Item from the Halifax Daily News....

SUDBURY, Ont. (CP) - When Ron Joly found a litter of six abandoned kittens
in the woods behind his northern Ontario home, he never imagined his dog,
Pixie, would end up nursing them to health.
About a week ago, Joly brought the three-week-old kittens home after hearing
them crying in the woods behind his house.
His dog Pixie's interest was immediate. At first she just licked and nosed
the little animals, but what happened next was astonishing.
"Within 24 hours we found that she had started lactating and feeding them.
She cared for them like a mother would."
Veterinarian Carolyn Lariviere says while the situation is unusual, it's not
unheard of.
"There have been stories of dogs nursing everything from kittens to
raccoons," she said.
The act of nursing stimulates milk production in some animals even if they
have not first had their own offspring, she said.

Joan
**********
Joan MacNeil, RN, BScN, IBCLC, PNC(C)
Halifax NS Canada
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