A question about Duchess....

I have already spoken to the vets nurse yesterday, but still i would like some opinions from you all here, Duchess is very swollen with milk, she is about bursting, I know this must be uncomfortable for her, but I was told it will take up to week and just to keep an eye on each teat, to make sure there is no extra swelling or hotness etc, now i am far from an expert here, she does look very full and is sticking out each side, because of this situation she will be spayed tomorrow on the side, which is fine, but what i want to ask is there a pill or something the vet can give her to dry her up quicker with little side effects or is it just a waiting game, it is a shame we could not wean her babies off her, but it was the only thing we could do given the circumstances, shame too because at the shelter there are two week old babies with no mother being hand fed, and here she is overflowing with milk, still we can only do what we can can't we?

Would appreciate any other advice from anyone who has dealt with this before, thank you.

Carole,

Gee, that's a hard one. I think maybe your best bet is to ask the vet. Is there anyway you can put off spaying her and putting the 2 week old babies in with her to nurse??? That would be the most idealistic plan.

Keep us posted. ;)

just what i was going to say, nurse the 2wk kittens........

once one of my previous dogs got a fake preg and was bursting with milk (and there were no puppies to nurse i searched for orphans also) so i decided to "milk" her so she was more confortable and relieved after a few days she was back to normal.

Yes i know that would be ideal, but no i cannot do that, i just can't take the owners pet to the shelter for four weeks or so to feed other kittens, seems a shame i know to waste all that milk and Duchess would be a great foster mother too, but vicky would be lonely without her, she is in today at the vets for spaying, it has to be done, cannot delay it any longer as we dont want any more kittens and the stray Tom is hanging around her all the time, the vet checked her out and said she is fine, there is nothing in NZ to give her to dry it up, the vet is from Holland and she said they had pills over there, but she had found nothing here like that.

I feel she is in excellent hands and all will be well, it will just take time for them to go down, i have to take her back for her sutures to be removed in ten days, as the vet did not want to put in dissolvables in this case, so i trust her judgement, she will of course get a good check up then , mammary glands and all so that is for the best i think.

You could try a little hand expressing, which would relieve some of the pressure. However, really, when you think of it, many women go through this same thing when they decide not to nurse, and somehow survive! :p

Oh of course she will survive it, i was just hoping to make it a little less uncomfortable for her, with Humans and in Holland you can take pills to dry the milk up which probably lessens the discomfort I would think,, but still she will be ok, besides she is at the vets now being spayed, the vet checked her out and said although very full there is nothing to worry about,she will go back in ten days and we can see that everything is ok then too, so I am less concerned now.