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Originally Posted by luckylady  It is also normal for mom to pant a bit. Nursing the pups takes alot out of them and also, if you have a heating pad in the box they're in, she could be overly warm causing her to pant also. Halle had a singleton puppy 2 weeks ago and I remember for the first night or two, she panted quite a bit, but their bodies get used to it after a few days. Calcium tabs is also a good idea especially with a litter of five to keep up the milk supply for.
Congrats to you & Maisey! |
Here's some information to help you keep eclampsia at bay.....
Okay to hold it at bay, so it never comes at all… forget everything about giving tums, cottage cheese, cheese, icecream.. etc. It’s useless. The body needs the calcium to be delivered with the correct ratio of Vit D and Phosphorus or it doesn’t absorb it, it’s useless. Pet Cal has this correct ratio. Another thing that has it is, believe it or not.. a scrambled whole egg! Of course everyone knows not to start calcium until the litter is whelped.. no giving it to PG bitches… I do give some calsorb during whelping If things slow down on a larger litter, but never before whelping. Make it a general practice to scramble your bitch an egg every day, and depending on weight, give ½ to a whole pet tab per day. I gave it to a 8 lb bitch ½ in the morning ½ at night…this is the “daily dose” for about a 20 lb dog who was NOT nursing a litter…so just fine for ½ the size, but nursing a litter. I would grind up the pet tab in the food processor and put the powder in the egg when I scrambled it.
Also, check your dog food for Soybeans, soy protein, or anything related to soy in any way. For SOME reason that is not completely understood by me (many menopause supplements contain soy, or are soy based, so this seems to be a contradiction).. soy protein can interfere with the absorption of calcium in dogs. If your food has soy of any sort, change to a food that does not for the duration of the weaning of the litter.
Something else to keep in mind, make sure that you keep on eye on her breasts, make sure pups are nursing equally on all of them. You may have to move pups around yourself. Always wipe your girls breast with a warm wash cloth at least 3 or 4 times a day.....I just make it a practice to wash her private area and breasts after she's gone potty and before I put her back in with her pups.