my little girl who maybe 4 wks pregnant has stopped eating. ive now tried 4 different types of food to encourage her but with no luck. she will still eat treats and fresh chicken but i dont want to feed her totally on chicken not only will this prove to be expensive but i dont want her to become fussy. is it normal for a small breed to go off their food so earlier on in their pregnancy(if she definately is). she is showing signs of pregnancy such as a very small rounded belly. i wormed her last week so i know this isnt the problem and she is still happy and playful any suggestions please.

Around this time of pregnancy many bitches feel sick so therefore go off their food. With mine I offer them the very best whatever it is, to encourage them to eat. Later on she will get fussy again as many bitches do in advanced pregnancy, and then when pups are born they often don't want to eat as they are too occupied with looking after the pups,so again I feed whatever is good quality and that they want to eat -it doesn't mean they will become fussy and won't ever eat as normal agan. They can go back to normal feeding when the pups are weaned. :)

hi marianneB thanks for your reply. i thought she may feel a bit sicky i know i did when i was pregnant lol. anyway i will continue to give her what she wants im finding little and often is better for her she wasnt a very big eater before thank you again

Hi - I don't wish to alarm you but I didn't think pregnant bitches should be wormed until at least day 40.  I was under the impression that the only safe wormer to use was Panacur from day 40+.  I thought any other wormers should only be used pre-mating - perhaps another poster may be able to advise.

The only safe wormer to use on gestating bitches is Panacur 10% from day 40 til 2 days post whelp. Any other wormers should have been given at the usual times and a week before mating (well thats how I do it).

Ask your vet about what the main concerns are with regard to using other wormers during pregnancy, especially in the first few weeks. It should have been stated in the instructions about suitability(or otherwise) for pregnant bitches.

Back to the original question, its probably just the equivilent to our morning sickness. Nothing to be concerned about.

try her  with some  chicken if not   i found  my bitch  liked cheese at this stage of pregnancy

I had one bitch who was obviously hungry, but if you gave her a bowl of 'normal' dog food (i.e. anything meat based) you could virtually see her turn green and her stomach turn. Gave her rice pudding for the time that the sickness lasted and then she went back to a normal good quality food.

M.

hi thanks for your reply and concern. the wormer i used did say it could be given to a bitch at 3 weeks gestation checked instructions before using it. niik