Sheena Update

[NicoleLJ]

Yesterday for the first time ever she actually wanted more food. She ate her breakfast but would not leave her dish. When I asked her what she wanted she touched her nose to her dish. She is trained to do this to remind me to feed her if I forget. So I gave her a little more. I am taking this as a good sign. She has never asked for more of her dinner ever. Also I was petting her belly yesterday, as I do every day, and was shocked. The 4 nipples she has at the top of her belly are usually flat and laying to the side. They also usually have a ring of dirt around them that I have to clean every week. Not a lot just a little. Well now all four of her nipples are standing straight up, the rest always have, just these four never ever have, they are also completely clean and instead of being flat have filled out to look like the other ones. I am also taking this as a very good sign. Yesterday was the 1st day of her third week. So the signs are pointing to puppies. Only 2 more weeks till I can get an ultrasound done on her to confirm it. Anyway that is all the updates for now.
Nicole

[borzoimom]

Top nipples are an excellent sign. I know you are waiting for the palpation, but you might want to start offering a small mid day meal. Do not over feed at one time. She will start needing lunch. Its safer than having too much food on the gut with an expanding uterus. Also- maybe adding a raw egg at night with more protein will help or put the raw egg in her mid day feeding.

[NicoleLJ]

Thanks for the tips. She gets few twice a day, always has. Safer that way. So I have just increased each feeding by a small amount. Now when she still seems hungry, so far she is happy with the small increase, I will decrease the other two meals to their normal amout and then add in a third meal at lunch. This way she never has too much in her tummy at once. I plan to start adding eggs every other day in about a week.
Nicole

[borzoimom]

What I did was keep breakfast and dinner at the amount as normal before- add lunch. Start out with like a cup. With a raw egg. Keep the other meals the original size. Remember- she is shrinking inside and shepherds can bloat. Pm me how much you would normally feed her. Also- if she is hungry already, mark my words- 6-8 puppies...

[angelbow20]

Could dogs get sick from raw eggs? Maybe I should give my pregnant dog a raw egg even though she eats like a horse. She is about 70 pounds already and she is a golden retriever and shes only about 35 days pregnant but she eats like she is starving all the time and will fight our other dogs for food, I thought about giving all of my dogs something else in there diet but never knew if eggs are good for them? can you also give them the egg shells also?

[NicoleLJ]

Gotcha. Now she gets fed 2 cups at breakfast and supper. before it was 1 & 3/4 cups of food at breakfast and supper.

I would not be surprised if she has a large litter. She came from a litter of 10(and it was her dams first litter) and Ryder the stud I think has produced as many as 12 in a litter. His average is about 8-10 pups per litter.
Nicole

[NicoleLJ]

Could dogs get sick from raw eggs? Maybe I should give my pregnant dog a raw egg even though she eats like a horse. She is about 70 pounds already and she is a golden retriever and shes only about 35 days pregnant but she eats like she is starving all the time and will fight our other dogs for food, I thought about giving all of my dogs something else in there diet but never knew if eggs are good for them? can you also give them the egg shells also?

I won't be giving raw eggs. I will be giving hard boiled eggs. This has been suggested to me by other WS breeders. I have no idea if raw eggs could be harmful or not. When I have drop eggs my dogs have cleaned up teh mess. They did get teh runs from it so I avoid it.
Nicole

[borzoimom]

Raw egg is a more digestable protein. If you over load her stomach at a single feeding with an expanding uterus as I said, she will be diareah..

[borzoimom]

As you increase her food, and I found 3 meals are better than two even if lunch is light, watch her stools. If they get loose back off dinner a little bit.

[NicoleLJ]

borzoimom - I took your suggestion today. I fed her the normal amount in the morning(1 3/4 cup) and then at lunch gave her 1/2 cup of food. She actually seemed very happy to get it. She was confused for a minute though when I put the food in her dish but hse got over it fast and ate it all up. Luca on teh other hand was very jealous that she got a lunch time feeding and he didn't lol. So I told him that if he ever gets pregnant then he can have a lunch time feeding too.

Nicole

[borzoimom]

What I use to do is give a handful to the others .. They thought they were getting something too, as they were fed seperately.