How to Dry Up a Dog's Milk Supply

To know when a female dog naturally stops producing milk, we need to understand the weaning process in dogs. In typical circumstances, a dog will cease lactating once her puppies have been weaned, meaning they have transitioned from breastfeeding to solid food. Weaning should be a natural, gradual process, ideally occurring between 4-8 weeks after birth.

Even post-weaning, a dog mother might continue nursing her litter for up to 10 weeks. However, this is generally not advisable since it can strain her health. If the puppies are to be adopted, they should be ready for new homes in about two months and should start to be weaned by weeks 3-5.

When weaning is conducted correctly without complications, the mother's milk supply should naturally decrease and dry up as the process advances. Milk production in dogs is often demand-driven, meaning it depends on how much her pups need.

To assist the drying process, you can begin separating the puppies from their mother a few hours before feeding them solid food, encouraging them to eat more. Even if they suckle again, they will consume only small amounts of milk, signaling the dog's body to reduce milk production. As the puppies increasingly consume solid food, they will eventually cease breastfeeding, leading to the drying up of the mother's milk supply.

For more information on weaning and separating puppies from their mother, you can explore this article on weaning and diet for puppies and another on the right age to adopt a puppy.

Before considering how to stop a dog from producing milk, a veterinarian must confirm that this measure is necessary. Under normal circumstances, abruptly stopping milk production is not advisable. Puppies should ideally feed on breast milk during their initial weeks of life. The act of pups suckling at the dog's breasts stimulates milk flow.

The mother dog may aid this stimulation by licking her breasts. You can also assist in this milk production by palpating the area. Without stimulation, the dog will eventually stop producing milk, typically around three days after stimulation ceases, aligning with the natural weaning process outlined earlier.

There are uncommon situations where expediting the drying up of the dog's milk supply can be beneficial. This could be due to the mother dog's health issues, stillborn puppies, or premature removal of puppies, among other reasons. Below are some remedies to help dry up your dog's milk faster, but you should always consult a vet before proceeding with them.

Reduce food and water intake

One method to help dry up a dog's milk is to reduce or restrict her food intake. During the course of a dog's pregnancy and while breastfeeding, a mother dog's daily food ration should be increased at certain times. This is because she requires more energy for milk production. Conversely, reducing food and water intake can aid in drying up the dog's milk supply.

While reducing food and water can help dry up milk supply, it needs to be executed in a manner that safeguards the dog's health and well-being. You can withhold food for up to 24 hours, but no more. After this period, feed her half of her usual food ration. The following day, feed her a little less. After day three, gradually increase the food over the next couple of days until it returns to normal, reverting her to her pre-pregnancy diet.

Use an E-collar to stop stimulation

If you notice your dog excessively licking her breasts, thereby continuing to stimulate milk flow, you can take measures to prevent this. The most effective way is to use an Elizabethan collar, also known as a pet cone or E-collar. This will physically prevent her from licking her breasts. It may also provoke stress, producing hormones that help dry up her milk faster. However, if your dog is showing visible signs of stress, this can be counterproductive to her overall health.

Feed your dog parsley

Parsley is a well-known natural remedy for drying up the mammary glands. It is believed to reduce prolactin levels, which can help decrease milk supply in lactating humans^[1]. Since prolactin is also responsible for milk production in dogs, and parsley is safe for dogs, consuming parsley for a few days could help dry up a dog's milk. Keep in mind that only leaves and stalks should be used, as parsley oil and seeds are toxic. You should always consult a veterinarian before trying natural food-based remedies. If you are wondering how to give your dog parsley, here is a recipe for dogs using carrots and parsley.

False pregnancy, or pseudopregnancy, occurs when a dog's body believes gestation is taking place, even though this isn't the case. This typically results from hormone imbalances. Dogs experiencing a false pregnancy may develop maternal behaviors, such as caring for a toy as if it were a puppy or even producing milk.

If false pregnancy is accompanied by lactation, you can try the home remedies described above to dry up the dog's milk supply. Keeping the dog distracted and using withdrawal dolls have also shown to be useful. The best way to prevent your dog from experiencing a pseudopregnancy and unnecessary lactation is to have her sterilized.

If you want more information about false pregnancies, here is an article explaining how to diagnose, remedy, and prevent phantom pregnancy in dogs.

Medication to dry up a dog's milk supply

While pseudopregnancy can often resolve without complications, sometimes a vet may need to prescribe medication to stop the dog from producing milk. These medications, such as cabergoline, have an anti-prolactin effect and dry up milk in the mammary glands. Diuretics such as furosemide for dogs can also be administered to halt milk production.

In certain cases, vets might even use mild tranquilizers to help stop a dog's milk supply. While these treatments will halt lactation, they don't prevent false pregnancies from recurring. The only definitive solution to pseudopregnancy and related milk production in dogs is to have them sterilized.

Pills to dry up a dog's milk may also be prescribed if the puppies are born dead, die suddenly, or are given up for adoption before being fully weaned. Medication isn't usually the first resort when helping a dog stop milk production, but you should always follow the advice of a trained professional, whether you decide to use clinical medications or home remedies.

In some very specific cases, you may have to stop milk production in a dog that has just given birth, preventing her from feeding her whelps. This is only if the mother dog suffers from a health problem that could worsen her condition or be transmitted to the pups through her breast milk. Such cases are rare, and only a veterinarian can decide on this measure. Unless instructed by the vet, never stop a new mother dog from producing milk, as breastfeeding is essential for her puppies' survival.

If your dog suffers from any of the following diseases, a veterinarian may require you to stop breastfeeding and lactation:

• Eclampsia: this disease is characterized by a decrease in calcium levels. Its onset can be very sudden, and symptoms can include panting, restlessness, spasms, and even seizures. The bitch will require urgent veterinary treatment, and intravenous calcium is often administered. Usually, puppies are removed until the female recovers. In some cases, breastfeeding can be continued if the dog receives oral calcium supplements. However, if the symptoms return, breastfeeding should be stopped, and lactation suppressed.
  
  
• Acute septic mastitis: mastitis in dogs is a breast infection causing swelling in the breasts and intense pain. The milk secreted may appear different from normal. This infected milk can be toxic to the puppies, who should be removed and fed artificially. The vet will normally prescribe antibiotics to cure the infection. The milk can be gently extracted from the breasts after softening them with hot compresses. This should help decrease production, dry up the milk, and aid the dog's recovery.
  
  
• Acute metritis: metritis is a bacterial infection in the uterus that can prove fatal. Symptoms include fever, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, and smelly lochia. If the dog is too sick to feed her puppies, you will have to ensure they have a proper diet. A dog with metritis usually requires hospitalization, and the infection and separation from her pups will cause her milk to dry up.

Although humans use breast pumps to extract extra milk for feeding, they are not commonly used in dogs. This is partly because they are employed at the owner's discretion for keeping milk aside and reducing the often painful buildup of unexpressed milk. There are some very important practical reasons why using breast pumps on dogs is not a good idea:

• Improper equipment: a human breast pump is specifically designed for the human nipple. Dog nipples have a different structure, meaning the apparatus will not work effectively on the dog.
  
  
• Potential harm: the apparatus will not only be ineffective, but it can cause harm if used on the dog. This could result in damage to the nipples or breast tissue when used excessively. Since the breast pump will not work well, guardians may use them for prolonged periods to extract more milk. Damage to any breast or nipple tissue can lead to secondary bacterial infection.
  
  
• Incompatible with dog lactation: human and dog lactation do not function in the same way. Extracting milk with the pump will continue stimulating the dog's milk production, counterproductive to drying up her milk supply.

For these reasons, you cannot purchase a dog breast pump designed for canines. The closest tool might be canine breast pump syringes. These are sometimes used to extract colostrum to feed the runt of the litter. They can be helpful when extracting small amounts, but they should not be used excessively as this can result in harm.

Learn more about potential harm that can occur due to a dog breast pump with our article on why my dog has swollen breasts.

This article is purely informative. AnimalWised does not have the authority to prescribe any veterinary treatment or create a diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian if they are suffering from any condition or pain.

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