ellz

Nothing but Adult food right through together with all of the above! :D The gang of 9 were reared on Optimum. I'm just now starting to mix a handful of the other stuff in with their Optimum and they're loving it!

There is absolutely NO need to put bitches on puppy food any more. Dry dog foods are so much more sophisticated now and much better balanced so a good quality dry is all that is required. BTW....you've seen Woger and Flame.....and you know what I feed their mother. Nothing changed during her pregnancy!

I have a table breed as well and the same thing happens. It really annoys me when judges SWOOP down on a puppy on the table when you are trying to set it up and settle it.

Only 3 days here, but I have 3 very Itchy dogs and one who's developed quite a large nasty hot spot on her face Looks like It's back to Dog Pro for my guys, with almost 20kgs of U/A now wasted Remember that U/A is higher in fat and protein than Great Barko, that could possibly be part of the issue as well. I have the opposite problem. A dog which itches on everything BUT U/A or G/B.

Naturally sourced calcium from good quality calcium-rich foods is much better assimilated by the body during pregnancy. But given that any diet should be calcium-rich anyway (bones etc) this should be no different when NOT pregnant. Calcium can be given between puppies to help with labour, but I only do this if things slow down somewhat. My girls are routinely given a shot of calcium AFTER whelping to help in a couple of ways. Firstly, it can help to stimulate the uterus so that any products of conception are expelled easily and more gently than they are if a shot of oxytocin is given. Secondly, it can give the milk a boost so that it lets down more strongly. Lastly, many bitches have a dramatic drop in calcium during/immediately after whelping which can cause eclampsia and/or unexplained aggression towards their puppies....a shot of calcium often fixes this before it becomes a dangerous issue.

My first few litters maaaaany years ago I was able to borrow a heated whelping box. Then I changed to a simple setup of sides only placed on a tarp, layers of newspaper and the bedding. Now I just use my pen. One corner has a bed with raised sides, the rest is covered in newspaper. My heatpad goes on the bed, the heat lamp is suspended over the top in such a way that it can be raised or lowered according to where the heat is needed and how intense it needs to be. The bitch can still move off the heatpad when it is on, but the puppies (until they're bigger and are able to move around themselves) stay on the bed. The heatpad and lamp are only used together for the first week or so, or if the weather is especially cold here. Once the puppies are able to regulate their temps a bit better on their own, I will use either the heatpad or lamp, depending upon the weather during the day with the lamp on at night. It doesn't just provide warmth, it also gives a gentle light that I can see by should I need to do anything to the puppies or the pen in the dark. Pen by day.... Pen by night....

I don't even use one.....but certainly nothing wrong with homemade. It doesn't have to be heated, there are many ways of providing warmth for the puppies other than a heated whelping box. I use homemade heatpads underneath the puppies and a heat lamp on top and keep the pen itself enclosed and draught free. If I can do it living in the Central Highlands district of Tassie, I'm sure you can!!

I don't have kennels either. One large pen and 3 other areas where I can separate if need be on a temporary basis. But usually if there is one dog that persists in not getting along with ANYBODY, it doesn't stay. I won't have the harmony destroyed by one individual. It's not fair on all of the others....or the hoomans in residence. Walking on eggshells isn't my idea of fun.

Absolutely no from me!

Mine run together where possible when I am at home. If I need to separate one, then I will usually separate it into a male/female pair with whomever they co-exist happily with so that they aren't by themselves. When I'm not home, the same pairing applies, except for the Staffords who are usually crated singly. About the only time they are completely separated is when there is a girl in season or if there are puppies or somebody is ill.

Had this exact same thing happen to me some years ago. A puppy due to fly to the USA on 11th September 2001. Unfortunately he had already been sent over to Melbourne to have all of the quarantine work done in preparation for his flight out. Because there was no idea when flights would resume, the shipper suggested he stay there with them so that they could get him on a flight at a moments' notice. He was there for a month. If I'd known it would be that long, he would have come home again but we trusted the shipper.

I DID have black fluffy dogs....I've had American Cockers since 1986. Just in the process of placing my last one now and then that will be it for me with the Yanks.

Slippery floors can be detrimental to skeletal and muscular health of your dogs too so that might be something to take into account.

I think breed plays a part too. Obviously some breeds have a much more capacious area in which to "hide" puppies.

If you click on it to make it larger, you'll see that his head is upside down, jammed in beside the tyre....with his teef showing! He's a dag that puppy. Any more laidback and he'd be comatose! ;)

Me thinks this "quiet little voice" had better go hide under a rock from now on - didn't think it would cause such a stir!! I don't think so! You've "outed" yourself now.....it's all downhill from here!

Here is one, it's not the one I was thinking of though....

It's really not difficult. I taught myself. It is harder to get milk into the lungs than you would think if you are methodical about it. It is actually safer to tube feed than to bottle or drip feed. I have a good link somewhere for tube feeding. I'll see if I can find it.

Are all her reflexes normal and everything as it should be apart from her size/weight? That's what I let guide me. I'm over doing the heroic bit unless they're capable of fighting along with me...as hard as it sounds. Mother Nature usually wins if there is even the slightest reason for the difference in size. If she is essentially normal, can latch on by herself, isn't obviously ill or weak etc then start tubing her now.

Like you need to fly a flag.....it's normally possible to hear Mrs Rajacadoo-doo-doo and I long before we are visible! ;) Editing to add: Or just listen out for people yelling "WOGER!!!!" at wingside....that helps too! May be we could have a war cry instead of a flag! WOGERRR! :p :p ;) ;) I daresay himself wouldn't mind at all. He already thinks he owns the world and is doing us a favour by allowing us to live in it with him!

Like you need to fly a flag.....it's normally possible to hear Mrs Rajacadoo-doo-doo and I long before we are visible! :p Editing to add: Or just listen out for people yelling "WOGER!!!!" at wingside....that helps too!

If they're strong enough and have a good suck reflex then I'd be plugging them in every couple of hours and fending off the others to be sure they have a good full tummy. If they even LOOK like flagging or don't start putting on weight after the first day then if they are still looking strong and wanting to feed and doing everything else normally, I'd move into intensive care and start tubing every few hours. Once they start to go backwards, blood sugar levels drop, energy drops, they start to chill and they use up too much energy trying to feed and keep warm and that's when they are in big danger.

Shaar, how come you are still largely incognito at shows? You shouldn't be....it isn't like you have a breed that will blend in with the crowd! When are you showing next? Don't be a stranger! I only met Huganewf because I was standing at ringside and this quiet little voice said "excuse me, are you Ellz?"

My maiden Stafford bitch came home after her mating and I knew within a week that she was in whelp. At 13 days she had morning sickness. At 3 weeks she had developed a "pot belly". This is 28 days..... This is 3 days prior to whelping..... She had 9 puppies. On the other hand, my American Cocker bitch (also a maiden) kept me guessing right up until very late in the pregnancy and gave birth to just two puppies.