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janet kosnik

There are differing views on how and what to feed your bitch that just got bred. I decided to go the natural route; feeding a food without preservatives, adding raw foods to her diet and supplementing with herbs and additional vitamins. I find that, for myself, eating a diet that is free of preservatives and additives and using herbs is beneficial. So I thought that I would try it on my bitch, Fanny. She is your basic chowhound and so I knew I’d have no problem introducing new foods to her diet. And I didn’t!

I started feeding a new dog food, Excel, last fall and I’m really happy with it. It is naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols and has 26% protein with no soy and 15% fat. There are plenty of essential fatty acids, which are necessary for a good coat and energy. I started giving her a dog vitamin daily, 1-2 months or more before breeding her, adding 500 mg. Vitamin C and 200 IU Vitamin E daily. I have always read and been told by veterinarians that dogs produce all the Vitamin C they need. But after reading dog books on feeding dogs a more natural diet, it seems to me that it is a wise thing to add Vitamin C to all dogs diets, especially the pregnant bitches’ diet because dogs can also benefit, just as people can, from Vit. C. I also chose to supplement Fanny’s diet with herbal combinations formulated by Juliette de Bairacli Levy. These combinations of herbs were first made available in 1955 in her book "The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat". This is an excellent source book for the houndsperson/dog owner interested in a little more than just feeding your basic bagged dog food and treating everything with antibiotics and steroids. There are alternatives! And they do work!

There is a great company in Jacksonville Oregon who has reproduced Ms. De Bairacli Levy’s formulas and has homeopathics, glandulars, vitamins and other herbal combinations. They suggest a few different formulas for use during pregnancy for general health of reproductive organs, to reduce problems in whelping, milk production and general health of newborn puppies. The herbal combinations, which are recommended at this time, are birth aid tablets, a seaweed mineral formula and a pregnancy formula. In addition to these formulas, I supplemented my pregnant bitch, Fanny, with a daily dog multiple vitamin, Vitamins C and E. Fanny easily maintained a good weight and a shiny coat during this time. More information on these formulas and other herbs can be accessed via the Internet at http://www.naturalrearing.com or by writing/calling at Marina Zacharias, PO Box 1436, Jacksonville OR 97530, and phone 541-899-2080. You’ll find very helpful people in this company who’ll take the time to answer your questions and explain about their herbal combinations.

I also began supplementing Fanny’s food about 1+ months before she was bred. I added some raw foods to her diet, such as raw meat, veggies and grains. About 25% of her diet was raw elk/deer, fresh organic carrots, summer squash, etc. and oats, bran or rice, for example. When I added raw foods to her diet, I noticed that she didn’t require large amounts of dry dog food to maintain her weight. She was fed 2-3 times daily and had mild daily exercise in a large yard; no forced exercise.

Her pregnancy was uneventful. I began taking her temperature daily 1-2 weeks prior to her whelping date, then increased it to twice daily as it got closer to whelping time. A dog’s normal temperature is 101 degrees; plus/minus and it will drop at least one degree within 24 hours before whelping. This is one way to narrow down the whelping time and is helpful esp. if you intend to be there.

This litter of pups came 61 days from Fanny’s second breeding. Her temp. had dropped 24 hrs. before the first pup arrived. She was beginning to nest around this same time. The remaining pups were slow in coming but Fanny was in no distress, no laboring between the pups being born. After almost 12 hours, 6 strong, healthy pups were born and were nursing.

I feel that Fanny’s pregnancy and whelping went smoothly with the help of all the supplementation at this time. I definitely would give the same formulas again to my next pregnant bitch. Herbs are very helpful for humans and they can also be helpful for our hounds.