Milk supply is a late signal. Her weight, her body condition and her muscle change first. Five checkpoints across the cycle, three signals at each one, and the two practical triggers I use to decide when watching a trend becomes calling the vet.
Category: Blog
How Do You Watch a Postpartum Dam’s Recovery in the First Three Weeks?
The first three weeks after whelping are when metritis, mastitis, and eclampsia tend to show up. Here is how to watch a postpartum dam's recovery day by day, what counts as normal, and the trends that tell you when to call your vet.
What Sows Teach Breeders About Maternal Probiotics and Colostrum
What sow research teaches dog and cat breeders about maternal probiotics, colostrum, and the first 24 hours after whelping or queening.
What Does Prolonged Labor Do to the Placenta and the Puppies?
A 2026 study quantified what every hour of stalled labor costs the placenta and the litter. Here is what happens inside the uterus when whelping pauses—and the thresholds that tell you when to call.
Maternal Supplementation in Pregnant Dogs: Where Live Yeast Fits and How to Use It
Maternal supplementation in pregnant dogs is not new. Folic acid, omega-3, and antioxidants already form the prenatal stack. A 2024 dog-specific trial shows live yeast (S. boulardii CNCM I-1079) earns its place too: richer colostrum, fewer underweight puppies, and a softer first vaccine response.
Puppy Gut Health: Starting Right (2026 Update)
The first 21 days decide more about a puppy's gut than the next 21 months. New canine microbiome research from 2023 to 2026 reframes maternal seeding, birth-weight tracking, weaning diet, and antibiotic stewardship into specific actions every breeder can take at the whelping box.
Colostrum Secrets: Boosting Puppy and Kitten Immunity
A puppy or kitten is born almost agammaglobulinemic. Ninety percent of immune cover arrives through colostrum in the first 24 hours, with peak absorption at 4 hours and the gut mostly closed by 12 to 16. New science on microbiome seeding, S. boulardii CNCM I-1079, and the action ladder for a neonate who cannot suckle.
Probiotics for Newborn Puppies and Kittens: Lessons from Human Neonatal Medicine
Human NICU probiotic medicine has matured around one transformation: pick the strain, not the category. Same genus, different strain, very different result. Here is what the 2023 European position paper and the 2023 FDA alert could mean for puppies and kittens, eventually.
How Do You Set Up a Whelping Box That Actually Protects Newborn Puppies and Kittens?
The 5-point whelping box audit every breeder should run before a litter. Why most setups fail on system design, not equipment.
Prenatal Stress in Dogs: Why the Last 6 Weeks of Pregnancy Are Doing More Than We Thought
Two 2025 canine studies show the last 6 to 8 weeks before whelping are not waiting time. They are an active programming window. The dam's chronic stress load in this period leaves a measurable signal in her puppies. Here is what to do with that, in real kennel practice.
DR. EMMANUEL FONTAINE 