Puppy food for pregnant dogs
 

First of all.... Sorry, the search thing is not working for me right now. Keeps telling me there's an error.

I know I've seen threads on this subject before but don't remember what the general consensus ended up being. Should pregnant bitches be fed puppy food during (and after) their pregnancy or is their regular food actually sufficient enough? I've heard it both ways and last time we did feed the puppy food but this time will be a little harder because we have two and really didn't want to feed them separately. They have two food bowls of course but sometimes share their food with each other.

This is NOT for Tatum. We are breeding our Australian Shepherd, Stormie, again. This will be her second litter. We are SO excited about it... especially now that we feel more comfortable with all the specifics. We have a great mentor but sometimes I think the opinions on this site make more sense that what she prefers. This is why I'm asking for your opinions on this subject now.

Thanks in advance! And if anyone can direct me to some threads on this subject, I'd appreciate it. Maybe the search will work for me later.

I have been raising yorkies for 14 years and I have always fed my pregnant mommas a puppy food throughout their pregnancy and afterwords. I do not believe in supplementing the diet during pregnancy other than the puppy food and a little canned food. Over supplementing or under supplementing can cause certain birth defects.

Check the labels on the food -

"Complete and Balanced" on the label (Dog foods must meet specific requirements set by the AAFCO - Association of American Feed Control Officials - in order to be labeled as "Complete and Balanced." The label must also state the group for which the food is intended. "Complete and Balanced" adult food is labeled as "maintenance," and "Complete and Balanced" food for puppies and pregnant or lactating bitches is labeled "growth and reproduction."

Thanks ya'll. Looks like I will probably feed a good puppy food once she's back from Kansas since it worked well for us last time. It will be tougher trying to feed the two dogs separately this time though. I just wish I could find the threads where I read a lot more about this issue a while back. There were opinions for both side of the issue.

I did a search for you in the Breeders section for "diet" as well as "food"; and here's the results:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sea...archid=5042737

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sea...archid=5042750

Hope that helps. :D

Oh bummer those links didn't work...sorry about that.
Angie did you find the threads you were looking for?

There's two trains of thought. Some vets believe in providing puppy food during the gestation period and other vets feel that if you're a feeding a high quality food it isn't necessary and the only thing that is needed is to increase the food during the last trimester.

The one thing that one should be concerned with is to make sure that there is no soy in your dam's food. Soy is a calcium depleter.

Depending on the # of pups she whelps will determine if a calcium supplement is necessary. Usually 3 or more pups it's a good idea.

Oral Cal Plus is something you should keep on hand.

Mary~ Calsorb and Oral Cal Plus are they equivalent?

I don't feel you should feed puppy food. My vet says no.

Oral Cal gets into their system faster. It helps with contractions. Myra Servant recommends it in her seminars. I'm assuming that you know not to give either during the pregnancy. Calsorb stinks too, Oral Cal doesn't.

This should have read throughout pregnancy. I wouldn't intentionally contradict something Mary said. I didn't read what you posted Mary.

If one is to know the liter size then she's just about due. My post referred to the complete pregnancy.

I wonder how popular puppy food is for expecting moms in our breed.

You're right Elle, no calcium supplement during gestation.

I should have clarified that Calcium supplement is after the whelp if a litter is 3 or more. Oral Cal Plus should be kept on hand. Only used if a bitch is laging during the whelp and of course if she is experiencing signs of calcium deficiency (eclampsia).

Per my repro vet & my vet in Dallas feel that puppy food is not necessary if you are feeding a good quality food with a good protien level. The one thing I do add in the last trimester is Rasberry Syrup and at times Concept a Btich. But both under vet recommendation.

Oral Cal Plus Is better tasting than the Calsorb.

Yes they are. But Calsorb usually makes them vomit. Oral Cal Plus is better tasting and smells like a malt.

Thank you! :)

Mary I thought Solid Gold discontinued the Concept-A-Bitch...??

I feed ALS food with higher protein than most puppy foods anyway so I wouldn't consider puppy food for a pregnant bitch; But many seem to feed puppy food during pregnancy and lactation.

I have been able to obtain it through my vet.

In Orijen's white paper, they say that the only times dogs require carbs is when they are puppies and when a bitch is reproducing. I wonder how true this is? If it is true, how would you increase a bitch's carb intake without disturbing her digestive system? Would it be a good idea to change the bitch from Orijen to something like Acana which contains more grains? And then, would it be better to feed the Acana Adult or Puppy/Junior?

Mary, the raspberry syrup helps with the whelping process because it's a mild and natural substitute (sort of) for oxytocin, right? After the whelp, it's a good idea to supplement with scrambled eggs once a day?

You are right. The syrup helps with strengthing the reproductive walls and help provide an easier whelping for the dam.

Breeders' Edge&#174 Oral Cal Plus

To hold it eclampsia 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.

Thanks for all the info! I knew there were two sides to the puppy food issue. Haven't decided yet what we'll do - need to evaluate the food she's on first. She's on her way to Kansas right now (12 hr trip) so I'll be ready for her when she returns in a couple weeks.

Last time we did give the supplements that the vet recommended after birth. Pet Cal Plus and PetTabs, maybe? Sorry, not at home to look at my notes but I do have all of that written down.

Really, my biggest thing was thinking about how I'm going to feed her and Blaze (her son from the first litter) if they are eating different foods. I don't really like to kennel them just to eat their meals but since they like to share bowls, it may come to that.

Thanks again! We can't wait for all the puppy breath!! We already have quite a waiting list so we'll just have to see which colors she produces and the sexes and try to match everyone up. I ♥ puppies! And Stormie is SUCH a great mommy.... can't wait to see her experience that again.