my pregnant dog

[missstaffy]

Hey guys just wondering if any of you have dealt with a dog like mine and how to overcome these problems that are happening at this time.

My staffordshire bull terrier is due to have her puppies on the 7th nov 2005, she has been eating fine up until about 5 days ago. I have regarded the vet in this case but havent had what i would call statisfactory advice,so would be very gratefull if anyone knows of anything i could do to help keep her healty and happy during this time.

She was eating fine like i say up until about 5 days ago she eats little bits of her puppy food mix with adult food but about 1 quater of the amount she was eating before she was pregnant. I understand dogs do go off there food this far alone but am also aware they need a good diet during pregnancy and whelping and she should be eating at least 1.5 per cent more than what she was eating before but like i said she is eating alot less.

She will eat ready break witch is an oats breakfast here in the uk and will aslo eat chicken soup but this is no way enought to maintain her and the puppies throughout her pregnancy any one have any suggestions on what will keep her and pups maintained throughtout the next 2 vital weeks thank u

[Blaze]

It is quite common for pregnant dogs to go off their food throughout the pregnancy.

At this stage her stomach will only be able to handle very small meals. I fed my girl 4 smaller meals during the day.

It is best for her to have only puppy food (and high quality). You may need to find something that appeals to her and add it to her diet so that she wants to eat. With my girl she had chicken and salmon added to her kibble and that was pretty much the only way to make her eat.

Also have you tried hand feeding her? This seems to help a lot.

Have you tried adding the chicken soup to her normal food?

In most cases it won't last long and as I said it is common.

How is she with her fluids? You could try giving her puppy milk replacer which will also give her some added vitamins and is great for her health too.

Just keep an eye on her and make sure she stays hydrated. If you are really concerned I'd take her to a vet.

Good luck!

[Blaze]

And BTW welcome! We'd love to hear more about your dog and see pictures!

[missstaffy]

thank you for replying to my message just like to say this is the best site i have found on the internet so far and will be recommending it.

i have not yet tried hand feeding her but will do, i have mixed the things like soup to her meals and she will eat the soup and leave the food, i have a very good quaility puppy food witch i think has put her off her food before she was on this she was eating fine it is since we have changed the food. she is drinking well and i will try the puppy milk thank you how long does it usually last and she is at the vets monday 1 last thing thank you for welcoming me to this site and replying to this message

[Blaze]

Yep it is the best site and very addictive lol!

Maybe you could try blending her food or putting it in a food processor with the soup? I do that for Lilly (my girl) when she gets fussy. If it tastes like the soup she might like it more.

You can get the puppy milk-replacer from your vets. It's usually a powder which you make up following the directions and it's also good to have on hand for when the puppies arrive in case there was some reason you had to help feed them. You can feed it right up until she has them and also when she's feeding the babies it's good to keep giving it to her for the first couple of weeks.

Good luck at the vets! Do you plan to get an x-ray done?

[BratBoxers]

you can get this from drfostersmith.com vitacal or you can get this from most pet stores nutri-cal. i use this for all my females.

[missstaffy]

thank you. I dont think i will be getting an x-ray as i can not afford it and am not really that concerned on how many she is having, my main concern is to keep her and the pups healthy. I thank u yet again for the information as it is giving me more options and i dont feel like im in a no win situation. How long did lilly go off her food for and how long was she into her pregnancy

[missstaffy]

thanks sharky i will be regarding this as a must get

[Blaze]

That's ok! I didn't get Lilly an x-ray either as I didn't feel the need too.

Lilly started going off her food at 2 weeks pregnant, it lasted a few days and eventually I managed to convince her to have some. Then again at 5 weeks she became fussy for a while and I had to hand feed her several times a day etc. Plus at 7 or 8 weeks she went off her food yet again lol. I think you get the idea! As long as you are feeding them little, regular meals that are full of nutrients both her and the pups should be just fine! Try different meal ideas and the milk replacer too.

If you have any other questions we are happy to help!

Originally Posted by missstaffy

thank you. I dont think i will be getting an x-ray as i can not afford it and am not really that concerned on how many she is having, my main concern is to keep her and the pups healthy. I thank u yet again for the information as it is giving me more options and i dont feel like im in a no win situation. How long did lilly go off her food for and how long was she into her pregnancy

[missstaffy]

i get the idea thank u