The American Beagler Forum

I am kind of new to Beagling and I was needing some advice on my first litter. I have a female that is do in about two weeks and I was wandering if I need to start feeding her more or give her some kind of supplment and what temp is best for the pups to stay at. If anybody has any advice I will be glad for the help.Thanks!

I started feeding mine Puppy Chow after the first 2 weeks on an automatic feeder. I highly recomend the feeder. I also give them vitamins (just daily vit. supplements). Also they say excersize is good for them so I try and walk them atleast every other day. I know people that feed yogurt and stuff like that to increase milk or maybe the calcium in the milk, but I have never done that. As far as temp?, I have no idea. In the winter I use a heat lamp bulb and if it is too hot in the summer we put them in the cooler basement. That's just what we do.

I keep my pups in a room at 72 degrees. I have a heated room in my garage that i keep my pups in. I think that this is one of the most imptant things with young pups. If they can stay warm they will be healthier. When pups spend energy with the chills it isn't healthy for them.

Be very careful and do not overfeed a female the last 10-14 days.

David, losts of luck with your litter. They must be due any time now. Here is some info I have taken from my site "pawpawskennels":

Take Care of Mama: Weeks before the pups are whelped mama will require a change in diet. A quality puppy food will provide the nutrition needed for the growth and development of the pups. The amount of food is increased and may be up to about double the normal volume the week before the pups are due.

Four or five days before the pups are due, I start giving the mama hound a product called Milk-Aid, made by Happy Jack. I follow the instructions on the container and give her Milk-Aid twice a day. I continue this until the pups are 10 days old, then decrease dosage gradually until pups are weaned. Milk-Aid helps with milk production and keeps the acid content low. I have used this product with great success for a number of years.
Until the pups are weaned, the volume and quality of food provided must remain high. When the pups are three to four weeks old they are growing at a rapid rate and are putting lots of pressure on the mama. She needs lots of food and water and it is time to start the pups feeding from a pan.
For more of how I care for the mama hound and the pups, check out my site:

http://www.geocities.com/pawpawskennels/DIET.html