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Litters are smaller--got any answers? Hi fellow breeders---I have a question for you. I have 4 breeding Yorkie females and 2 breeding Papillon females. I switched their food about 9 months ago to Nutro from Science Diet. Since then the Yorkies litters have all reduced significantly. Girls that had 4-5 each litter, have had 1 & 2 per litter. These are with 2 different studs of mine. The Papillons still continue to have 4-5 as they did before. Got any ideas--could it be the food? Anyone run into this? Thanks Jill |
I just responded in your thread in general, but I'll answer again here. Nutro is high in Glucosamine. There have been no long term test to determine if this is safe to include in the diet of a prego/nursing female. The liquid form even has that warning printed on the side. Not saying this is the case, but it's something to think about. |
ok, so you think that there is a possibility that high levels of glucosomine could be the reason? What do you feed yours? I have 2 girls that have always had 4-5 per litter and now they are having 1 &2. Doesnt make sense to me. Thanks for responding. |
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Mine eats limited amounts in her diet, but is taken off of it months in advance of preparing to breed. I feed a mixture of several foods, homecooked and supplements to mine. And then swap to more protein w/ supplements during the pre/post prego periods. But, that is what I have found works for MINE--it may not be the best option for yours as every dog is different. I would recommend seeking the advice of a canine nutritionist (especially since you are breeding) that can help you tackle the needs of your girls individually.:) |
Thanks for your input!! |
pups How old are your Yorkie bitches? How many litters have they had...do you skip heat, do you use the males? |
They are 3 1/2 years old and I usually breed them twice and then skip a heat. I use my males who are 3 and 4 years old. |
I really do not know the answer to this and I know this is totally off subject but I have been looking at Papillons for a little while now and I see you are breeding them. Do you have a website or pictures of your pups? |
Yes I do and I have 2 Papillon males available right now. I don't know if I am allowed to publish it on here, but will PM you with it. |
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How long were they on Science Diet? I would never feed Science Diet to any dog, especially those used for breeding. Most all the Science Diet has soy in it and soy has been linked to reproductive problems. My in-laws that raised Border Collies were feeding a dog food with soy and their females hardly ever came in heat. What brand of Nutro are you feeding? My personal opinion is that Nutro is not a very quality food either. I know some of the Nutro has soybean oil. I really recommend you get your dogs on a quality dog food (no corn and no soy). Here is some information on the dangers of soy: http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/soy.htm Now it is possible that this has nothing to do with diet and maybe just the timing of your breedings. How old are the females you are talking about? Some females as they get older starting releasing their eggs later in their cycle. So say your are breeding on the 9th, 11th and 13th days and she releases her eggs say on the 16th day then it is possible to miss her. I hope this was helpful, there are no simple answers. |
My girls are about 3 1/2 years old they were on Science Diet until they were about 2 1/2 and always had good healthy litters of 4-5. Thanks for all your help. |
Maybe your girls are producing less eggs.... could be the reason for smaller litters. My Lucy used to produre 4 pups per litter... then she producing 2 in a few litters... I had her spayed at 5 years old... the vet said she had cysts on one of her ovaries (nothing dangerous)... he said her breeding days would have been over soon anyway... even if I didn't have her spayed when I did. |
I support feeding Science Diet to my 4 doggies. I see many cases on here of different stomach problems. "Knock on wood", in 3 years, I have not had one single doggie with diarrhea from feeding. I haven't had any hypoglycemia. They each get a Pedigree Marrow Bone for breakfast, Science Diet Small Bites (Puppy or Adult) in the evening, and a rawhide type treat after their last evening outside potty break. I did try a couple of the supposedly higher quality feeds, giving them 7 to 14 days trial, and just didn't like any of the side effects, worst being that their energy levels slowed down. Even my pups get crushed Science Diet Puppy as a supplement, when the mom starts weaning them (usually around 4 to 5 weeks). Hope I don't go home and find them all sick! |
sometimes this happens. i would not think the food would make any difference in how the eggs attach to the uterus. it appears to me it is the timing. i would have an ovualtion test next time and maybe you will see a difference. dogs don't always produce the same amount of litters each time as some people might think. i have always used science diet small bites. |
I always fed Science Diet small bites too, but switched because my dogs seemed to be scratching themselves frequently and with corn being one of the main ingredients I thought I would try something else. Well the Nutro helped quite a bit with that. I don't know what it is but thought I would ask if anyone thought it could be the food. Thanks for your input! |
I always fed Science Diet small bites too, but switched because my dogs seemed to be scratching themselves frequently and with corn being one of the main ingredients I thought I would try something else. Well the Nutro helped quite a bit with that. I don't know what it is but thought I would ask if anyone thought it could be the food. Thanks for your input! |
I think I am just a little paranoid about soy because of all the bad things I have read about it. It is known that soy is a potent hormone disruptor. There are so many other things also linked to soy. My daughter has 3 sons, ages 10, 16 and 17. The youngest and the oldest were both diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about 4 years ago. Both of them were given soy formula as babies but not the middle one. After that I read that children given soy formula are much more likely to develop type 1 diabetes. Also soy is linked to thyroid disorders. I just worry about the long term effects when taking products with soy and soybean oil. All the sow being used in all these products has been genetically modified. I know this probably has nothing to do with your problem but I just thought it was worth bringing to you attention. From my experience, a 3 1/2 year old female should be at her prime. I don't usually start seeing a reduced size in litters until the females are 6 years old. It could have just been a timing issue. |
I've been feeding Nutro Natural Choice for a while and Roxie had a litter of 6 and a litter of 7 on it. The number of pups born depends on how many were fertilized, how many implanted and how many were not absorbed. With so many contributing factors it will be quite a job trying to narrow it down. |
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