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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on June 3, 2010 at 11:52am

I would check with your vet about a calcium supplement. I give my mothers liquid calcium from the vet for the 1st 14 days. Bella had eclampsia(sp) last year and we caught it well before it was serious but I won't take the chance as the vet said most people don't catch it and the mothers end up with seizures in the middle of the night! I feed an all life stages Canidae and I think this works well. You can add veggies if you want but do not take away from the amount of kibble. I also found that Bella went through a stage (she has a touchy stomach) that she preferred her wet/soft so I soaked it in water. Bella goes through about 3 x's her usual water right now (pups are almost 1 month) so keep plenty of fresh water there for her.. I feed her 4-5 times a day she started the getting more hungry about 3-4 days after the birth. I had thought of naming after the 7 dwarfs too (cute!) but I chose precious stones instead! Enjoy...pups are so wonderful! Hope this answered a few of you questions.

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Permalink Reply by Joanna Kimball on June 3, 2010 at 11:57am

She needs a LOT of food, and with seven puppies she may need extra calories and calcium. It's fine for her to have kibble available, but you should also plan on feeding her extra (and extra-appetizing) food. I make big bowls of oatmeal with cream (helps bring the milk in and keeps weight on), I feed raw hamburger, I make big chicken stews, I scramble eggs, etc. The calorie consumption of a nursing mother is staggering, and a lot of people don't feed them enough - you'll hear all the time, "Oh, all nursing moms look like that" (meaning basically skeletal). Don't let her get like that. Meet her caloric needs even if it means feeding six or eight times a day.

Puppies should be weighed twice a day and should be gaining about an ounce a day per puppy. You'll need to keep very close track because a lack of gain is the first sign that something is wrong. Puppies gaining slowly should be kept on her for extra time, and if they're still not gaining they need to be tube-fed.

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Permalink Reply by Sky and Lyla on June 3, 2010 at 3:11pm

Just a side note, Joanna, I was at a dog show this weekend talking to an Aussie lady who's bitch just had 9 puppies and she was talking about how everyone told her to cull 3 or 4 of them so as to keep the mom from getting too skinny. She said she didn't cull any and probably wouldn't (2 weeks old now) because their markings were so pretty she couldn't choose any she didn't want to wait and evaluate, but that she was going to force them on solid food this week no matter what because the poor mom was was getting too skinny as it was. All I could think of was how great Clue looked with her 9 and how your picture of your beautiful Dane looked on your blog after raising her puppies. I don't know why people think it can't be done.

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Permalink Reply by Joanna Kimball on June 3, 2010 at 3:22pm

It's a very simple equation - calories in have to more than equal calories out. People get dumb because they think they're feeding "enough" and they're absolutely NOT. I usually figure on at least quintupling the amount of food they get when they're not nursing, and it's usually more than that. They just eat MASSIVE amounts. And yes, Clue is only 27 lb, never went below pre-pregnancy weight and she nursed nine puppies and looked fantastic. She very tidily weaned them at five weeks and was back in her usual hardbody state by the time they left for new homes.

Some of the European kennel clubs used to require that puppies be culled if the mom had more than eight for a large breed and I think it was substantially lower for a smaller breed. I don't know if that changed recently but I know one of my friends got thrown out of the Finnish Dane club for refusing to kill puppies maybe six years ago.

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Permalink Reply by Frankie on June 3, 2010 at 12:02pm

Thanks so much for all the info! I would have never thought of the oatmeal and milk. I have been giving her milk and some cottage cheese as well. She is just so hungry all the time, and thirsty, wow! But it is understandable. Congrats to you on your new litter as well.!

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on June 3, 2010 at 2:06pm

Pictures for those of us well past the puppy stage!!

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Permalink Reply by Wendt Worth Corgi's on June 4, 2010 at 12:42am

Joanna Kimball is absolutely correct in more ways then one. Weigh your puppies!!! Feed your dam!!! To many dams look underweight and that is solely a lack of management. Take your dams temp. several times a day for the first few days..an infection can take hold quickly and get a dam not to care for pups. Keep pups nails trimmed and check mothers milk to make sure no mastitis. Check each pups mouth for cleft palates. Keep a warm floor temp. since that helps in digestion for a young pup and humidity levels need to be accurate not to cause Hepatitis. Many dams do not like to get up away from their pups to eat or drink. Add water to the food for easy digestion for mom and to make sure she stays hydrated and offer her that food. You are her maid, so serve her well. Keep an eye on secretions..making sure its the right consistency and color. Keep water bowl off floor a few inches so when pups start to move around they don't accidentally drown. Wash hands before handling pups and don't breath in their face...this is a crucial point in time for them. Good luck and congratulations.

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