breeding and whelping Huskies

Question
QUESTION: Dear Ms. Cox,

I have just bred my 3 year old "Butterfly" a chocolate and white (butterfly on forehead) to a black and white slightly larger male (silver).  They successfully hooked up many times.  When I was breeding dachshunds years ago we fed them puppy chow with occasional cheese for calcium.  I also remember something about taking their temperature close to the due date to help anticipate labor.  Is this true?  Does it go up then down or down then up within 12-24 hours of labor?  Any other must knows I might need?  I'm excited.

ANSWER: Hi Bonnie. I wouldn't recommend feeding her a puppy food right now. It may make the puppies too big, and make her have complications during whelping. As long as you're feeding her a good quality adult food, then that's fine. If you decide to take her temp, take it once in the morning, and once in the evening. It will drop to about 98.0 or a tad bit lower, and then go back up about 24 hours before labor starts. I'm going to give you a few good web sites that you may find informative. I love them. :-) If I can help you with anything else, let me know! And good luck.:-)

www.debbiejensen.com  use the index on the left.

http://www.debbiejensen.com/date.html   this is a neat one. You type in when the dog was bred, and it gives you a timeline of what's going on with the pups.

http://www.kismetsighthounds.com/breederresource.html  this has a ton of info.

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

QUESTION: Dear Debbie,

OOOHHHH! (As the cowboys say.)  I didn't know NOT to feed puppy chow now.  Heck, I'm a retired midwife (people) and know milk products make big headed C-section baby humans.  I guess puppy chow does it with milk?  Heack with the dachshunds I've had to help spread the pelvis wider by pushing back on the legs.  Works for ladies.  You only have to do that for the big American Men fathers married to little short fingered American women.  An that is cuz they won't squat as God intended.  Westerners!

Thanks for the temp tip.  How about calcium supplement for mother dogs to avoid eclampsia with large litters.  I don't want to invade Butterfly's privacy with an ultrasound.

Daggone neurotic down here, ain't we? :)  Bonnie E. Imirie

Answer
Yeah, for most dogs, a good quality adult food is best for them. There may be some cases where a special diet is called for, but it's fine for the majority of dogs.

I personally don't give any calcium supplements. It's usually the smaller breeds that have problems with ecplampsia. Remember though, it's just what I do.:-) Someone else may tell you different. I've honestly never had to give them. I just keep up with giving plenty of dog food and water. I also add broth the first day or so to encourage mom to eat better. Some girls are super picky. Sometimes you can overdo it with the calcium supplements and cause worse damage. They usually get everything they need from their dog food. I've had dogs whelp up to 10 pups with no problems. A good breeder friend of mine has Great Danes. Her dog whelped 15, with no problems. All she fed her was her dog food. The dog nursed for 5 weeks. She was one heck of a momma.

I personally prefer having an x-ray done to the ultrasound. Remember now, it's just my personal preference. :-) It'll tell you about how many there are, and if there are any really big ones in there. You have to wait until the dog is at least 50 days into her pregnancy for the x-ray.

Neurotic...nah....:-) Shoot, I have three vets myself. They think I'm neurotic. lol