food and suplement

Question
QUESTION: I got dura life high proten dog food and brewers yeast with garlic natural daily supplement are thoes good for my pregnent female

ANSWER: Hi Lillian

I don't know much about Dura Life other than the company that manufactures it in Texas did have a recall on some of it's products including the Dura Life brand in 1988.  I believe 25 dogs got sicked and/or died.

A high level of protein in a food are designed for working style dogs.  Dogs that are doing a "extreme" level of activity.  By extreme I mean protection, sledding, those kinds of activities.

Too much protein and your regular house dog has trouble breaking it down and it can cause hot spots to show up.

What breed of dog do you have? What is her level of exercise? How old is she?

All these come into play. For a pregnant female, I always recommend a fish based diet.  You want the female to stay in top shape without gaining to much weight.  High protein equals bigger pups which can equate to whelping difficulties.   I am of the opinion that you are better off feeding a good puppy food (higher protein) once the pups are whelped.

Brewers yeast is good, but salmon oils, sardines, beef heart are all better.  



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: They are boxers and they are perty active inside they do alot of playing around and they do get more exercyse we have a laser light that they chase around. They dont get too much exercyse outside cause it is realy cold and snowey outside they go outside to use the restroom then they want back in. I got the brewers yeast cause that was all they had that didnt have calsuim i was told that the dam can have troubles if she has too much calsuim how much of the suplement should i give her the directions say to give 1 tablet for every 10 lbs and double for pregnant or lactating females. I got that kind of dog food cause i couldnt find any other high quility dog food that wasnt like 50 dollars for a small bag and my dogs wont eat science diet.

Answer
Well there is the old adage, you get what you pay for.   You need to read the ingredients and decide what's best for your dog.  Breeding animals should always have the best quality food and supplements because they are passing down to future generations.

Boxers especially have higher rates of skin problems, allergies and the inability to focus.  I grew up with Boxers and they were big, strong and were working dogs.  In my opinion, today's Boxer can't compare.

You can help them with feeding the best food and if cost is an issue, then you want to consider adding raw.  Beef heart, kidney and liver can be supplemented to the diet.  Organ meats should only be given two or three times a week.  

Anything less than the best give to breeding dogs is an injustice for the breed, whatever breed you choose.  

Exercise is so important, any of the bully breeds, Boxers included can have issues in whelp because of the skull and shoulders of the pups.  If a female is out of shape and not in top physical shape has a hard time in labor.

A pregnant female can't get "too much calcium" because what isn't taken into by each pup goes into her own teeth and bones.