Ptolomy Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Its my first litter for 6 years (still have fingers, toes and eyes crossed that she is pregnant) and I have searched far and wide for my old notes - but having moved house 3 times, and of course I can't find any of it. I know I gave my last girl Calcium once the litter was born and I thought it was daily for a few weeks, but of course, I can't really remember and I also know last time I used a reptile heating lead which I thought worked really well - much better than a heating pad, but again I can't find it. So my questions are....... My girl weighs 15kg and is raw fed - when should I start giving calcium, how much and how often? What wattage of heating lead should I be looking at, as I will probably buy one on line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Give her calcium after she whelps, as per directions on the bottle. Sandoz or Troy (same thing, Troy is cheaper) are best. Also, if she is flagging when whelping, calcium may help, and it cannot hurt. If she is stressed or schitzoid after whelping, a little extra calcium might help -- some of thos behaviours are due to lack of calcium. Not sure about the heat lead, but the temperature should be 24 degrees, and perhaps a little more if the pups are poorly. I use a heat lamp, so have no experience with leads. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordogs Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I only give Calcium (Sandoz) during whelping, My bitches weigh between 29 and 33 kgs and I give initial dose 10mls after delivery of the first puppy but you do need to refer to the directions. I don't use a heat lead so I have no idea as to the wattage. I have a litter at the moment and the temperature of the room is a constant 21 degrees without any heat and my puppies are very comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShesaLikeableBiBear Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Have already replied to your question re Calcium in the March litters due thread. :) If in doubt ask your vet. ;) We had a litter born in June 2010 and used an ultraviolet heat lamp. It was enough to keep the whelping box warm without over-cooking Mum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I gave my bitch 5mls of calcium after the first 3 pups were born, then every 45 - 60 minutes until she had her c-section a few hrs later. I used a reptile heat lamp for my winter litter, plugged it into a themostat and kept the room at around 25 degrees, 24 hrs a day for the first 2 weeks, then phased it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkyTansy Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Ptolomy you should do a search... I remember your post about your homemade reptile heat lead/pad... I found it when I was looking for information about the best heat sources. I used a reptile lamp in the end... but I found reptile leads in the pet stock in cannington I think, where I bought my heat lamp... at least, i think it was a heat lead thing. From memory, you got your heat thing from a place in rockingham!! I only gave my girl calcium during whelping and a couple of times afterwards. I gave her lots of bones for natural calcium although she too is raw fed so not too much different to usual except for upping the amount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 ST I have done a search for heat cords and you can get different wattages - and I don't remember what wattage my last one was. They are fairly cheap on line, but maybe I need to find another reptile shop so i can talk to somebody. Thanks for your help guys I really appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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