Dog Community

Nutrition during pregnancy

Posted : 6/23/2006 12:18:51 AM

My dog is being bred on Sunday and I was wondering if there are any foods in particular that are especially good during pregnancy. I have done alot of research and gotten alot of good information but I understand that there are some breeders here and people that kow alot about nutrition, and thought you could offer some advice.

Visa is on a raw prey-model diet, and I don't give a great deal of fruit/veggies normally, but thought I would increase fuit and veggie intake during pregnancy for added nutrients. Are there any fruits and veggies in particular that are good for pregnant dogs? I also normally give her alot of herbs but am getting alot of conflicting advice on what herbs are safe to feed during pregnancy so have decided to only feed parsley as far as herbs go. Are there any herbs that are 100% safe to feed, and will benefit the puppies? I understand that lot of people will supplement their dog's diet with folic acid to increase fertility and strengthen the uterine muscles during pregnancy. I prefer to do things as naturally as possible and so have just been feeding her foods that are high in folic acid. Has anyone found this generally as successful as supplementing? I have several supplements that I normally feed her (not vitamins) -- alfalpha, kelp, bee pollen, etc. Is there anything else like this that will be beneficial? . I know not to feed liver for the first two weeks and to avoid high amounts of vitamin A and D in general throughout the pregnancy. Are there any other things I normally feed that should be avoided? I've read about things high in mercury, but have only seen the list of fish to avoid. Is there anything other than fish that is high in mercury?

Thanks in advance for any help. Though I grew up taking care of litters of young puppies, these were all rescued and I never dealt with the pregnancies. Visa's breeder and some very good breeder friends of mine have helped me so much with figuring this all out. I am keeping a puppy from this litter and want him to be as healthy as possible. The healthiest litter Visa's breeder had was raised on raw, and they all had the best temperments too (Visa's mommy was raised on raw, nicest Belgian I ever met).

Anyways, I could go on forever. I swear I'm more excited about the pregnancy than I am about the puppies! Then again, Visa and the puppies will not be here (I am getting a "replacement dog" for that time period [

] to train and socialise), so I will miss out on that whole experience anyways. I just get the pregnancy part lol. But that's okay, I'm not yet ready to deal with newborn puppies! [

] They take alot of time and patience, and I'm not experienced enough yet.

Dafne

Posted : 7/14/2006 10:07:58 AM

I am same with you. ^^ This is my pomeranians fourth time to be pregnant, we were hoping the third would be the last. The last time she only had one puppy and he did not make it. He had come out hind legs first, and I had no idea what to do. But yes, my aunt had mentioned something about nutrition...when we went to Mexico we were going to buy some, but forgetting as usual. But what I do know is to have water and food with her at all times. Outside, inside, if she has a room in there too. I suggest you change the water everyday, =) well..this advice was given from a site. But im just about asking the same questions you are.

papillon806

Posted : 7/14/2006 10:14:36 AM

I'm not an expert on raw diets, but I would definately say you need to supplement with a multi-vitamin (particularly one high in folic acid) and an extra calcium supplement (you can use dried eggshell powder or an OTC one).

brookcove

Posted : 7/14/2006 7:13:45 PM

Do you have a holistic vet with a strong background in nutritional experience? I strongly recommend that you at least find one for consultation, if not clinical care. Also, I believe Monica Segal offers specialized nutritional consultation. I would definitely look into some type of professional help if you are not confident feeding your (future) pregnant bitch. I have a friend who has done it on strict prey model but she used her resources as a research biologist and a nutritional spreadsheet with differing nutritional scales for each trimester.

shamrockmommy

Posted : 7/15/2006 9:06:28 AM

I agree with Becca. Consult a holistic vet who will help you come up with an appropriate diet for your bitch. I have heard that they need more carbs (raw prey model fed dogs).

I fed my bichon momma for one litter the Volhard diet and everyone did fantastic! The next litter I did kibble and it was not as great nutritionally as the first litter.

Be careful supplementing calcium- too much can cause her to become pre-eclamptic or eclamptic after birth, which causes stiffness, seizures, even death.
Go for a consult soon.

Good luck! Puppies are fun but tons of work.