I mated my female last Jan 11 and 14, 2011. By the first mating she should be about 46 days pregnant, the 7th week already.

Her appetite was better than pre-breeding for the 1st 3 weeks of pregnancy. Then she went through the normal vomiting and revulsion of food phase on her 4th week. She has widened a bit on the front and middle of her abdomen. Her front and middle chest is also thicker.

Post vomiting phase, her appetite returned but not as good as I've hoped. She now eats less than pre-breeding, only eating a cup of Go Natural Grain Free Endurance a day. She ignores the remaining 2 cups!

I'm worried because her appetite isn't as big as should be now that we're at a stage when puppy growth is the largest.

I offer her scrambled eggs at night which she gulps happily.

Is it because I've been feeding her eggs as advised at night that she waits for it and holds off her food? So should I quit the eggs and just leave her with the kibble food and take it away after 20 minutes to make her realize that she should eat what is given?

Can I be this disciplinary while she could be pregnant?

I always try giving anything at this stage. Fresh meat, chicken, mince,tripe, even egg as mine don't normally get that.
You could try the packsof nature diet too. Mine are normally fed kibble and a little meat and always go back to it afterwards but  hate to see them not eating well at this stage.
ON the basis she may not just fancy her normal food I'd try something special.
Good luck with the whelping.

> I always try giving anything at this stage. Fresh meat, chicken, mince,tripe, even egg as mine don't normally get that.
> You could try the packsof nature diet too. Mine are normally fed kibble and a little meat and always go back to it afterwards but  hate to see them not eating well at this stage.
> ON the basis she may not just fancy her normal food I'd try something special.
> Good luck with the whelping.

Thanks for the reply.

At this point I've mixed her kibble with Cerelac since she loves this stuff. I didn't give a lot of Cerelac though because I think it has milk, which not only might make her poopie but also may be overgenerous with calcium.

I'll probably mix softboiled eggs with her kibble so the liquid yolk can moisten the dogfood. Will get packs of wetfood tomorrow to mix in.

Hoping she won't get picky come lactation time post whelping.

The rapidly growing pups will be taking up alot of room in her abdomen and pushing on her stomach making her less able to eat a full meal, also kibble swells in the stomach which may be adding to her discomfort. The meals will need to be smaller and more frequent

Did you change her over to puppy kibble at 6 weeks, being higher in calories she doesn't need to eat as much to get the same or more calories she will need to produce plump pups without losing condition herself.

To tempt her to eat the kibble mix in some tinned meat, raw minced beef that has been frozen first or sardines/pilchards as a treat.

Like has already been said you will offer them anything to get them to eat, I have more of a problem post whelping to get them to eat and end up hand feeding at times.

Hope she gets her appetite back soon as it is a worry when they are pregnant.

> The rapidly growing pups will be taking up alot of room in her abdomen and pushing on her stomach making her less able to eat a full meal, also kibble swells in the stomach which may be adding to her discomfort. The meals will need to be smaller and more frequent
>
> Did you change her over to puppy kibble at 6 weeks, being higher in calories she doesn't need to eat as much to get the same or more calories she will need to produce plump pups without losing condition herself.
>
> To tempt her to eat the kibble mix in some tinned meat, raw minced beef that has been frozen first or sardines/pilchards as a treat.
>
> Like has already been said you will offer them anything to get them to eat, I have more of a problem post whelping to get them to eat and end up hand feeding at times.
>
> Hope she gets her appetite back soon as it is a worry when they are pregnant.

Hi

Thanks for the reply. Yup she's on a high-calorie formula, 500kcal a cup.

With multiple feedings, she wont touch her food in the morning. About 3pm she'd RELUCTANTLY eat her cup. At night she won't eat anything and I'd try again at around 10pm and she won't eat her kibble. I tried mixing 2 eggs in it. Didn't eat it so I chucked it out and replaced it with one soaked in Cerelac, which she usually loves. Not eating it and chucked it out again.

So I don't see how she's not hungry when all she ate was that 500kcal that afternoon. I doubt the multiple feeding strategy would work on her because she won't even eat her ONLY serving.

And when she was picky pre-breeding, she cant picky and she will have to wait for next feeding for her next meal of the same food. That usually worked. I tried it once and no, didn't work.

With her kibble, I've been strict about having at least a 5-star rating in dogfoodanalysis.com.
She always eats the Go Natural chicken variant but when she didn't wanna eat it, switched to Go Natural grain-free endurance. SHe enjoyed it once, 1 bowl. THe next days she won't eat it.

At this stage I offer foods as and when they will take it and anything they prefer if off their food.  I often find they may refuse food one minute and happily eat it an hour later, so I just offer it often through the day.

I don't know that brand, I use Royal Canin Reproduction Starter[ think they have changed the name now] from 6 weeks pregnant through to her getting back into shape post puppy rearing or the bag is finished, the pups are weaned on to it till 8 weeks old, the bits are very tiny, no worries of pups getting hold of Mums kibble and upsetting their stomachs.

Be careful giving dairy high calcium foods pre whelping as it can cause problems post whelping with her using her calcium supply leading to eclampsia or the pups will be bigger boned and may be harder to deliver naturally.

Post whelping I give goats milk to drink and yoghurt or cottage cheese mixed in with her kibble or on it's own once per day, I also have Calciboost supplement here should I feel she needs extra.

What is her weight doing, she should be gaining steadily at this stage but if she isn't then the pups will take what they need at the expense of her condition[ I myself vomited through all my pregnancy, 2 days before the birth I was 2 stone lighter than when I started and my son was 9lb, when he was 8 weeks old I was diagnosed with gallstones which explained the vomiting and pain,thought to have been the strain from the former , they are parasites and will take what they need]

Keep us posted on how she goes.

> I don't know that brand, I use Royal Canin Reproduction Starter[ think they have changed the name now] from 6 weeks pregnant through to her getting back into shape post puppy rearing or the bag is finished, the pups are weaned on to it till 8 weeks old, the bits are very tiny, no worries of pups getting hold of Mums kibble and upsetting their stomachs.
>
> Be careful giving dairy high calcium foods pre whelping as it can cause problems post whelping with her using her calcium supply leading to eclampsia or the pups will be bigger boned and may be harder to deliver naturally.
>
> Post whelping I give goats milk to drink and yoghurt or cottage cheese mixed in with her kibble or on it's own once per day, I also have Calciboost supplement here should I feel she needs extra.
>
> What is her weight doing, she should be gaining steadily at this stage but if she isn't then the pups will take what they need at the expense of her condition[ I myself vomited through all my pregnancy, 2 days before the birth I was 2 stone lighter than when I started and my son was 9lb, when he was 8 weeks old I was diagnosed with gallstones which explained the vomiting and pain,thought to have been the strain from the former , they are parasites and will take what they need]
>
> Keep us posted on how she goes

Go Natural is made by Petcurean, a Canadian brand of 5-6 star dog food. It's more on the pricey range of foods.

I just told my vet now about her predicament. On her 1st 3 weeks of pregnancy she ate her dogfood with gusto. During her 4th week, her morning sickness kicked in and she would not have any food at all. So I gave her some Cerelac and eggs to at least be sure she won't go acidic and starving.

Now that we're passed the morning sickness part, she got her appetite back but not for dogfood but for the eggs and Cerelac. My vet thinks its just her being picky after tasting eggs and stuff.

Will try to offer only kibble at this point, battle of wills. If she won't have it, she's not having any food till the next mealtime. IN your opinion, how long of a lapse of not eating is allowable at this stage of her pregnancy?

Like the others, I would be offering whatever and whenever to a pregnant bitch.  Mine love minced steak at this stage.  Given the fact that she will probably go off her dry food while rearing her litter, I already have them used to fresh chicken, sardines etc.

When she is rearing her pups she is going to need a far greater variety of food than she is getting now.  When her mouth is sore from cleaning pups she isn't going to eat kibble.

Edited to add - this must be the longest gestation period on record!

>Will try to offer only kibble at this point, battle of wills. If she won't have it, she's not having any food till the next mealtime. IN your opinion, how long of a lapse of not eating is allowable at this stage of her pregnancy?

I am horrified that you consider this to be a battle of wills.

I see you are not in the UK, the box where your countries flag should be is empty at least on my computer, everyone elses is showing up.

It may be a battle of wills with a non pregnant picky dog but you can't treat a pregnant one the same way[ I hope your vet didn't suggest those tactics], as I said before the pups will take what they need leaving Mum looking like skin and bone if she isn't eating and that is no condition to be able to produce milk for at least 4 weeks for rapidly growing pups, so please give her anything she will eat, eggs are a good source of protein and fat both of which will benefit her.

Have you got Nutro/vet drops, they are a good source of calories in a small amount of liquid, I give them through out labour to keep energy levels up.

Just thought, have you been worming her daily with Panacur 10% at the dose for pregnant bitches, some worms are triggered from a dormant state during canine pregnancy and a worm load can cause poor appetite because they feel bloated.

> I am horrified that you consider this to be a battle of wills.

Hi JeanSW. I was just kidding :P
Today she ate 2 and a half cups of her kibble.
She ate it but topped with some eggs and 2 teaspoons of Cerelac. She won't have it plain.

She seems to have little appetite on the mornings and respond to food only around 2pm and then again at 9pm.

Hi

Sorry for the battle of wills thing. I was kinda asking if this will work. Asked the vet just now and he recommends against it. He says just to give whatever she'll have.

She just ate a cup of dogfood now but it was swimming in Cerelac and 2 eggs.

My strategy now is to still keep her on dogfood and just add trimmings to make her eat.

Will go to the store to buy Nutri-Cal tomorrow.

Kinda wondering since multivitamins are somewhat discouraged, will the Nutri-Cal/Nutro drops be bad for her?

Pet Nutri-Drops is a superior combination of balanced glucose, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. These nutrients support life and are needed quickly to restore a crippled or non-functioning immune system.

Food and supplements normally require 8-14 hours for digestion. Nutri-Drops is the first and only supplement that does not require digestion. It shunts directly to the bloodstream in minutes, quickly restoring the immune system while other sources of nutrition are still in the digestion process.

It is measurable in the bloodstream within 10 minutes
50% is absorbed in 30 minutes
99% utilization.

Hope this helps, no calcium present

> These nutrients support life and are needed quickly to restore a crippled or non-functioning immune system.
>
> Food and supplements normally require 8-14 hours for digestion. Nutri-Drops is the first and only supplement that does not require digestion. It shunts directly to the bloodstream in minutes, quickly restoring the immune system while other sources of nutrition are still in the digestion process.
>

Wow, that's some claim!  Are you, by chance quoting the manufacturers? ;)

Thats what it said on a site that had it for sale, info showed there was no calcium so no fear of giving calcium during the pregnancy.

It does work quickly because I have given it to tired bitches in labour and sick dogs and both have perked up in no time, always have a bottle to hand and you don't need to give much, even a dog who has been vomiting all other fluids back can tolerate the small amount needed.

It was the claim regarding quickly restoring the immune system that I felt was a little wild :)

>Today she ate 2 and a half cups of her kibble.

Can I ask why you are not getting her used to the foods mentioned earlier, ready for when she stops eating kibble because it hurts too much?

> ready for when she stops eating kibble because it hurts too much?

That's not a definate though is it.  Mine have never had any difficulties continuing to eat dry food so it would never occur to me to accustom to something else.

Mine get their kibble soaked to a mush to get over that issue and to maximise water intake during the time when they are reluctant to leave the whelping box to drink.

They get about 4 times their normal intake almost from day 1, and other stuff is extra.

> Can I ask why you are not getting her used to the foods mentioned earlier, ready for when she stops eating kibble because it hurts too much?

Hi

THe kibble was soaked. All her life she never ate the dry stuff. It HAS to be soaked or else. But just to the right consistency. If it further becomes mushy, I think the taste gets so watered down.

And she bites like hell out of her chew bone so I don't see any pain. She's pregnant, not lactating and licking/cleaning pups so no mouth problems.

> Mine get their kibble soaked to a mush to get over that issue and to maximise water intake during the time when they are reluctant to leave the whelping box to drink.
>
> They get about 4 times their normal intake almost from day 1, and other stuff is extra.

I wish mine were as exuberant at eating as your doggie :P

My dog has always had less of an appetite in the mornings. Now that she's extra picky pregnant, she refuses to eat until about 2pm. Then she will eat until around 10pm.Odd schedule haha.

Right now my strategy is of course complete nutrition and Calories.
So about 2pm she gets 1.5 cups of grainfree food mixed with a pouch of puppy wet food. We're putting a bit of oil there and some honey just to boost the Calories.

About 9pm another 1.5 cups of grainfree food mixed with finely chopped scrambled eggs.

As a night cap, 2 tbsp of peanut butter.

I think you misunderstood both JeanSW and my post. 

Jean meant it is a good idea to get the bitch used to eating what she will be eating while rearing puppies.  Most of us change them over to whatever they are going to be rearing pups on when pregnancy confirmed.

As a breed mine eat very little normally compared to a lot of dogs of similar size, which is why they seem to eat so much more when nursing puppies.

Mine never get more than half as much again as normal, so instead of 200g (or less), it's 300g by the end of pregnancy, but they don't often have huge litters, most often 4 - 7 puppies, though occasionally big litters of up to 14 puppies have been known.  My own largest litter was 9.

I have never soaked their food normally, only soak it when they are nursing.

> I think you misunderstood both JeanSW and my post. 
>
> Jean meant it is a good idea to get the bitch used to eating what she will be eating while rearing puppies.  Most of us change them over to whatever they are going to be rearing pups on when pregnancy confirmed.
>
> As a breed mine eat very little normally compared to a lot of dogs of similar size, which is why they seem to eat so much more when nursing puppies.
>
> Mine never get more than half as much again as normal, so instead of 200g (or less), it's 300g by the end of pregnancy, but they don't often have huge litters, most often 4 - 7 puppies, though occasionally big litters of up to 14 puppies have been known.  My own largest litter was 9.
>
> I have never soaked their food normally, only soak it when they are nursing.

Hi

Will get them of the soaked kibble when she is done with nursing.

But now, I just bought different types of canned food to know what she'll prefer. Then that will be the topper to her kibble so she can at least still eat her normal food. Adding eggs and cheese, some cerelac.

DO you guys use fat drippings from pork? Or would that be too rich and land us with pancreatitis?

Hoping for the best.

> DO you guys use fat drippings from pork?

Just to confirm - pancreatitis would be my biggest worry, so would give it a miss (my personal opinion.)

Hi guys

Some updates.

My girl did eat her kibble when I topped it with canned food. That was last night.

Today she'll only eat the topping, which is driving me crazy.
So I mushed the meaty bits into the kibble so she can't pick. That's when she just quit picking and just sat there.

So I don't know what to do and I'm a bit mad at her. I mean how about her puppies?

What should I look for to see if she's healthy or beginning to be malnourished? Like for a pregnant dog, should I be warned when I'm starting to see ribs?

Thanks

When the puppies "drop" you may see spine, this will be more obvious in some breeds than others and the bigger the litter.

Before that happens the ribs and spine shouldn't be visable but you should be able to feel them without poking too hard as you would with a non pregnant dog.

My girls have always maintained a good weight and get weighed [I use the bathroom scales,weigh myself,then pick up the dog and subtract the lower weight from the higher] and girth measured weekly so I can spot if there is a problem sooner rather than later.I have more problems post whelping getting them to eat, everything has to be extra tasty, I boil chicken and use the broth for them to drink or poured over kibble as well as them getting the cooked chicken to eat, they get spoiled rotten then go back to normal diet no problem when their motherly duties are over.

So I don't know what to do and I'm a bit mad at her

   

This is a totally wasted emotion.  She does not know why you are mad!

  Forget kibble.  Try tasty food.  My recent litter had mum on steak, poached white fish, scrambled egg etc.  She will soon need this anyway to ensure she can rear her pups without sacrificing her own condition.  Instead of tinned dog food, try fresh chicken breast.  Anything to encourage her appetite.  She will soon be giving birth, and I free feed at this stage.

Don't mistake this for a battle of wills. You have no idea how she is feeling (and she is not doing it to upset you). As JeanSW said, let her have whatever she wants - I tried mine on raw chicken, roast chicken, fresh fish, the gruel recipe, porridge, anything to get her to eat. It was your idea to mate her in the first place, now it's your job to keep her happy lol.

> When the puppies "drop" you may see spine, this will be more obvious in some breeds than others and the bigger the litter.
>
> Before that happens the ribs and spine shouldn't be visable but you should be able to feel them without poking too hard as you would with a non pregnant dog.
>
> My girls have always maintained a good weight and get weighed [I use the bathroom scales,weigh myself,then pick up the dog and subtract the lower weight from the higher] and girth measured weekly so I can spot if there is a problem sooner rather than later.I have more problems post whelping getting them to eat, everything has to be extra tasty, I boil chicken and use the broth for them to drink or poured over kibble as well as them getting the cooked chicken to eat, they get spoiled rotten then go back to normal diet no problem when their motherly duties are over.

Thanks. We're visiting the vet again this week just to be sure nothing out of the ordinary is happening to her.

Her food now is 1 can of wet food with 1 cup of dogfood. So everything is mushy and wet. I can't really forgo the dogfood and would rather put  sidings in it mostly  because it is concentrated in terms of nutrition and calories.

Throughout the day I give peanut butter just to get Calories in there. Eggs as well.

Kindly asking for advise how much Calcium should she eat daily so I can limit it, since I don't want an oversupply of it. But she's crazy over Cerelac Chicken and Vegetable flavor. Each serving is 200mg of Calcium and she gets it once per 2 days.

> So I don't know what to do and I'm a bit mad at her
>
> <img src="/images/confused.gif" alt="confused">&nbsp; <img src="/images/confused.gif" alt="confused">&nbsp; <img src="/images/confused.gif" alt="confused">
>
> This is a totally wasted emotion.&nbsp; She does not know why you are mad!
>
> &nbsp; Forget kibble.&nbsp; Try tasty food.&nbsp; My recent litter had mum on steak, poached white fish, scrambled egg etc.&nbsp; She will soon need this anyway to ensure she can rear her pups without sacrificing her own condition.&nbsp; Instead of tinned dog food, try fresh chicken breast.&nbsp; Anything to encourage her appetite.&nbsp; She will soon be giving birth, and I free feed at this stage.

Copy that.
I know she doesn't know I'm mad but well, it kinda drives me a bit crazy LOL.

> Don't mistake this for a battle of wills. You have no idea how she is feeling (and she is not doing it to upset you). As JeanSW said, let her have whatever she wants - I tried mine on raw chicken, roast chicken, fresh fish, the gruel recipe, porridge, anything to get her to eat. It was your idea to mate her in the first place, now it's your job to keep her happy lol.

Yup.

I'm just wondering, isn't it only natural at this stage for her to be hungry? SOmewhat odd how she's less hungry compared to pre-breeding.

Yup  she'll get all the goodies today. I'll be shopping at the grocery in a few minutes to get yummy stuff.

The closer she gets, the less likely she will feel like eating because of the puppies pressing down. If she was well conditioned to start with
she will fine. As someone else said you would not increase the food so much they become overweight because that can make the birth process difficult. Think of animals in the wild who do not necessarily eat as regular as our domesticated animals because they get it where they can. Providing your bitch is well it is normal not to want to eat so much prior to whelping and post whelping. During these periods, you will need to encourage her to eat by tempting with extra special food which we have already said.
Hopefully all is well with her and the puppies but they will be getting all they need from well conditioned bitch.
I have had a greedy one that never stopped demanding food throughout pregnancy and others who could take or leave food for periods but would go for the special stuff.

> The closer she gets, the less likely she will feel like eating because of the puppies pressing down. If she was well conditioned to start with
> she will fine. As someone else said you would not increase the food so much they become overweight because that can make the birth process difficult. Think of animals in the wild who do not necessarily eat as regular as our domesticated animals because they get it where they can. Providing your bitch is well it is normal not to want to eat so much prior to whelping and post whelping. During these periods, you will need to encourage her to eat by tempting with extra special food which we have already said.
> Hopefully all is well with her and the puppies but they will be getting all they need from well conditioned bitch.
> I have had a greedy one that never stopped demanding food throughout pregnancy and others who could take or leave food for periods but would go for the special stuff.

Hi

Well today she just ate 2 pouches of wet food and 1 and a half cups of kibble. Which is nearly not enough for a pregnant dog like her.

Her belly isn't big, for 7 weeks and it's driving my crazy again. I know it's not the puppies pressing down. She used to be a good eater on the first 3 weeks of her pregnancy. When her morning sickness kicked in, she HATED food. After then her appetite came back A LITTLE and is still LITTLE today.

Yup I followed everything you guys said. I put drippings one day. She'll eat it. Next feeding she won't.
I put egg on her kibble and she'll love it. Next feeding she won't.
SO I tried wet food on her kibble and she ate it that day. Next day she won't.
So I bought another brand and put it on kibble and she'll eat it that day. Next day she won't.
Then another brand then another brand.

We end up eating just 1 to 1.5 cups a day with the topping on top. If we eat junk food at night she won't eat next morning.

And days where she wouldn't even eat until 10pm, even if it's an egg there or her favorite treats.

I know they are supposed to be hungrier by now but gosh it's not true for my dog.
She knows the rule of the house that when you get picky you get nothing, and we used to follow that pre-breeding and she ate it all.

Now I can't do that, of course as she's pregnant. And even if I put the yummy stuff she still won't have an appetite.
Unless we walk then she'll eat just another cup which is still not enough for me since I aim for Calories over cups. THe walk kinda negates some of the Calories she eats. I even put 3 tbsp of oil already in her kibble to cheat in 330 Calories, with 2 big tbsps of peanut butter for another 200.

I dropped the dry food off completely as my girl just wasn't interested. And yes, it is frustrating when they will eat something one day and not the next but imo you just have to go with it and try something else. Dogs often want what we are eating so I would be sitting down with roast chicken/steak/fish/eggs etc and letting her have some of that if she appeared interested (but don't beg her, she will probably be more keen if she thinks she isn't supposed to have any lol).