regarding an different question

Question
QUESTION: hi, i asked you a question about my rat terrier a couple weeks ago about if terriers have trouble whelping. You answered but at the end you said just make sure shes not on puppy food or over eating. Well she is on puppy food because a couple breeders told me to gradually switch her to puppy food so i have been. Can that really cause a problem. she goes to the vet again on the 4th but i just want to make sure im not doing something that will hurt her or her puppies. thanks

ANSWER: The problem is not with the female but the pups. Which can in turn be a problem for a female will tearing of the uterine  horn, damage to the vulva, and stuck puppies which is problematic for both dam and offspring.

The higher protein and fats in puppy food are great BUT cause the pups to grow too large in utero. Larger puppies mean a harder whelp for the dam.

It's an old trick that breeders have been doing for years.  But we carried out our own study, we tested 12 dogs, using 6 different breeds including the English Bulldog.  Half the females we did on puppy food the other half on adult food.  We've found that all the females did well on the puppy food BUT each one had a more difficult whelp, head and shoulders were stuck.

The females that got puppy food AFTER they whelped, all had quick and easy births.

The pups from the females on puppy food where up to 6 ounces bigger.  One Bulldog pup came in at 2lbs!

Does it make a difference????? Some will tell you otherwise, but for us, we won't feed puppy food until after whelping.


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

QUESTION: So its ok to feed it to her after shes whelped. I don't want anything to make her have a harder labor then shes already going to have so ill probably stop feeding her that. Shes becoming a very picky eater and she wont eat the dog food which is why i started switching her to the puppy food already and sometimes she doesn't want to eat at all. I don't want to give in and give her fatty people food. Is their anything you would recommend to help my picky eater.. thanks

Answer
It is absolutely okay, and even encourage to feed her a good quality puppy food.  

Heart, kidney and liver in moderation are fine as is chicken.  You can boil it and give her the gravy and the meat.  Everything but the chicken can be given raw.  But remember small amounts over a period of time.  If she gets the runs, canned pumpkin will tighten her back up.