I normally feed ,my bitches their normal diet for the first 5/6 weeks of pregnancy then change over to a complete puppy food for the last 3 weeks
giving smaller more regular meals
my worry is over feeding ,resulting in extra large whelps
intersted in what other breeders use???
myself i do think the whelps take what they need , but mum has got a lot of energy in the feeding in the coming weeks ! i dont want to end up with a skinny bitch , but on the other hand ,after once having a bitch whelping hude pups im in need of help from other breeders , advice please
mum was in very good shape at matting time , she still enjoys her excersise
so ive not got problems really!! just interested what other breeders have to say

I do the same but do not increase the food volume until week 6 and then only to half as much as normal by whelping.

After whelping I feed as much as they eat which with mine can be 3 or 4 times their normal amount from almost the word go, but then their normal rations are quite low being a breed that are very good doers.

i fed my springer her normal diet but from about 4 /5 weeks into pregnancy she started to be a fussy eater some days she wouldnt eat anything. obviously being worried i took her to the vets and they said she will eat when she was hungrey they also gave me some of their expensive high protein diet but that gave her an up set stomach. so i got in touch with my breeder and she said let her have some quiche and also chop up kidneys and liver fried , so i started to feed her with that so at least she was having something. when she got to 6 weeks into pregnancy i also started to give her puppy milk twice aday, for the rest of her pregnancy she still didnt really eat very much, she went onto have a really fast easy welp and had 7 beautiful pups, she never eat a thing for 2 days after the pups were born not even her puppy milk. but then she started back to normal and regain her weight loss very quickly. at least when i breed her again i know this is normal for her i wont waste my time at the vets unless nessesary.

thanks for your replys.
i know the books tell us feed normally for the first 6 weeks ,but i let my bitches decide when they need extra ,one bitch was starving at five weeks ,so changed her diet to puppy feed
all bitches are so very different , i have two expectant mums at the moment
one bitch would eat all day if i would let her
the other one needs seems quite happy on the three small meals of puppy food
she is day 46 today
I know by the end she should have 50% more feed , at the moment she is having same quantity as normal only a better higher protein puppy food
ive found giving more quantity can make them go off there food

I feed my chihuahua bitches up from rouphly the 6th week but i have a bitch who has whelped on her 56th night both times and is starving at about 5 weeks but she does have very large litters for her breed. When i feed up i just gently switch on to puppy( royal cannin) and also give egg, chicken, fish, whelpie and some enjoy rice pudding. ohhh and my old girlie used to love mash!! I then feed pretty much the same diet( but adlib) until the puppies are weaned and for as long as needed afterwards to ensure shes back up to peak condition
leanne xxx
ohh and 2 of my girls get morning sickness( that lasts all day!!) i find giving warm water with a teeny bit of honey works everytime...teeth brushes at the ready tho!!!

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Theres no smoke without fire........Oh yeah, what about smoke machines?!

By about 5-6 weeks i had split my girls food into 3 meals.

I changed her onto a good quality puppy food (i used eukanuba) 2 weeks before she whelped and give her little and often. she was fully on puppy food the week before and stayed on this until the pups were weaned. I didnt give her anything else to reduce the risk of diarrhea in both mum and pups. Once the pup's were born i basically threw a handfull of food in her bowl anytime i noticed it was empty!...it worked well for her as she actually ended up fatter after the pup's than before she was expecting (and that was after feeding 12 pup's!!) .....Much to my relief as she's the one dog we own that we do struggle to keep the weight on, esp during the shooting season when she is working hard.

She's a labrador by the way.

Ang

I fed my bitch puppy food from 6 weeks and up until last week kept her on it whilst she was feeding the puppies. Shall be putting her back to her normal diet now.