Hi, hard to know where to start! I have decided to breed my girl for the first time (first time experience for both) she is currently 47 days since first mating. Terrier group. I had her scanned at 34 days which confirmed pregnancy. I have been constantly researching everything and have the book of the bitch. I hope I’m doing it all right but the different views of information is overwhelming. A couple of questions I have at the mo if anyone can advise. My girl has been very picky on her food and has started completely refusing her usual smaller more frequent meals. I have been daily cooking her chicken with rice or pasta mince with the same. Is this enough for her? Is there anything else I can try? Also I am really struggling to get panacur down her without stressing her. I have also tried it in her food but she cleverly leaves the bit with it in. Also when should I see or feel the pups moving around her belly? Many thanks

Re the Panacur I find holding the muzzle loosely closed, put the tip of the syringe between back teeth and dose keeping mouth closed and stroking the neck until swallowed.

Re food I find you need to offer it at different times.  I find they may refuse it and then happily eat in another hour.

With the Panacur, I mix it in with something smelly and irresistible like the juice from a tin of sardines...

Thanks for the ideas on Panacur. I can’t believe I didn’t think of the sardines. That’s great I will give it a go tomorrow.

Should I be concerned about no noticeable movements of the pups yet? Or is this normal?

Thanks

You'd usually not see movement from the puppies until around week 7, so probably any day now.   I never wormed our bitches after being mated - all that (including making sure boosters were up to date) was done prior to mating.   And then mum was wormed again at 2 weeks after the puppies were born, when they were first wormed.

I've always had a problem with Panacur and pregnant bitches.  I use white fish poached in milk, and add the Panacur before serving up.  They do it to punish us for getting them pregnant. 

Thanks for your reply MamaBas, do I not need to give her Panacur then as she was up to date with working and boosters prior to mating?
Thanks Jean good idea about cooking with Milk, the sardines worked today but I don’t think I should give her them daily. I don’t mean to sound stupid but can I give her fish daily as this seems to be the only way also it’s helping getting some food down her .

Thanks

> do I not need to give her Panacur then as she was up to date with working and boosters prior to mating?

If she was wormed (working?) and utd with boosters before being mated, I'd say no.   I never did - just the worming at 2 weeks after whelping - as said, when the puppies should first be wormed.

If she is being really picky with food then you do just have to pander to her and feed her whatever she wants (as long as it's not calcium (cheese/dairy) or liver) - but feeding her sardines frequently is fine.  They are a little fish so they are not going to have high mercury content like tuna etc...

Sardines are high in omega 3 which is important for building puppy brains and nervous systems - which are almost entirely omega 3 (as are ours), so I'd say this is a pretty healthy thing to give her if it's what she wants to eat.  You might also be able to mix in some other stuff with the sardines, and smuggle in some more nutrients to her.

I wouldn't cook with milk during pregnancy (any sort of milk), because it contains calcium and we don't want to be adding calcium to a pregnant bitch's diet - as excess calcium during pregnancy can cause eclampsia.  We want to feed a ratio of no more than 1.1:1 or 1.2:1 calcium to phosphorus during pregnancy to help reduce the risks of eclampsia after whelping.  After whelping, give all the calcium you like - although I'd recommend goats' milk products rather than cows' milk because of the lactose in cows' milk and how that can lead to diahorrea for many bitches.

With worming, my personal take on it is that I prefer not to give any drugs during pregnancy at all - no matter how safe they are supposed to be.  However, if I had a bitch which was a rescue and whose worming was an unknown, a bitch I knew had had worms in the past at any point, or a bitch I'd homed as an adult so had an incomplete history on, then I probably would worm during pregnancy.  With my own bitches, I know they have been wormed throughout their lives and have never seen worms in their stools or stool tests and I'm pretty confident that even if a few do slip through, it won't do harm before pups are first wormed at 3 weeks. 

However many people do worm during pregnancy with Panacur and without any probs, so if you decide to go that route I don't think that is a big deal either.  Horses for courses.