A general forum for the discussion of hunting with beagles, guns, clothing and other equipment and just talking dawgs! (Tall tales on hunting allowed, but remember, first liar doesn't stand a chance)
You would have too have much improved instinct, to be one of my bitches...
You have to put the bitches system into self-preservation mode to get the milk halted suddenly. The quickest way, without harming the bitch is sudden shock to the bodies hydration. This will stop the producing of milk to preserve the bitch herself. As long as the pups are not allowed to draw from her to reproduce the flow, she will shrink down the milk bar.
She will dry up on her own, but this quickens the process.
A 24 hr. day without water in the type weather we're having now, is not life threatening or harmful.
To stop milk by withholding food, you would have to bring the bitch down into poor condition to do any good. This would take the time, that she probably would have mostly dried up on her own, anyway... jmho
Honey Pot Hounds wrote:Guys, all I can say to most of you is that I'm glad I'm not one of your bitches!!!!!!!!!
I agree with Patch on this one. From my own personal experiences (when my boys were nursing babies) I was told for good milk production drink plenty of fluids. All the nursing mommies in my peer group who had trouble producing milk were those who didn't increase their fluid intake. Milk production hinges on fluids. Nursing dams drink copious amounts of water - not normal amounts. Back her down on water. Give her just enough to sustain herself. The milk production will be the first thing affected, and that's what you want.
Cutting the food consumption is often associated with drying a bitch up because it tends to occur about the same time as weaning, but it's done for a different purpose. It is basically a matter of returning the dam to her normal intake to keep her at her normal weight. We feed more during the nursing weeks to keep mama from getting pulled down. It takes a lot of extra calories to nurse a litter of growing puppies, especially as they reach the ages of 3 and 4 weeks and have not started on solid food themselves yet. During the weaning process, we back off on the extra food so mama doesn't become fat.
One of my females has a litter of five that are three weeks old. For the last four weeks she has been drinking five pints of water per 24 hours. That is 18% of her normal body weight. Sounds like alot to me. The milk bar has been flowing and the pups have some fat bellys.
I have been told by other more experienced beaglers to start to wean the pups by four weeks and pull the mother out totally at six weeks. Then give her four weeks at the old one soup can per day ration before you put her in the briers. Mother nature will take care of the need to hydrate. I will try it this way and let you know how it turns out if the post is still alive.
Anthony
ANTHONY KERR wrote:Then give her four weeks at the old one soup can per day ration before you put her in the briers. Anthony
Interesting. Is this one soup can of food or water?? Never heard this one before, sounds interesting.
Hey Patch, I'm not sure what you meant about my improved instinct making me unworth, but if it means that I don't have any natural urges to go running naked through the briars *ouch* screaming after a bunny then you sure got that right, lol.
Cindy
Cindy
Join the fight to keep your guns & Beagles http://capwiz.com/naiatrust/home/
Created to fight bad legislation and defend the victims of animal and environmental extremism.
WE NEED YOU!
S.R.Patch wrote:You would have too have much improved instinct, to be one of my bitches...
You have to put the bitches system into self-preservation mode to get the milk halted suddenly. The quickest way, without harming the bitch is sudden shock to the bodies hydration. This will stop the producing of milk to preserve the bitch herself. As long as the pups are not allowed to draw from her to reproduce the flow, she will shrink down the milk bar.
She will dry up on her own, but this quickens the process.
A 24 hr. day without water in the type weather we're having now, is not life threatening or harmful.
To stop milk by withholding food, you would have to bring the bitch down into poor condition to do any good. This would take the time, that she probably would have mostly dried up on her own, anyway... jmho
24 hours without water in my opinion is not necessary. When we have puppies we start weaning about about 4 to 4 1/2 weeks here. The bitch is allowed to gradually wean from them. She will usually feed twice a day for a few days then once a day then I remove her totally. At that time I cut her food ration in 1/2 and let her have water while she is outside in the yard. Never have I had a case of mastitis or a problem with a bitch drying up in a few days time to the point where she doesn't have full teats. All this extra stuff.. Alcohol, campo etc.. is not necessary and frankly I can't imagine it feels very good. The dams breasts will have some scratches from nursing puppies and that stuff will not feel very good to her.. Just let nature take its course.
As for instinct.. until you have lactating breasts I would imagine that your instinct would have to be a whole lot better to be one of my dogs.
I use one campbells soup can as my measuring device for food. I feed my dogs between 5 and 5:30 religiously every day. One large male gets 1.5 cans. He weighs about 40 pounds with 0 fat. Their waste is predictable. Most of my dogs are 14 to 15" weighing 25 to 30 lbs. I keep five quart pails full of water in every kennel. Most pens have two dogs in each. Normal consumption for two inactive dogs is about a quart. Some more some less. I run them in pairs and they get water while running so even after a hard run two dogs rarely drink more than 2 quarts per day.
I feed a dry 24/20 year round sometimes mixed with kitchen grease for flavor. The whelping girl was isolated and fed 3 times per day with one feeding getting a full can of wet food for extra moisture.
PHOTO OF BIRDIE. She is 1.5 years old and has the athletic build I like to see in a female. She eats one 11 ounce soup can per day. It takes her an hour to eat it so I know she is not starving.
Honey Pot Hounds wrote:
Hey Patch, I'm not sure what you meant about my improved instinct making me unworth, but if it means that I don't have any natural urges to go running naked through the briars *ouch* screaming after a bunny then you sure got that right, lol.
Cindy
Really
I wasn't sure what you meant by, "not wanting to be one of my bitches", was afraid you thought I wouldn't give you loving care...
S.R.Patch wrote:You would have too have much improved instinct, to be one of my bitches...
24 hours without water in my opinion is not necessary. When we have puppies we start weaning about about 4 to 4 1/2 weeks here. The bitch is allowed to gradually wean from them. She will usually feed twice a day for a few days then once a day then I remove her totally. At that time I cut her food ration in 1/2 and let her have water while she is outside in the yard. Never have I had a case of mastitis or a problem with a bitch drying up in a few days time to the point where she doesn't have full teats. All this extra stuff.. Alcohol, campo etc.. is not necessary and frankly I can't imagine it feels very good. The dams breasts will have some scratches from nursing puppies and that stuff will not feel very good to her.. Just let nature take its course.
No, the 24 hr. fast of water is not necessary, but, does stop the milk.
As for instinct.. until you have lactating breasts I would imagine that your instinct would have to be a whole lot better to be one of my dogs.
Leah
...
Last edited by S.R.Patch on Thu May 18, 2006 7:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Windkist wrote:As for instinct.. until you have lactating breasts I would imagine that your instinct would have to be a whole lot better to be one of my dogs.
S.R.Patch wrote:This is getting very "off topic"...
LOL we can say BITCH but, not the other "B" word? LOL Ok Truce! We all have our ways. None is better than any others but, speaking from a womans point of view I know that some of that stuff is just plain silly..
LOL! I am SO CONFUSED!!!!!!!! I really don't know what y'all are talking about with all this instinct nonsense. I'm gonna be Patchs bitch and he's gonna be Leahs dog? What next? No, forget that, I don't want to even go there, LOL!!!!!!!
And if Birdie isn't starving to death Anthony then why is she up there in your post scarfing down that bunny???:lol: (Just Kidding! She looks super)
Cindy
Join the fight to keep your guns & Beagles http://capwiz.com/naiatrust/home/
Created to fight bad legislation and defend the victims of animal and environmental extremism.
WE NEED YOU!
Honey Pot Hounds wrote:LOL! I am SO CONFUSED!!!!!!!! I really don't know what y'all are talking about with all this instinct nonsense. I'm gonna be Patchs bitch and he's gonna be Leahs dog? What next? No, forget that, I don't want to even go there, LOL!!!!!!!
And if Birdie isn't starving to death Anthony then why is she up there in your post scarfing down that bunny???:lol: (Just Kidding! She looks super)
Cindy, I think thats a road that is best not traveled!!!
then you sure got that right, lol. 
I really don't know what y'all are talking about with all this instinct nonsense. I'm gonna be Patchs bitch and he's gonna be Leahs dog? What next? No, forget that, I don't want to even go there, LOL!!!!!!!
