appetite loss in pregnant gsd - Page 1

 My female has at least a week to go and was ravenous throughout most of her pregnancy, but has recently gone off her food.  Today she ate nothing in the morning and even refused small pieces of cheese and some milk.  She did eventually eat a small can of tuna and some raw carrot (which she begged from me when I was making lunch) but then vomited some of it up again.  Usually my females are hungry right up to the day before the birth, but from the size of her she may have more puppies than usual, maybe they are pressing on her stomach?  Later I will get some chicken or meat to tempt her with, but I am not sure if I should be worried enough to consult a vet, what do you think?? (She normally eats Royal Canin but will not touch it today).  Otherwise she seems OK, though maybe rather quieter than usual.

My female did the same thing at day 57, pretty much refused to eat any of her regular food, and when she refused peanut butter I was sure something was wrong.  I had to stick to very soft stuff (cottage cheese, yogurt, etc.) to get her to eat a tiny bit of anything.  She continued vomiting through day 58, which my vet said was OK, and was a sign she was getting close.  When I checked her temp that afternoon it had dropped to mid 98 degrees.  Sure enough, the following day (59) she started the whole "digging" behavior, and a couple hours later started whelping.

This was for a small liter (5 pups), so if you're expecting a large litter I'm not surprised she doesn't have much room for food in there!  Keep a close eye on her temp, she's probably getting close!

You didnt mention what day she was on in her gestation... that might be the key, or might be something more serious.  If she is close to whelping, definately keep an eye on her temperature.  Normal dogs temperature can run between 100-102... when she is nearing giving birth, it will drop to 99 (and a little lower in some cases).

If she is not close to whelping, there certainly "could" be something else going on.. something she ate, etc.  Or, there may just be so many pups that she just doesnt have any more room to eat and possibly had not passed her previous meal to clear out for the next one...

Please keep us updated!

Amy

 Thanks, thing is she is only 50 days from the first breeding (and the last was 8 days later!!).  Anyway will keep a close eye on her...I was planning an X-ray early next week to see how many puppies...

The vet I work for requires Radiographs (xrays) be done at 54 days... but if she still isnt eating, you might want to take her in "just in case" better to be safe than sorry.

I try anything the female will eat from cooked chicken to pan frying chicken liver/giblets and lamb heart cut into small pieces.  Small tins of premium cat food work well.  I also feed them off  the floor as I wonder if having a litter may press when they bend down and make eating a bit uncomfortable.  One of my females who had a very large litter (14) was hand fed the last week and I used the Eukanuba wet food that is used by the vets for dogs that have a depressed appetite as it is calorie dense.  At the end I don't care what they eat as long as it is something.

 Thanks all, I tried cooked chicken and it worked, she even ate some of the RC mixed with it.  So no real worries I think.  Will do the X-ray on Monday if possible.