What calcium do you give to your girls during whelping?
Do you prefer giving her ice cream, cheese etc or supplements? And if so what brand of supplements do you recommend? I've read a lot of negative comments on Collo Cal D

Calcium delivered by food just won't provide enough. For example, a 50lb bitch would need 27 cups of vanilla ice-cream daily - to deliver enough calcium.

Supplements are the only way. I don't know of a good (balanced) supplement in the UK. Collo Cal D is hard to dose because it refuses to tell you what type of calcium it is. Which you need to know, to get the dosage right.

I import Doc Roys Healthy Bones from the US as my calcium source.

None.   Our bitches had their normal good quality maintenance food through their pregnancies, reducing the bulk towards the due date and providing small high-protein food rather than the normal 2 meals a day, depending on how big they got

Once whelped, and again depending on how many puppies they were providing for, I'd add cottage cheese, scrambled egg to their meals as well as for the puppies through the weaning stage.    I had calcium on hand, should they go to eclampsia although only once did that happen and I gave her what the vet provided.

Was a time, way back in the day, when we in Bassets would use 'Stress'.   I don't even know if that's still available.  It is - https://www.viovet.co.uk/Vetzyme-Stress-Powder/c43606/?quick_find=269455&utm_source=sag&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces_UK&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6ZHVwszu7wIVGvhRCh3kvQqlEAQYAiABEgJY9PD_BwE

Thank you, that's really helpful.

Does Doc Roys Healthy Bones tell you how much to give and how often?

Ah brilliant, thank you I'll take a look at those.

On a separate note, have you ever needed / used PuppyStim and Life Drops for pups?

If you live in the UK, you won't be able to get Doc Roy's Healthy Bones. I just got someone on holiday in the US to have some ordered to their hotel room. They won't ship here.

I think you will be limited to purchasing calcium supplements online or in a pharmacy. I would highly recommend joining Avidog.com monthly membership scheme, just one of the many helpful things they have, is a calcium calculator - which will tell you how much you need of every different type of calcium :)

Just had a look online, shipping is very expensive and it'll take around two weeks delivery anyway. Will take a look at the Avidog website thank you.

In 40+ years I've never given calcium to any of my girls.  Same as MamaBas.

Showing my age, I remember Stress very well.  I used to give it to the Cavies who are prone to toxaemia.

> Showing my age, I remember Stress very well

Me too, and bone meal

Hi,
I've gone through onto avidog website as you've mentioned it a lot and I can't find the membership page or how to join etc.
Can you point me in the right direction, there is 2 different login areas but nowhere about signing up. Everything you've mentioned on this forum about the site seems very interesting

I think it's going through a period of change at the moment. Gayle, who runs it, has just joined up with Good Dog (which is like a US version of ChampDogs but with higher standards for breeders to be listed) to run their breeder education department. So I think the courses are probably moving over to Good Dog. You can see more info here: https://www.avidog.com

Good Dog is also going international and UK breeders will be able to be listed there.

Thanks, it says Avidog is closing so I wasn't being stupid lol

I'll keep an eye on the Good Dog