Running prenant bitch

[Slaux]

Lots of good advice on here. I always keep running them when bred, right up to, maybe ten days to two weeks prior to whelping. Not hard running, trying to keep up with a pounding pack, but some light running is good for them. When you can feel the little buggars squirming around and bumping their heads against her abdomen it's time to limit her exercise to casual walks, cause it won't be long....Good luck with the litter!!!

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Supplements are not necessary as long as you are feeding her a high quality dry kibble.About the only thing I will sometimes ad in to a bitch's regular chow when pregnant or nursing is some beef liver,egg and some cottage cheese.Always be careful not to get them too heavy before whelping.
Once they hit that 2-3 week mark after having the pups and are nursing I feed them all they want as the nutritional demands on them especially with a big litter are 2-3 times a maintenance diet.

[BCBeagles]

Nupro....fantastic supplement for your female up to pregnancy and even better after she has the pups. I put in straight on to the pups food once weaned.

I get compliments regularly about the muscle tone and healthiness of my pups or pups purchased from me....just give them quality food and add Nupro and it makes a decent food really good.

It works for me......

[513Moogie]

I looked up the NuPro and its looks like quality product. My concern is the calcium pull on mom when the pups develop their bones in the last two weeks and when she has to produce milk. That's why women used to loose their teeth when they had lots of kids years ago but today we know better. Large dogs have lots of bone mass to pull calcium from, small dogs don't. It's probably overkill with todays quality dog foods but just the same it worked before so I'll use it again.
I read somewhere that wolves store bones in the den before they give birth as a calcium supplement. Thanks for your comments.

[S.R.Patch]

The last couple of weeks the pups are only fleshing out, their bone structure is already formed.
Alot of these worries should have been taken care of prior to breeding. If a bitch is in good shape, up on her shot and wormed, there is little left to do other than maintain her good health. That means, reasonable exercise, balanced diet an proper husbandry to the animals you keep. We've used calf or kid goat milk replacer, and Happy Jack Milk-aid for bitches whelping a litter. Some old info used to worry about turned pups or detached placentas with to much stress put on a pregnant bitch heavy in whelp. I never had a bitch get totally out of shape or forget how to run a rabbit by limiting her exposure or exercise time.
Today I made some dumplings and threw the old girl the livers. She seemed pretty content with that.
Good luck with your litter...

[513Moogie]

I think I read that ossification occurs around day 45 so you may be right about the last two weeks.
I boil and mash a lb. of chicken livers, mix with dog food and 6-8 scrambled eggs then top off a serving with half cup of cottage cheese during high stress times in the hunting season. Great for recovery for daily hunting/running and they love those livers.
Thanks for your reply and the great information.

[513Moogie]

Had her out Sat. 27th and she ran two in about an hr. or the same rabbit twice. She has a lot of pep in her step and I'm starting to worry. I said to her " You really shook them up good tonight". She's got a pretty good sag going on now and has put on some weight. She was out of a litter of eight and is filled out more then my previous females. From here she has 13 more days.

[Pine Mt Beagles]

What Patch Said,,,,

[513Moogie]

He's 100% right. All the work has already been done. Just need to gather up the welping supplies and continue doing what I've been doing. I've always used fresh straw in the doghouse and change it at regular intervals. Let nature do her thing with a little help from above.

[S.R.Patch]

Your mama dog will appreciate a clean dry floor with no bedding this time of year. She'll be able to clean up afterwards more thoroughly and keep the fly/nats from blowing the box.
My cousin just had a freak happening with one of his pups from this summmer. A little female pup wasn't nursing and was falling behind the others, he found she had a small straw stem inside one of her nostrils about a inch long, he pulled it out and it has puss infection so he took her to get checked and now she eating but noticeably smaller then the rest.
Good luck with your litter...

[513Moogie]

Thanks for the info. So I should do a clean up and leave it bare wood or a coat of paint and throw washable item in there? One would never think a piece of straw would be a problem like that.

[BCBeagles]

good luck with your litter..sounds like you enjoy your dogs....it is a lot of fun!

[S.R.Patch]

No need for paint and rags, When she gets the urge to nest, she'll scratch all that pretty paint and wad those rags. Pups can get lost under bedding and laid on.
Just a quiet dry shelter is needed for her to raise her brood. Dogs naturally go off to have their pups away from everything, so she will appreciate some isolation from others of her own kind.
When the time is close, take her temp. When it drops to 98deg, the pups will come within 24 hrs.

A few yr ago my Lucy bitch had her pups under the old hard maple tree in the yard, she dug a hole between two feeder roots and made her nest. It was a hot June day, so rather than move her and the pups back to the kennel, I left her alone there in the cool dirt where she had chosen to whelp. She did fine and had 7 puppies. When a threat of rain came, I had an old crate I laid on it's side out by the tree for her to move her pups into. Those pups were raised there until they got big enough to tear up mothers flower bed, then they had to be corralled to limited space. It was fun to watch them grow looking out the sliding door of the kitchen. Their minds and boldness grew with their bodies, just like the old day when money was short but time and yard space was plenty.
Stay calm and y'all do just fine.

[513Moogie]

I'm a city beagler in an old subdivision til I get my butt just south of Lake Dale Hollow, Tenn.. She never stops wandering and there's no telling where she'd end up. Fully insulated doghouse in a covered kennel is the place she'll be. I'll just remove the straw about day 57 and keep an eye on her. She gets out when I get up and I let her out and in the house. Raised her as a twoway dog. I visit my brother in Livingston Tenn. and she stays in the room with me. He usually has 3-4 schnauzers and now he has two bird dogs but his wife says they have to stay outside. Thanks for your reply and I'll keep you posted.

[513Moogie]

Well she delivered 5 healthy pups yesterday evening. Couldn't be happier. She had one stuck in the birth canal for about a half hr. and had me worried for a while. I could get two fingers In around its neck but couldn't move it, but she finally pushed it out. Thanks for all your comments and help and lets keep them beagles coming.