You should be able to get Nutri-Cal at the pet store. PetSmart has carried it but I think someone on here mentioned that they now carry some other product instead that's basically the same. Given her pickiness, I don't think supplementing her with some would be a bad thing at this time. Your vet may also carry it or a similar product.
Liver is an organ meat and is very nutrient dense, but is also very rich. That's why I cautioned you about giving it to her exclusively. I have a girl that gets picky with every pregnancy and liver is the one thing she eats without fail. Some don't tolerate it as well but you can try giving a few bites of it along with her other food if you still have some of it. She may need smaller meals fed more often at this time to avoid stomach upset.
Scrambled eggs and chicken are good, too. Really, it's a matter of finding something for her to eat as she needs the extra nutrients in these last couple of weeks. She needs to have some carbs, too, and can get them in either rice or potatoes. The carbs convert to sugars which her body needs.
I'm not trying to be an alarmist in suggesting some of the problems she could develop. Anemia, pre-eclampsia and hypoglycemia can all be brought on by poor nutrition. Not saying she has these conditions, but you want to make sure she gets as much good food as you can get in her now to ward them off. She really should be getting about 1 1/2 times her normal amount of food at this time. The blood work I asked about would show any deficiencies and give you good answers to her overall condition now.
I still can't figure why the vet says she's in the first stage of labor. It doesn't make sense to me. It shouldn't be labor and I wonder what symptoms she's showing to make her say that. Going by your vet's figuring, 'if' it was first stage labor and it lasted 'up' to a week, then Sadie would be having her pups by no later than day 57. The earliest I ever had a girl go was day 59 and that scared me. Day 57 is a full week early, which is like a woman giving birth a month early.
It wouldn't hurt to get an answer now on what she meant. It's just Friday so why wait until Monday?
Best of luck with Sadie. I hope she does well for you and has a trouble-free whelp. |