What to do for mastitis?!?!

Question
QUESTION: I think Jayda has mastitis. Her pups are 7 days old now and she has been nursing them like normal. Today when I was putting the pups with Jayda to eat I noticed that her breasts look lumpy, the back 4! They also feel harder than the other ones. I am going to call the vet as soon as they open tomorrow and get her in as soon as possible, but is there anything I can do for this at home until I can get her into the vet? I read that I should put a warm compress on them and manually milk her, how do I do that? I'm so worried about her! Should I be concerned about the puppies? I'm going to watch them very carefully and only let them eat from the ones that look normal, and I guess I'll have to bottle feed them to top them off until I get this figured out. But I read that Jayda could die from this! They haven't gotten lumpy until sometime in the last day or so, but I did notice that they were really, really swollen the other day.

ANSWER: Hi Kim. Are her breasts really warm, or hot? What color is her milk? If her milk has a reddish, or brownish color to it, take the pups off of her until you can get her straightened out. You need to find some way of getting her to a vet now. Most vets have an emergency number. You leave a message, and they usually call you right back. Mastitis can be deadly to mom, and the sooner you get it taken care of the better. You need to get some puppy formula and bottles for these guys. I would wait on the 'milking' her. Let the vet show you how to if it's needed. I can tell you how to do it, but it's best to let someone show you, so you don't damage the breast. My best advice, get her straight to the vet, however you have to. I hope all is well, please let me know.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I got her to the vet as soon as they opened today, and they said everything is fine. I tend to worry about every little thing, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. They said that the back 4 breasts do feel a bit firm, but they aren't red or hot, Jayda's temp. is normal, the milk looks normal, Jayda isn't acting sick or in pain and the puppies are doing good. The vet just said to make sure the puppies are eating from all of the nipples to make sure they all continue to produce milk, and to make sure they all get emptied. So, as of right now everything is fine. I'm just going to make sure to keep a very close eye on everything that way if something does start to develop we can get it treated early. Even though she is okay, since those 4 breasts are a bit firm, should I hold a warm washcloth or something on them for a little while? They are also bigger than the other breasts, so do you think I should make the pups use those breasts the most to make sure they get emptied, or should I just make sure all of the breasts get used as equally as possible? I don't want the back 4 to start producing even more milk, you know? Here, in this picture you can see how the back breasts look. Right by her back leg you can see that those two breasts have kind of grown together. It's like one long breast with two nipples! http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=6q8cs1v&s=1

By the way, the two puppies in that picture are the two bridle females. It's so cool to watch the puppies grow and watch their colors develop and change! Before, all of the brindles looked about the same, now they all look very different. Here are the two brindle males now.. http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=855ui37&s=1 The white ones have grown a lot, but their coats are the same as they were to start with. But I love how all of the brindles look different now! :)

Answer
Thanks for writing me back! I was wondering about her today. I'm glad that all is well. Sometimes, it's best to be overly cautious.

I wouldn't put anything on them if everything is ok. Just keep them clean, and keep a good eye out like you're already doing. The last two breasts will be the biggest. I'd suggest making sure that the puppies use those first. If there any smaller puppies, put them on those breasts. Just make sure that the other get used as well. If a breast feels a little hard, put a puppy on that one. Once you feel the hardness go away, then make sure that all breasts get equal time.

The pups look great! Nice and fat. :-) Mom's doing a great job. Give them a couple of weeks. Their looks will completely change. This is the fun part of it! I'm partial to brindles myself. Thanks again for letting me know how it turned out. If I can help anymore, let me know!