Do You Feed Your Mums Puppy Dry?

[Norskgra]

My girls are normally fed a raw diet so I don't really have to make any changes but I was just wondering if those of you that feed dry, change their mums to puppy dry when they have whelped or whether they still are still fed their normal adult dry?

Edited June 10, 2010 by Norskgra

[TeamSnag]

My bitch has been on puppy (dry) Royal Canin Dachshund, since about 3 weeks in whelp.. and is still on it now (puppies are now 5 days old).. she gets her dry soaked in goats milk...

But still gets her raw meat with it and yogurt...

Sorry i should of also said she was on RC Adult before moving to puppy

Edited June 10, 2010 by TeamSnag

[Aziah]

I used to but now I'm feeding raw I don't feed any dry at all...

Have you got babies in the making Norsk?

[Norskgra]

I used to but now I'm feeding raw I don't feed any dry at all...

Have you got babies in the making Norsk?

That is what I like about raw, you don't need to change their diet. I was just wondering whether dry feeders changed the diet. I know that I used to when I fed dry but I also know that some don't change.

No, Aziah. Hopefully later this year though. I am in the planning stage for a couple of our girls. There are three I would like to mate soon but not all at once. I am trying to decide on the studs for two of them. There is one male I would really love to use but I can't decide on which girl he would be better with.

Edited June 10, 2010 by Norskgra

[Cockerlover]

my adults r fed a mix of dry & Raw, when my bitches r about 5 weeks preggie I change them over to puppy dry/Raw & continue this until pups r weaned .

[rajacadoo]

Yep I do feed puppy food to my girls as soon as they are mated, until the pups are weaned ... Old habits die hard

[oakway]

I would never feed puppy food to a pregnant bitch.

Puppy food is not adequate for bitches in whelp, it's for baby puppy's and puppy's.

Bitches in whelp need a complete diet.

I feed a basically raw diet with a complete dry food added for all my dogs.

[becks]

I feed a complete puppy food from about wk 6 until pups leave home.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

We feed a diet of 2/3rds raw and 1/3rd dry and introduce puppy food to our bitches who are in whelp at 6-7 weeks until the puppies leave home.

[ophnbark]

Usually our bitches won't eat dry food at all when they are in whelp but will eat it about a week after whelping when they get puppy dry food amongst other things. We don't feed solely dry food here either.

[Norskgra]

Usually our bitches won't eat dry food at all when they are in whelp but will eat it about a week after whelping when they get puppy dry food amongst other things. We don't feed solely dry food here either.

I don't think mine would eat dry either. They love their raw too much.

[Joan of Arc]

We feed a small amount of dry food every second or third night mixed with a mainly raw diet. But we also use sardines, eggs, yoghurt etc. So once my girls are about 7 weeks I mix a small amount of puppy dry into the other food.

I feed a mixture of puppy dry, adult dry, raw as above until pups are weaned.

[Lyla]

Mine are on a raw / dry diet.

At about 6-7 weeks I changed to half puppy half adult until pups are born, and feed puppy dry until pups are weened. My vet advised me to do all puppy while in whelp and until pups are weened. They still get their usual raw as well.

Do you need any supplements if the bitch is on 100% raw?

[badboyz]

When I first started breeding I did, as that was the advice that was routinely given. My bitches regularly had copious milk from about 2 weeks prior to having pups. Pups were also oversized and caesars were common. I stopped feeding puppy food and found the pups to be a much better size when born and less trouble with overproduction of milk.

Since having shar pei I have learnt much more about feeding my dogs and now feed much more raw food. For a while I cut out all dry food, and cooked rice instead, however I've gotten lazier and the little dry they get doesn't do them any harm and is great to have in emergencies, if I forget to defrost the meat. I do not change the diet of pregnant bitches at all now, just offer a little more as they progress, and then as they get very large, I will divide the meals into smaller portions, but feed her more often. The only time the bitch will specifically get puppy food is when the pups are getting weaned and she will clean up whatever is left over.

No doubt however that if and when I ever have chi pups, all the rules will probably go flying out the window!

Edited June 13, 2010 by badboyz

[ellz]

Absolutely not!

It was certainly recommended in years gone by but dog food has undergone such dramatic advances in recent years that it is no longer necessary. In fact, in some breeds, I would think it could be potentially hazardous.

Provided the bitch is being fed a good quality diet prior to becoming pregnant then NOTHING needs to change, except for perhaps the frequency and amounts of feeding as the pregnancy advances.

Extra calcium can be provided through natural means that are more readily and safely absorbed by the body which will also save the breeder money in the long run as well.

[Lyla]

Mmmm, every ones comments have given me food for thought...so to speak.

I have had issues with my bitches having a massive milk supply prior to whelping, and also had one litter of four pups who were all basically double the average size of Lab pups when born.

I know that the bitches usually aren't fussed on puppy food either, and this time around it seems to have caused some diarrheoa with its introduction.

My litter is due early July, so I think I might give the puppy food a miss and see how things go. I know this will cause some quietly raised eyebrows with my vet. I think for them the simple solution is pregnant bitch = puppy kibble. My vet does not seem to be a fan of raw feeding either, esp with newly weened pups.