My 4-year-old Fox Terrier is 5 weeks pregnant. As of tomorrow, it will have been nearly 2 weeks since she has eaten properly. She only manages a few bites at lunch and dinner (fresh steak, chicken, ham, or bacon bits, because dry food and wet food are completely out of the question).
We have been to the vet five times. She has had two blood tests to check for poisoning, and two scans which confirm the pregnancy and show no signs of any dead puppies. She also had an X-ray which didn't reveal any issues. Despite this, she was put on a course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, as well as stomach medication, but there is still no improvement.
I should mention that she hasn't lost any weight, but she obviously hasn't gained any either. She doesn't have a temperature.
She isn't acting sad or anything; her behaviour is just the same as usual.
The three different vets we have seen are a bit stumped and have tried pretty much everything.
Has anyone else dealt with this before? Any advice or shared experiences would be a huge help. Thanks a lot.
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It’s Royal Canin and anyway, for the third time now she’s refusing her dry food... and we haven't changed her diet, we’ve always done the same thing, so that’s definitely not where the problem is.
I'm asking for the third time now ^^ what brand of dry food are you using at the moment?
Have you ever thought about switching to BARF or raw feeding? Salmon oil can help with dry food too, but as long as you're offering her an alternative, she won't touch the dry food.
I’ve called several breeders and none of them have come across this before, and not one of them said it was too late for breeding. As for the puppies, we’ve had several litters so yes, we know what we’re doing, but thanks...
What brand of dry food exactly?
Four years old for a first litter is starting to get a bit late... Breeding for the first time is usually recommended before the ***** is three, and they are typically retired from breeding between four and six, so personally, I think it’s quite late and the pregnancy is starting to become high-risk at that age. I hope she’s been health-tested, and the father too, for the sake of the puppies.
Anyway, if you want to find out more about breeding and your dog's current pregnancy, I wouldn’t just take your vet's word for it; I’d suggest talking to a reputable breeder of the breed instead...
Vets often aren't that clued up on breeding; they cover the basics during their degree, but it’s done very quickly without much detail. Plus, you shouldn't forget that breeding is lucrative for your vet – the scans, check-ups during and after the pregnancy, microchipping, first vaccinations, etc.
Do you already know how you’re going to organise the socialisation for the puppies?
As for why your girl isn't eating anymore, it could just be down to her own preferences... If she had a bit of a loss of appetite two weeks ago and you responded by giving her something more tempting (a meatball, for instance), she’s probably just gone off her dry food and is now simply eating what she likes best.
Have you considered BARF or raw feeding for your girl?
Maelys, we've had dogs for years. We aren't professional breeders; our girls just have the occasional litter to keep the bloodline going. We shared our experience here to get some useful advice. We're checking in with our vet every day and obviously, we aren't letting her out of our sight... Is there anyone who has actually dealt with this kind of situation before who could have a proper, sensible chat with us? Thanks very much. We don't need anything else, please.
We're giving her whatever she’ll accept, as I explained in my post... she has branded dry food available all day and night. She isn't touching it, so we’re giving her anything she wants and is willing to eat. Yes, it’s her first time breeding, and based on experience and the vet's advice, it doesn't seem too late. Yes, it was planned. We’re just wondering why she’s gone off her food, but thanks anyway.
What brand of dry food is she on? Have you been giving her raw meat for two weeks? She’s at risk of nutritional deficiencies on a diet without offal or raw meaty bones; in that case, you’d need to look into proper Raw Feeding or BARF.
More info on natural feeding for a pregnant female > http://www.tribu-carnivore.com/barfnew/index.php/articles/alimentation-naturelle/73-l-alimentation-de-la-femelle-gestante .
Regarding the breeding, was it planned and, more importantly, will it be her last? Four is starting to get a bit old; is this your girl's first litter? Have you had her health-tested regardless?
