Von Tasz Shepherds

Sunday night (11/18/07), we were awakened by Kyla. She was distressed because she couldn't get the pups to settle down. They kept crying and crying, even after being nursed. I immediately noticed that the nipples on her one side were completely collapsed - her milk was drying up! The very next morning, I called Kyla's reproduction Specialist and he indicated Kyla's milk was not re-generating, which sometimes happens when only one or two pups are born. He wanted us to start tube feeding them immediately and then transition the pups over to Pebbles once she had her pups - taking them permanently away from Kyla! I then spoke to a dear friend of mine who has lots of "on the farm" knowledge and experience. She said that she would start giving Kyla an Oxytocin shot every day for a week. (Oxytocin is a hormone that is released when pups nurse, causing more milk to be produced). She had to do this when Kyla's mom had her last litter C-section. I liked this idea much better since Kyla is such a good mom and we absolutely hated the idea of taking the pups away from her. So, that day, we started tube feeding every 4 hours and giving Kyla Oxytocin. By Wednesday, late afternoon, her milk had come back in and so we discontinued the feedings and the shots on Thanksgiving Day. Kyla's got more than enough milk and the pups are both up to 2 pounds each - double their birth weight. (Heck, they have gained a full 1/4 pound since yesterday!)