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.
Category: Puppy Care
Discover best practices in puppy care, from nutrition to preventive health measures. This section provides breeders and new owners with the tools to foster healthy puppies ready for a bright future.
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.
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.
How Can a Simple Scale Prevent Puppy and Kitten Neonatal Loss?
Learn how daily weighing and breed-specific neonatal growth charts can detect puppy and kitten health crises 24 to 48 hours before clinical signs appear. Covers birth weight thresholds, the two-centile rule, hypothermia staging, and essential neonatal monitoring equipment for breeders.
Why the Canine Nomograph Cannot Eliminate Puppy Vaccine Failure
The canine nomograph promises to predict when maternal antibodies fade using the dam's serum titer. Two biological realities break that promise: up to 20 percent of puppies experience failure of passive transfer, and antibody concentration varies from gland to gland. Your real leverage is upstream, in optimizing colostrum quality and maximizing intake in the first 24 hours.
The Puppy Weaning Window: When to Transition From Milk to Solid Food
Most breeders start weaning too early. The 3-week window that shapes your puppies' gut health forever.
DR. EMMANUEL FONTAINE 