I bred my Gracie!!!!
 

She is 16 months old. We bred her this past week, on days 10, 12 & 14. So, cross your fingers & toes that it took & she is a mommy-to-be!! I'm so excited, I can't hardly wait!!!!!!

I went ahead & started her on a calcium supplement. I always feed her & Angel a couple of TBSP of cottage cheese everyday anyway, just as a "treat". But I thought it was wise to begin the PetCal now.

It's been a week since her first tie, & my mentor said that after a couple of weeks, she may lose her appetite. HOWEVER, right now, she is eating more ravinously than ever before. WUWT?????

Never give a pregnant dog calcium supplements unless directed by a vet. They do need more calcium, but they will get this through eating more, not supplements. Calcium has to be given in a 2:1 ratio with phosphorus or it causes more harm than good. Some recommend it after whelping, but all the information I have read says not even then.

From Hilltop Animal Hospital:

Nutrition is also important during pregnancy. Ask your veterinarian to recommend a high?quality, balanced dog food. Don't give your dog vitamin or mineral supplements, especially calcium supplements, because these could cause a nutritional imbalance. For the first six weeks of the pregnancy, feed your dog her normal amount of food. Gradually increase the amount of food during the final three weeks of the pregnancy so your dog's caloric intake reaches 1.5 times its normal amount. You may need to offer several small meals during the last three weeks because your dog's uterus enlarges in late pregnancy, reducing the amount of food her stomach can hold.

Wow. My vet is the one who said to give it to her. She actually said to start giving it to her as soon as I knew she was pregnant. How strange, because my vet also breeds chihuahuas. You would think she would know.

??

I would definitely question this vet's knowledge. Most believe that giving supplements during pregnancy will actually lead to a calcium deficiency and eclampsia when they start nursing.

Here's a great site. Read this part and then follow the links and it will take you through the pregnancy, whelping, and puppy information.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/breedingpregnancyguide.htm

Maybe I spoke hastily - all the information does say "unless vet advised", but I still think I would bring this to the vet's attention, let us know what she says.

Another from the internet, there is tons of them.

A Word About Supplements

Some veterinarians recommend giving dogs vitamins during pregnancy. Many veterinarians feel that if fed properly, the dog will receive sufficient nutrients through the diet. Either way, don’t add anything to your dog’s diet unless specifically instructed by your veterinarian. Excessive of certain vitamins or minerals can have devastating effects on mom and babies.

Calcium is one supplement that deserves some special attention. Supplementing a pregnant dog is definitely not recommended. Giving calcium supplementation, especially late in pregnancy, has been linked to increasing the risk of eclampsia (low blood calcium) in nursing dogs. Excess calcium has also been linked to difficult deliveries, soft tissue calcium deposits in the puppies and certain joint abnormalities in the pups. For this reason, do not supplement your pregnant dog with calcium unless specifically instructed by your veterinarian.

Just adding my vote to Lacys mom's posts. :thumbup:

Thank you for the link, and for the wonderful information.

I'm sure they put "unless specifically instructed by your vet. . " just to cover themselves for giving this information.

I will definitely stop the calcium supplement.

Is it still ok to give them the cottage cheese "treat" with their food? They have come to expect it, sadly. They stand by their bowls & just look at me until I get the container out of the frig. (spoiled, I know)

Angelbaby’s mom congratulation! :animal36 I wish everything is going to be fine with Gracie and her puppies! You should count 63 days from the first time they tied, but delivery may happen any time during 56-66 days after they first tied . And I’m agree with Lacy’s Mom , extra Calcium for a pregnant dog is not recommended especially for the first 3-4 weeks of pregnancy, because it can do more harm and cause nutritional imbalance. My girl maybe pregnant too now, I bred her approximately the same day as you did, so we have approximately same due date . :eek: How big is Gracie? I was reading a lot of information before finally agreed to bread my girl, the reason I asked, because in the book said: you should never bread the girl if she is smaller then 4,5-5 pounds, and it’s better when the boy is smaller than a girl., (when you breed them) it’s good for labor , otherwise she could end up with the c-section . So I wish you good luck, and keep us inform how is little Gracie doing? :p

I don't actually give cottage cheese until after whelping, but if the cottage cheese doesn't cause any digestive upsets (and won't in most dogs) I don't see any reason to discontinue giving a small amount. Use the low fat kind. Although cottage cheese does provide calcium, it's not near as much as what a supplement would.

Another dangerous supplement while pregnant is Vitamin A (liver has a very high content). Vitamin A overdose may be linked to cleft palates.

congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!
 

I am so excited for you. I bred my Silk this past Saturday, then twice more. I am hoping for August 26th babies. I am going to be holding my breath tho. last time Silk was bred, she didn't have any babies but i think it was the stud's fault. Yippeee!!!!!!!!!!! We are going to be grannies.

Yes, Yes, out due date is August 25th (hopefully):D

slap on the wrist for posting this but here goes...IN MY EXPERIENCE...during Gracie's first pregnancy, I gave her low doses of calcium supplements through out the pregnancy (every day). She delivered without ANY problem 4 healthy females.

during her second pregnancy, I did not give her any calcium because I was warned against it. After she whelped, gave her calcium supplements off and on and gave her cottage cheese...pups were 8 days old and she got eclampsia.

I tell ya what, it scared the **** out of me. After talking to a couple of breeders, since she did not get eclampsia first litter and I gave her low doses of calcium every day, they said I should go back to that method so that's what I'm planning on doing the next time I breed Gracie.

With that said, each dog is different. Gracie has definitely NOT followed the great yorkie book since she has tried to prove me and everyone else wrong with everything.

In TXShopper's experience, I too would probably supplement with my vet's approval. I guess this just goes to show there never is an answer that is 100% correct for 100% of dogs.

Exactly! Especially with my Gracie!;)

txshopper,

What is a "low dosage" of calcium? The bottle says one pill per 20 lb dog. So, if your girl is 8 pounds, how much would you give?


Steve,

Gracie is 8 pounds. The stud was 4 pounds. It was quite interesting watching him try so hard to do his "job". But, bless his heart, he did it! Several times, even!!

Gracie's due date should be around 8/23. Give or take.

My Vet said to give my Emilee the calcium tablets too and as soon as we knew she was pregnant. Now I need to find out if this was the right thing to do or not. Emilee had no problems except for the mastitis a week after whelping.

Second guessing myself, I have continued to do research and still cannot find a recommendation to give a pregnant dog calcium. Here's another which explains a bit more about calcium supplements during pregnancy.

Angel Baby's Mom please ask your vet on the next appointment and try to get a detailed answer as to why she recommends calcium supplements.

Prevention of eclampsia

Inappropriate calcium supplementation can predispose a bitch to develop eclampsia.

Over-supplementation of calcium during pregnancy may increase the risk of eclampsia. There is a complex way the body maintains the proper amount of calcium in the blood. The body is constantly adding calcium to bones and then removing it, as needed. This is regulated by a hormone produced by the parathyroid gland, called parathyroid hormone. If a dog receives increased amounts of calcium during pregnancy, her body's production of parathyroid hormone greatly decreases. When the dog suddenly needs large amounts of calcium for milk production, the system is not ready to start removing it from the bone. This is because it takes some time for the parathyroid gland to start producing the hormone again. Because of the lack in parathyroid hormone, the blood calcium level suddenly drops, and produces the signs of eclampsia.

So, adequate amounts of calcium need to be given during pregnancy, but not enough to slow down the production of parathyroid hormone. This means calcium supplements are generally not recommended. Also, it is important for the calcium and phosphorus in the diet to be at the correct ratio of 1:1 (i.e.; 1 part calcium to 1 part phosphorus). Vitamin D must also be present in adequate amounts.

Once a dog has had milk fever, there is an excellent chance that she will also have it with future litters if preventive steps are not taken. Be sure to work closely with your veterinarian if your dog has had eclampsia in the past and is pregnant again.

In conclusion, it is of great importance for owners of pregnant or nursing dogs to be able to recognize the signs of eclampsia. If you feel your female dog is showing these signs, remove the pups to prevent further nursing and seek veterinary assistance at once.

Even with a smaller male , a bitch may need a C- Section .

Of course she may, nothing is guaranteed, but possibility is much less.

This is my little girl, and a boy picture . Her hair is a kind of messy, Saturday we are going to grooming salon, she’ll have her new hair cut done more shorter, I think it would be much better for delivery :)
http://d.foto.radikal.ru/0606/a8874a2d9c9c.jpg

I hate when breeders cut the hair, but then again I prefer a Yorkie in a long coat. I want to see the parents coats not just hearing how beautiful they are when their coat is long. She (purple ribbon?) looks very small - is this the future Mom, she's very cute. Is this the Dad? He looks to big to breed with her, but I know some pics looked distorted.

Lacy's Mom, no, that's a boy you talking about with the purple ribbon, he has a long coat, and he is smaller than a girl :)
some more pistures of my boy :)
http://d.foto.radikal.ru/0606/b47cba8b70cd.jpg
http://d.foto.radikal.ru/0606/a24aee884cc2.jpg
and this is my girl when she was 9 month old
http://d.foto.radikal.ru/0606/0662187a73c5.jpg

My boy wears bows, too! LOL

I took one tablet and broke it up into 4th and would give her 1/4 a tab daily. This was increased to 1 full tab daily while she was nursing the pups.

Here is what I went through with my Gracie...


http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...ight=eclampsia

Thank you for sharing the pictures .

It can be Silk's fault too .

Steve, your babies are BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I can't wait to see the pups in August!!