Any breeder feeding raw please? - Page 1

If there are any sensible breeders out there who feed raw....and by sensible I am looking for relevancy not mindless arguing of something off topic....

How much meat shoud a pregant bitch be eating in the last two weeks of pregancy? She's getting about 3 to4 lbs now but I want to make sure I shouldn't be trying to get her to eat more.

Thanks
AR

I know several breeders that feed raw and they all allow their bitches in whelp to eat as much as they want.

After the 4th week, I usually feed about double, I'd say of what she normally would eat and that may increase to 3 or 4 times when she is nursing...... depends on how big the litter is ......

Make sure you are supplementing calcium,and the salts if you are not giving ground bone with the meat part or  the phosphorous will be high.Good luck with your litter.

Thank you London...I just worry that "as much as she wants" is not enough...granted it could be my Itailian heritage where I cook for 10-12 people if there's going to be two...lol

Thanks DKiah...it would be easy to do that if she weren't so peculiar when pregnant.  She eats anything put in front of her when she is NOT pregnant...3 weeks into it...she changes.  Nothing but whole foods for her.  Kibble? Canned? Forget it. 

I present her royal highness (not to offend any royalty on this list   ) with an assortment of foods from week 3 until whelp...rabbits, turkey, tripe, gizzards, livers, chicken, cheeses, fish, etc, etc.  She will graciously accept these food "offerings" from her humble midwife...sigh.....
But....to me 3 or 4 lbs a day seems light.  Guess momma knows what's best for her growing puppies.

AR

 

once they start to get large, a bitch in whelp should be offered several small meals a day. This may help with her appetite problem?
Debby

Skippy (Julie) tempted us into fresh raw feading, and we have NEVER looked back.  Difference in dogs is amazing, nursing bitches have much more milk, and the puppies - well - difference is amazing as I keep telling myself.   I start my puppies off on raw mince chicken - the sort that has the bones and all ground into it, so no need for calcium - and thats at about 3+ weeks dependant on the size of litter - and I let the bitches feed their babies for as long as they like, and sometimes its long !!!    But however, my bitches NEVER look thin and scraggy at any point, and their coats are brilliant.

After the minced chicken, at approx 5 weeks of age, they get to chew on chicken wings - raw of course - and they go from there to other meats but always giving mind to the fact that chicken wings are important for the calcium value too.

When in whelp my girls get chicken - tripe - heart - liver - and kidney necks etc., and chopped veggies cooked.  I doint get my pinny out and start preparing mind, I`m lazy enough to buy chopped cooked veggies from the place that delivers my meat for them - and believe me, I can stand the smell of the tripe much better than the bubona as they call it. 

Hope Skippy comes on and gives her version, she`s magic re dogs needs and raw foods.

Mo - Mascani

It can depend on the bitch.  If I fed Vala all she can eat she would become obese.  I swear she gets fat on air even when lactating.  Her mother, on the other hand, didn't eat well during certain parts of her pregnancy and then the first week after whelping.  I fed her all she would eat. 

Yes, during the last two weeks, especially if they are carrying a large litter, it can be very helpful to feed several meals a day.  Also you might want to decrease the bone during the last week so it isn't so hard for her to poop. 

My 4th raw fed litter is due in 3 weeks. 

Lisa
http://www.zutreuenhanden.com

Palestar

If you would like to get in touch by e-mail if not in the UK,or by phone if in the UK I will try to help you I have now been feeding raw for around 12 years.