bluegrass wrote:Hey all, I need a little info...I have raised beagles for 20 or more years off and on, but I have two pregnant females now and I REALLY, REALLY want to take care of these right...the first question is when does their temps drop before labor and what does it usually drop down to??
Second question?? Should I stop the Ivomec injections while she is carrying or is the standard dose low enough to keep using?
Tony, first of all read the info below about Calcium. I usually start taking my bitches temps about 4 or 5 days before I think they'll whelp. Once in the morning once in the evening to get a baseline on what they normally run. Once a bitches temperature goes below 99 Usually 98.7 or lower you will find that they won't eat, are restless and that is when labor is starting. The other thing to remember is that not all bitches progress the same during labor. Some will dig,pant act restless for up to 24 hours and some will go in a few hours. There is no certain way a dog whelps. I highly suggest doing some google searches on whelping and caring for pregnant dogs.
You can go ahead and continue your ivermectin during pregnancy. 1/10th of a CC
Calcium and the pregnant bitch
This is from Myra harris..
Calcium is about muscle contractibility far more than it is about bones and teeth. It causes muscle to be able to contract smoothly and strongly. Oxytocin is about timing. It sets up the timing for the contractions and determines when they start and when they end. It alters the cell wall of the muscle cell to allow calcium to enter the cell and let it cause the cell fiber to contract. They work in tandem as a well-oiled and rehearsed machine.
If you supplement your bitch with calcium while she is gestating, this includes a raw diet with raw bones, puppy kibble, cottage cheese, yogurt, pet tabs or any other source of calcium, you run a high rish of altering the ph of the mother's blood. If the ph is altered, the hormone secreted by the para thyroid gland will do a less than efficient job of causing the release of calcium from the bones of the bitch when she needs calcium for strong contractions. The higher ph level will render the hormone from the parathyroid gland to be virtually useless. That hormone is the facilitator for releasing extra calcium out of the bones when the bitch needs it for uterine contractions. The result will be: inertia, inabilty to push out a puppy, inability for the uterine muscle to contract appropriately to bring about the repositioning of the puppy for delivery. Following delivery, the decreased calcium level will cause the mother to be unable to figure out how to mother. She
may lick incessantly, bark or growl at her puppies or lie on her tummy refusing to allow them to nurse. A few days into the post partum time, she may go into eclampsia, which is a seizure disorder caused by low calcium levels. AGAIN......these problems generally stem from the calcium that is fed to the mother while she is gestating. If you never supplement but feed your dog a good quality, mid priced kibble designed for all adult dogs (not puppies or gestating moms) and you do not supplement with anything, chances are very, very good that your mom's ability to pull out calcium from her bones for those times when she needs extra calcium for uterine contractions, parenting skills and production of milk.....will be intact. In other words, it is when we tamper that we run into problems. Give not a shred of extra calcium to the gestating bitch. Keep calsorb on hand to use during whelping to encourage stronger contractions, Give it generously to the brand new mom and you
will see her parenting skills return to her within 15 minutes or so, and keep it on top of the puppy pen in case your bitch goes into eclampsia. However.....if you simply never tamper with the calcium intake, chances are good you'll never need to supplement it at all. If you don't tamper, the parathyroid gland and its hormone will provide the extra calcium at those times when it is needed. Just don't tamper.....no cottage cheese.
Leah
still got 1 male and 5 females . 