fifteen or thirty minutes by mouth. If this form of treatment is not possible, Hyoscyamus 30c may be given, every ten minutes. Recurrences are prevented with Cakarea phosphorica 6x and China 6x, six times daily in alternation for some days.

Tendency to Dislocate Joints:

A tendency to dislocate joints and knee ligaments, i.e. their temporary displacement which causes complications with walking, is treated with: Rhus toxicodendron 12x in the mornings and Chamomilla 6x at night for three or four weeks. A repetition of this treatment some time later will often be indicated.

Bones Rickets:

Rickets has become a rare condition nowadays, as dogs, and particularly pregnant bitches, are generally fed and cared for more efficiently. The disease affects puppies and bitches after whelping. The first sign is usually that the animal is constantly licking the walls. The hip and knee joints remain soft and do not calcify and, like the other bones, are deformed under the influence of the weight of the body. Bow legs, a dropped back, enlarged carpal joints and 'bear's paws' are the consequence. Swellings also appear at the points where the ribs join their rib cartilages, a phenomenon to which the name of a 'rosary' has been applied. The causes are not only incorrect feeding of the dam, but also lack of fresh meat, exercise, sunlight, light and fresh air. Severe infestation with worms may also be the cause. If treatment is given early, much can be achieved. In most cases, recovery progresses so well that one does not recognize the animals again when they have been on the treatment for some time. A change of diet to include raw meat is just as important as giving raw milk, raw (egg York only), cod liver oil, a mixture of mineral salts, and an intensive course of vitamin D, for about ten days in the month. The sick animal needs to be played with a great deal, and to be out in the open, in plenty of fresh air and sunlight. The imbalance in calcium metabolism is treated with: Calcarea phosphorica 3x Calcarea carbonica 6x 1 tablet of each three times daily.