mastitis (bitch was not bred)

[Milehighmisfit]

Hey folks,
I just wanted to share an experience I am dealing with for the first time. Any input is greatly appreciated Hopefully this thread can help others as well since most of the information regarding mastitis is with lactating bitches. Mine has never been bred so this situation seems a little irregular.

My female is just over one year old and developed lumps tits, just the two furthest back (closest to the hind legs). I will post a few pics today when I get around to it. Since she was not bred, mastitis did not make sense to me so I then believed it was mammary tumors. The thing is she is in great shape and well cared for and young so she seems like an unlikely candidate for either issue. The timing couldn't be worse as she is healing up from a recent accident so a vet visit probably isn't a good idea, although wounds are mostly healed up and very minor at this point. I reached out to a much more experienced dog man and he is confident it is mastitis and highly doubts its cancer, which is a relief. I started my girl on Cephalaxin at 500mg 3x a day as she weighs 43lbs. The first dosage was administered this morning. I am also using hot compresses on the affected areas, twice a day. My friend also recommended Dex as well which I do not have and have never used so Cephalexin it is.

This bitch has been through one heat cycle. If my memory serves me correctly, about a month after her heat cycle she started swelling up a little, not only her vagina but her mammary glands as well. Nothing crazy, but you'd sworn she was pregnant or just had a litter. This wasn't another heat cycle though, no bleeding or anything like that but my male was certainly interested. Keep in mind guys, I've been around these dogs for a little while but I'm still a total greenhorn who is trying to learn. I wasn't alarmed at her swelling up a little since I had a four old Hammonds Tanner Chink Eye bitch that swelled up like this in-between litters, where her tits became large drooping flaps but then went right back to normal. Everyone would have sworn she had just a litter as these things were hanging, but not really swollen up like they had milk in them. Maybe something environmental is causing this? Anyways I just wrote off the situation with my young Mims' dog and figured it just "was what it was". The reason I am mentioning this is because I am now convinced that this swelling of her vagina and mammary glands is connected to her mastitis. I have heard of bitches that will drop milk for orphaned pups and other strange phenomenon. Also, I had someone suggest that she was swelling up like that perhaps because she is often around an intact male. What do you guys make of this? Is mastitis in bitches that haven't been bred more common than I realize? I haven't had much like finding info regarding this situation everything is talking about mastitis in lactating bitches. Also, is there anything different who folks would recommend for treating this? I will triple check but I think Jack recommends running the Cephalexin for 10 days. Thanks in advance everybody.

[scratchin dog]

Sounds like she had a false pregnancy and ended up with mastitis due to the milk that was probably full of bacteria.

[S_B]

I agree with Scratchin Dog. False pregnancies are common in bulldogs in my experience.

The ceph certainly won't hurt and 10 days should do it. I'd cut her feed back slightly and lay off any work or anything stress related...just let her chill for a few weeks.

May not happen every heat, but I'd expect it again.

S_B

[Milehighmisfit]

Scratchin' Dog, thanks for the feedback. First time I have dealt with this and I'm just relieved it doesn't seem to be anything cancerous.

[Milehighmisfit]

S_B, Thank you for your input. Would you recommend any preventative measures next time she begins her heat cycle? Thanks.

[S_B]

S_B, Thank you for your input. Would you recommend any preventative measures next time she begins her heat cycle? Thanks.

I've had false pregnancy in bitches pretty regular. I've visited with several vets and there is nothing they suggest other than regulating feed, water and giving the bitch time to get over it.

I feel like environmental pollutants and poor feed may contribute to the issue as much as genetics. Best to keep your bitches healthy and clean and as free from pesticides as possible.

You could run your bitch on TMZ after her next heat cycle. It won't hurt to try it. Or just let her naturally go through the motions to see whether or not this was a fluke occurrence.

Good luck,
S_B

[Milehighmisfit]

Guys, Thanks again for the input. I'm starting to think that my bitch does not have mastitis, just a false pregnancy. I will try cutting her feed back and see what happens.

[CYJ]

Hello Milehighmisfit. Is your bitch a high strung dog? Wanting to dig to China, chew roots and dog house etc. LOL I had two wonderful put together and deep game red nose/yellow eyes/red nails/red bitches bred by Mr. Joe Beal. From off his older E. Crenshaw/Heinzl Gringo/ Ida Red stock. Their pedigrees are on this site as J. Young's Flame and J. Young's Amber. My J. Young's Flame bitch was a clone look a like of Ferguson's Centipede.

Sadly they were both hard keepers. Constantly digging and Amber had to have a brick to push around or she would destroy everything. Was a hell of a test/school dog to start up young adult dogs. Had no teeth but could gum and mash em pretty hard. Hit them like a Pro Football line backer. LOL

I had very limited success with both dogs. Would carry pups, have them, nurse them for around seven days. Too then watch the pups start dying off. Ronole Morris managed to raise a litter off Amber bred to my J. Young's Chuck dog. His R.N. Nurse, Daughter took the pups around five days and then hand raised them. Sadly the ones he kept probably were killed by the H.S., when he was later arrested by, I believe by the FBI. One of these dogs I gave to Mr. Joe Beal since he did not have a stud dog at that time. Joe later after raising this young dog to adult. Named this dog Southern Johnny Reb. Was the last Stud dog he used before he passed on.

These type dogs by eating in the dirt year round will most likely keep a lot of bad bacteria in the body. The stress of having the pups and other stress factors may allow infection to over whelm the brood bitch, not enough to kill the brood bitch. But poison the milk.


If your brood bitch will stay calm in a big brood pen. Keeping her off the ground and from dirt. Along with a antibiotic treatment mentioned by S_B and others might solve the problem. One other product not mentioned that you can add is Happy Jacks Milk product to help the brood bitches milk from souring and going bad. Do not forget to build a big enough rest bench for her and put outside the brood box. To allow her to rest and get away from those little buggers around three to four weeks old.

Not allowing a brood bitch a way to spend some time away from the pups and rest can be another very stressful event on her body. A properly exercised and fed brood bitch before and during pups. Goes a long way to keeping a brood female healthy. She should look just as good after weaning the pups as when she was first bred. Hope some of this helps.

With all said I had no luck with these type dogs in the long run, or any other type hard keeper. Majority of the time, best to pass on these type dogs and keep good calm/ Healthy as a mule/ solid, strong made up type dogs. Never put a root/chain chewer around young dogs especially. Monkey see Monkey do. LOL Cheers

[SGC]

Interesting topic… And good point CYJ about high strung hard keeper type bitches.

I have a 3 yr old Hollingsworth/Patricks bitch, and after at least 2 of her heats she's had a false pregnancy. No mastitis as of yet, but I watch for it. She has regular heats, then 2 or 3 weeks after her heat (she's never been bred) she gets swollen teats and starts hiding in closets and corners. Darnedest thing, I was really stumped when it first happened. She's a house pet, and is pretty high strung, but I give her a lot of exercise which helps.

I was told to cut her food a bit and to start working her some when she gets this false pregnancy thing. I also take her in the car more and it seems to help, giving her something else to think about. But it was pretty funny to see her sitting in a corner behind the furniture, or in the closet.

I was warned to keep an eye out for her possibly getting pyometra. Apparently there is a tendency for bitches that are not bred and that get false pregnancies to get an infected uterus, i.e. pyometra. I'm not sure what, if anything, one can do to prevent that, outside of breeding the bitch, but thought I'd mention it.

Just for fun, here's a photo of her sitting in the corner last year.

[scratchin dog]

Guys, Thanks again for the input. I'm starting to think that my bitch does not have mastitis, just a false pregnancy. I will try cutting her feed back and see what happens.

Good deal. Glad it's nothing serious. Cutting food and water for a few days should help cut milk production. Definitely finish the course of antibiotics as well.