My puppy's mom excessively licked his genitals raw. What to do?

I would try to stop Mo from licking around the puppy's vulva. Separate them if they you cannot be there to intervene. He may introduce bacteria or create inflammation if he continues to lick. There is a chance your puppy has a urinary tract infection or vaginitis that is causing Mo to want to lick the area. I'd recommend having the puppy examined and her urine sample checked to ensure she does not have an issue. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

You may have to put little clothes on them so they cannot suck each other. If mama does not have mastitis anymore, you could try giving them back to her so they can suckle her. She may even start to lactate again. (And make sure you monitor her well so she does not get mastitis again) Unfortunately puppies need the suckling for comfort so they will look for something warm to suckle whenever they can.

This looks like an infected wound. It's possible Compton did this himself, meaning no trauma like a bite wound. It is unlikely to be related to his reproductive abnormality, I cannot tell what caused him to start licking this area but allergies would be a concern. Because of how deep and raw it looks I recommend having your veterinarian do an exam and Compton will likely need antibiotics and maybe steroids to help this clear. In the meantime keep his area clean and dry and have Compton wear an ecollar to prevent him from any further licking.

I’m so sorry to hear that. Clean the wound now with water and mild soap. Get some saline wound wash (PLAIN SALINE) from a pharmacy and use the wound wash to thoroughly wash the wound twice a day. I would recommend that you use a [wound care product](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-antimicrobial-pet-wound-and-skin-hydrogel) daily as well. It would be best to keep momma dog from licking it, and the only way to do that is to place an e-collar (cone) on the momma dog so she can’t reach to lick it. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything you can safely give over the counter for pain. Please do not give aspirin or any other baby formulated pain relievers. This wound is at high risk of getting infected, and at such a young age that could become very serious very quickly. I understand if you need to try to manage the wound at home for financial reasons, but if the skin around the wound is getting increasingly inflamed, or if the puppy isn’t eating or is acting lethargic, you need to try to arrange to get the puppy seen by a veterinarian somehow. Otherwise he could become septic and this could result in death. As long as the pup is eating, is vocal and alert, it is reasonable to manage as described at home, but please keep a very close eye on this puppy. Thanks for asking PetCoach!

Some new moms tend to be nervous and overattentive to the puppies, especially if this is Lacey's first litter. Some overzealous bitches will end up injuring the puppies, or lick/clean them so often they don't have adequate time to nurse. This behavior often improves after the first several days. I would recommend having someone monitor Lacey and the puppies at all times if there is any sign that she may be too rough. You could also try a pheromone like Adaptil or a supplement like Zylkene (safe for lactating bitches). If Lacey seems to be panting frequently, having trouble breathing, or shaking you should have her seen by your vet - these signs along with anxiety can be seen with low calcium.

You will need to separate Misty from the others or there could be serious damage to the other puppies' genitalia. This is probably from being separated from mom at a young age. You could try giving Misty a stuffed animal or a blanket to redirect her - she may suckle on these things instead.

Poor girl. It appears they may have a bacterial infection on the skin. This can be due to trauma to the skin or a weakened immune system stemming from just giving birth. The puppy also may have had an abrasion that occurred during the birthing process. This doesn’t seem urgent at the moment and can wait until Monday to have your vet address this issue. A short course of antibiotics and topical treatment from your vet should be able to resolve this. In the meantime you can try cleaning it with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water or Chlorhexidine 3% diluted. Thes are effective antiseptics used in dogs. Best of luck with Mom and her pups. I hope everyone’s skin issues resolve soon. Best wishes and take care.