first time pregnancy - Page 1

I bred my 2 year old female in August--it is now 25 days. She was healthy when bred and has her hips certified and is titled in SchH and show rated SG(prior to her 2 year birthday. This is her first breeding and my first time to produce a litter. So we're both first timers. For several days she won't eat. This has not been a problem with her in the past. I have to dress up the food with chicken flakes, sardines and boullion and then she will eat it! But to make a point, she has to leave a couple of pieces in the dish. She won't eat at all before noon. Yesterday I notice that she is whining a lot--that squeaky wheel sound. Could she be having pain? Or is she just being a princess and wanting attention? Thanks for any advice.

hi... Sometimes it happens that females go off feed after mating, But do check the temprature and give her whatever she likes to eat. Her appetite will improve in few days. Its better to if you start giving her yougurt also. goog luck

I have frequently seen bitches be a bit finicky and even have some mild vomiting (morning sickness?)in that 2 - 3 week period after breeding... I have seen pregnancy do strange things to people so it is not at all unusual IMO for a dog to experience the same types of changes... We had 1 bitch who would only eat ricepudding and blueberry muffins - I could put these things in her food and she would eat then..... it was my homemade ricepudding so I figured it was pretty healthy.... Have you taken her temperature? Is it normal(101.5F)ish?? If it is, I would just watch her and then take her for tests at 28 days... ultrasound or the snap pregnancy test - that way you know and can carry on accordingly. If she is pregnant and continues to be finicky, I would give her whatever she would eat mixed in her food... she needs to eat! If she is running a temp, I'd get to the vet now and see what is going on The whining could be anxiety or pain..... depends on what else is going on... is she a princess now? She will probably be mega-princess when pregnant... Hope this helps, at any rate you are due for a trip to the vet soon..... Do you have any good books that will help you with everything?? I can recommend some.... Good luck

Thanks, I'll take her temp right away. I would like to know what books are recommended. This pregnancy was a bit unplanned as I didn't expect her to come into season until December!

Redcap, join the club. I have whelped 30 litters so far and with a different female I am still sometimes insecure. Some females eat and eat right until they whelp. Other ones will be finicky to the point that you have to handfeed them. It is hard, but I do believe that they will not starve to death, they do have reserves. I have a vet book at home which is called Canine Reproduction. It states that some females will have decreased appetites at approximately 28 days due to the implanting of the fetus onto the uterus wall, or something like that. It has been a while since I last read that. I would switch her to a high-protein and/or high-calorie dog food, so you don't have to feed so much. I usually switch my females to puppy food about two weeks before whelping. Chris

i echo silbersee. put her on a puppy food, preferably a small-breed formula. this gives her the most nutrition without having to feed mass quantities. Feed her twice a day now, and you may need to go to 3 times a day in a couple of weeks. i like to add cottage cheese - it's good for her & increases palatability. start to assemble your whelping kit - having something constructive to do will reduce your uneasiness. hemostat, food scale for weighing newborns, blunt scissors for cutting cords, PLENTY of old hand towels for drying pups, newpaper, garbage bags, iodine, NutriCal for the bitch during whelping, and your vet's 24 hour phone number. Get her whelping box ready, so she can begin to sleep in it 2 weeks prior to whelping. Even though the textbooks say '63 days', expect her to whelp early. Maybe as early as 58-59 days. She can be palpated at 28-32 days, or wait till week 5 and do ultrasound. Sounds to me like she's pregnant!

Thank you so much everyone. Her temp is normal. So long as she can be with me, she doesn't whine. I think she feels different and insecure. She doesn't want to be in the kennels near the other dogs but has decided to be an upstairs dog. Lying here right beside me. Funny thing is, she's always been an independent royal pain in the patootie right from puppyhood and now she's turned into a sweet, loving, sucky, quiet girl practically overnight. I'm sure she is preggo. Very exciting for me. I'll take her to the vet early next week to make sure. She's still fussy and wants only high grade "people" food. I mix it with best quality kibble to ensure balance. I make my own raw dog food which she has always loved but she turns up her nose. Won't touch it. I would like to know the procedure for hemostat and cutting cords if the bitch doesn't do it. A first timer might not know at first what to do. Is a large strong cardboard moving box cut down to about 18" high a reasonable whelping box? She will have her puppies upstairs in the house (assuming all goes well).

Yea, cottage cheese! Good tip. She loves it. I mixed it in (along with the chicken flakes and boullion) and she at it all. I have her on three small meals a day now. Taking her to vet next Wednesday. I hope I'm not boring you all with this first timer stuff but it's nice to know that there is help and advice out there through this process. I would like to know the procedure for hemostat and cutting cords if the bitch doesn't do it(iodine? would that be betadine or tamed iodine?.

Here is a link to a website where you can type in the breeding date and get a very accurate printout of what to expect during your dog's pregnancy. It will help ease your mind to know when to expect loss of appetite, etc. http://www.schaferhund.com/pregnancy.htm Good luck with her...sounds pregnant to me! Diane

re: cutting cords & hemostats... i always do this myself. i use blunt round tipped scissors with short blades (like nose hair scissors), and cut with a sort of sawing motion. a jaggedly cut cord bleeds much less than a cleanly cut one. sometimes a pup will be born, but the placenta is not yet delivered. in this case, rather than let the pup be banged around while the bitch turns or sits to deliver the placenta, i clip the hemostat on the cord as close the bitch's vulva as i can get it (with room to get the scissors to the cord), then cut the umbilical cord. something else i do is put all pups into a towel lined cardboard box when the next pup is coming. this way nobody gets stepped on, and the new pup gets individual attention from mom. when the new pup has suckled successfully for a few minutes, i put the other pups back till another delivery is starting. i wouldn't use a cardboard box for whelping. LOTS of birth fluids (and there will be lots!) will quickly turn the box to a soggy mess. also, there's no way to create 'pig rails' which prevent the mother from laying on pups. Some people like round plastic kid's swimming pools because they're cheap & easy to clean, but i always use a traditional whelping box. You can make one, or buy one online. if you want to talk, send me an email at kioanes@norsstargermanshepherds.com, and we'll arrange to hook up by phone.