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Topic Dog Boards / Breeding / Bitch hardly eating
- By Chichi_chis [gb] Date 29.07.17 19:52 UTC
Hi me again :red: sorry if I'm posting too much but I wanted to ask if it's normal for a bitch who is 43 days maybe pregnant to hardly eat at all :sad:  she started to not touch her food at 4 weeks before that I fed her the way I always did and she ate as I have other dogs of the same breed she always eats due to the others wanting to share :lol: now she may eat a teaspoon of food a day I try really hard and I've tried so many foods like,chicken,eggs, pasta,ham,few different dog food and cat food,biscuits,pork etc anyway a lot more and nothing is this normal? She doesn't seem to have lost any weight wich I also don't understand she hasn't got a belly (scan next week) but under her ribs she's a bit bigger and has bigger teats? I'm just confused every book I read and online say by now your bitch will want more but it's not happening and I'm getting worried about the amount she eats any help would be really great
- By Chichi_chis [gb] Date 30.07.17 20:28 UTC
Today she didn't eat at all now I'm really worried should I go see my vet? I really wish she would just eat :cry:
- By Nimue [ch] Date 31.07.17 17:06 UTC
I don't know if it is "normal" for a bitch to stop eating at around 4 weeks into the pregnancy, but I and a friend of mine have both experienced this.  We both breed small breeds, though not the same ones.  My breed is one of the bichons.

After much experimenting and coaxing, we both had to finally resort to making the food into a paste by putting it in the blender, and then making small balls out of it, pushing these into her mouth and holding her muzzle closed until she swallowed.  (You cannot do anything like this with dry food.  You have to soak it.)  I know this sounds like something one wouldn't want to do, and indeed, I did not WANT to do this, but I kept it friendly, she understood, and I had to keep on with this for many weeks.  She was refusing ALL food, even the most delicious things you can imagine.  I couldn't let her go the rest of the pregnancy with nothing to eat!  Her poops were perfectly normal throughout, and she digested well.

So even though you may want to still wait and see if she will start to eat on her own again, take heart from the fact that - if worse comes to worse - you CAN feed her, you CAN oblige her to eat, you CAN stave off "starvation"!  Naturally, if she were not pregnant, then I wouldn't recommend this last resort procedure, but with puppies on the way, you don't don't have an unlimited amount of time to hold out.  And with a small breed, even less.

Of course there is a certain amount of coercion involved, but if you keep it friendly and happy, she won't misinterpret the procedure.  And BTW:  these females I've mentioned were not ill!  It all became normal again, sometime following the birth, but in the weeks leading up to the blessed event, there was nothing else to do!
- By Chichi_chis [gb] Date 31.07.17 22:17 UTC
Thank you for the reply, yes I understand it's not something we want to do at all but I have though of it as I'm been so worried about her she did finally eat today half of her food (at least it's something ) but I wish she would eat more I'm not too worried as she drinks water and eats bits I'm hoping she will carry on tomorrow with eating her food.
As although she hasn't been eating she doesn't seem to have lost weight just worries me lol not used to the i don't want to eat all my dogs love love food :lol:
- By monkeyj [gb] Date 01.08.17 11:09 UTC

> As although she hasn't been eating she doesn't seem to have lost weight


This would be expected as she has puppies growing inside her. So it's their weight you are registering now as well as her own weight :smile: Had she been eating she would have been gaining a little.

Would she be interested in a Kong stuffed with food and something very smelly (and as such appetising)? Or eat together with humans at the table?
- By Chichi_chis [gb] Date 01.08.17 16:11 UTC
We have a few kongs and haven't actually though of using them for her if it's a challenge I wonder if she would eat... thanks I never would of though of it I ussally stuff them with peanut butter lol yes I tried that but unfortunately she only really eats if we leave her alone so I fill a bowl with a few different foods and hope that she eats :smile:
- By Nimue [ch] Date 01.08.17 16:54 UTC
Have you tried truly cooking for her?  Suppose you were to mix chopped, cooked chicken with chopped, cooked potatoes or sweet potatoes, throw in something like chopped chicken liver, put a little bouillon over it, a dollop of heavy cream....  :razz:
- By Chichi_chis [gb] Date 01.08.17 22:50 UTC
Hi we have tried and cooked fresh chicken breast for her plus eggs and pork and pasta she loves pasta with a bit of sauce,she was always a bit picky my fault don't like to buy dog food really, i have it as a back up so I mainly cooked fresh food for them and they often turn up their noses at dog food :lol: that sounds really nice making me hungry and I'm in bed haha but yes I will try that and get some sweet potatoes to mix with chicken I reckon she will love that she's actually started to eat since yesterday I've been just giving her anything she wants due to the fact she didnt eat for a while hopefully that's the end of starving herself bless she's my baby and it's been hard watching her not want to eat, oh I am also gonna try liver never have before hopefully it's a hit thanks again :grin:
Topic Dog Boards / Breeding / Bitch hardly eating

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