My whippet fern is pregnant

[kirs]

Fern has always been a picky eater and would rather have pigs ears and denta sticks etc than her meals but she is now 38 days pregnant and I am feeding her science plan which she picks and chooses as to when and how much she eats.

Am I correct in thinking that I don't need to feed her up she will eat as much as she thinks necessary?

She is very small anyway as is the stud dog.

 

[kirs]

I also wanted some advice on worming as when I bred my last litter 3 years ago I wormed the mum daily from day 40 but after looking on the Internet I'm not sure that is what is best these days?

 

[moonlake]

Well, as you don't seem to have had any answers and your bitch is at the stage where she needs to be properly fed, IMO she has no chance of getting what she needs from a dry food she doesn't like. Whippets can be fed dry food but it needs to be one they will eat. At this stage, I would buy a small bag of a better quality food (mine like Burns and Fish4Dogs although they are not the highest rated on comparison sites) to see if she likes it better and change to it if she does. At the same time, start giving her small additional meals like scrambled egg, milk, raw meat (frozen mince from pet shops), some veg like the stalk of broccoli if you are eating it or carrots. You cannot produce a healthy litter on the cheap and her puppies have already had a poor start if she has not been eating well. As for worming, you were right to worm from the 42nd day (with panacur I imagine) and the puppies need to be wormed from 2 weeks, at fortnightly intervals up to the time they leave you. After that, it's up to their owners and I hope you will be able to advise them.

Good luck - hope you have a lovely litter.

Gay

www.moonlake.co.uk

 

[Rosie33]

As advised above, she does need to be on a good quality food, but it needs to be a complete puppy food, which she should stay on until her litter are weaned.

If she won't eat dried food, you can get good quality complete wet foods. If she's being choosy, maybe cut out the pigs' ears and dentastix, to give her chance to get hungry.

She does need to be wormed from day 40 onwards and I would speak to your vet about that.

 

[kirs]

Thanks for the advice.ferns appetite has picked up since my last post and she is wolfing her science plan and has been having scrambled eggs every other day aswell as well as turkey,lamb mince.

She is still enjoying her walks albeit she just mooches around while the other dogs hoon.

Fantastic feeling the puppies move inside her.

 

[kirs]

Fern had 8 puppies today, sadly we lost one.all blue and white.so proud of fern!

 

[lindypie]

Well done Fern.! They sound gorgeous, Look forward to seeing some pictures. Will get in touch with you soon.(Its Linda) Is it boys and girls?

 

[kirs]

Hi Linda fern had 3 girls and 4 boys.x

 

[Hula]

Congratulations , got any pics ?

 

[kirs]

I'm not sure how I put pics on here x

 

[Dizzyjenni]

Congratulations!!

Do you know how to use photobucket?

 

[kirs]

Nope! Sorry x

 

[lindypie]

Ferns puppies

 

[hanneroon]

ooooohhhhhhh they are lovely! Love little one at her head, very sweet,

 

[Hula]

Gorgeous Mum and pups x

 

[eingana]

What a beautiful blue the babies are

Please give Fern a scritch off me and Molly.

 

[kirs]

Ferns puppies are now 9 days old and are getting stronger by the day.their eyes should open anytime now and then I will move them into the utility room cos I'm so down on sleep from the little noises they make all through the night!