hi all my friends dog is 5 weeks pregnant today, can you tell me when she is mean't to be giving her rapberry leaf, and where can she buy it from?
at 5 weeks pregnant now what signs will there be to say she is pregnant. as i live quite away from my friend i haven't seen her dog, but she says she is licking her back end a lot and her tummy seems to be a bit harder than normal.
any more signs should she be looking for?

many thanks

angela x x x

Hi Angela..  You can buy rapberry leaf at most herbal shops eg: Barretts and Holland. I would tell your friend to get her scanned at her vets as she is 5 weeks they would be able to tell. Ask her also to look at her vulva....is it still swollen. Sometimes you can see from the outline of a bitch when she is sitting down also her teats would have changed but the best thing would be to get her scanned. Hope this helps

Maybe this sounds daft but what is raspberry leaf used for ?? as im wondering if i should be using this as my girl is 6 weeks in whelp

rasberry leaf is ment to aid an easy delivery. it comes in tablet form or in a herbal tea you buy it from holland and barret.
i took it and went 3 weeks early and had a 2/3hr labour so it seemed to wrk.
it can be used on woman or bitches in whelp :)

If you do a search on here Kwacker you will see all the pros and cons of Raspberry leaf. It is supposed to make labour easier. I used it on my bitch and had a trouble free whelping but she's not a breed known for problems whelping anyway. Many women take it and swear by it too.

I used it when I was due with my daughter, but it tasted foul and as she was 4 days overdue I can't really say it helped.  Recommend the tablet form if anyone is going to try it....

You mustn't use it too early as it is supposed to encourage labour to start, so if it does work then you obviously shouldn't try giving it to your bitch too early.

Helen

I've tried it once with one of my dogs and I'd never try it again.  It was the worst pregnancy and delivery that any of my dogs have ever had :rolleyes:

This is what Dorwest Herbs say about Raspberry Leaf:-

A traditional herbal remedy for the symptomatic relief of problems associated with whelping and kittening and an aid in the prevention of pseudo-pregnancy in dogs and cats

Due to its action as a uterine tonic, this well known birth aid has been used for hundreds of years to help ensure an easy and straightforward delivery. Many bitches and queens who have previously experienced problems have subsequently had normal easy births with the aid of this tablet. The tablets should be given from the third week of gestation and continued until one week after delivery to help ensure complete afterbirth expulsion.

Raspberry Leaf tablets are effective in the prevention of phantom pregnancy. Bitches who are prone to this condition should be given the recommended preventative dose from the first sign of coming into season and continued for twelve weeks as a preventative measure.

The un-coated tablets may be crushed for easy administration to cats and the smaller breeds of dog.

thanks alot for all your replies i will lwt my friend know to get some.

angela x  x x

My oldest daughter used it when she was pregnant she had a bad labour and delivery and our grandaughter was only 6lb 1 oz its the worst delivery i have seen. our grandaughter is now 8 years old and my daughter said she wouldn't have any more children unless they would give her a C section. I wouldn't use it on any of my dogs and certainly wouldn't advise any of my daughters to use it.

I personally wouldn't use it again.

i used raspbery leaf on one of my bitches, and i found it made her stools really loose [ and green]. so i now use liquid parrafin 2wks before whelping, which i found works really well considering my breed daxis are prone to being bad whelpers, although my friend has just rang and said she couldnt believe how easy her bitch has just whelped 1 pup and she was on raspberry leaf so i suppose it is trial and error as to which one suits.

I managed one cup full when Archie was due and it tasted so foul I'd rather have a painful labour than drink it :D