My gal is six weeks pregnant. Does everyone recommend she be on puppy kibble now?
Do you all feed her puppy kible once shes whelped?

No. Don't change to puppy food until after she is whelped - it has too much calcium.

I feed my mums half regular kibble and half puppy kibble at 5-6 weeks pregnant. I continue that when they whelp too. My puppies have all been an average of 16 oz, in 7-12 puppy litters.

We all do things a little different. Mine go on puppy food the last 3 weeks. Some of regular and some puppy. Then just the puppy food when they whelp and until the pups are weaned. Pro Plan Puppy is what I have used for years.

Nancy is right, no extra calcium until whelping.

According to Myra Savant-Harris's book and seminar:
Calcium's primary role is muscle contractibility. The body has a gland that pulls calcium out of the bones, when needed, and puts it into the blood stream. From there it goes to muscle and helps in producing muscle contractions. Oxytocin is responsible for the frequency of muscle contractions. Calcium determines the strength of the contractions.

If you supplement with calcium before whelping, this gland decides it isn't needed anymore and shuts down, or slacks off. When whelping time comes, and strong contractions are required by the uterus, the gland is asleep and doesn't transfer the needed calcium from the bones, to the blood, where it can be used by the muscle (uterus) for whelping contractions.

What ends up happening is the contractions aren't strong enough and soon the uterus gets tired and gives up, and we end up going in for a c-section, of oxytocin shot; which is a whole other issue.

Calcium given during whelping can help strengthen contractions and is recommended. Tums, yogurt, ice cream, and other forms are all used by many breeders between puppies.

Mike

How much calcium does Taste of the Wild(for all life stages: Poultry Variety)have? Would you consider it good food for a pregnant bitch? How about Innova Adult? Or EVO?

I don't know about particular foods. Generally speaking, in regards to food, just stay with the normal adult dog food that you normally feed until after the puppies are born. After whelping feed puppy food, since the extra calcium will aid in milk production.

Mike

When I feed kibble I would put mum on puppy kibble 3 wks before whelp and then continue after pups are whelped she needs the extra nutrition. But the last several years my girls have been on raw so there is no nutritional difference she just gets feed more.

Actually it's the extra caloires and fat in puppy food that is needed to assist in sufficient lactation, not calcium.

I personally switch all my dams to puppy food about 7-10 days prior to whelp. The companies that do research know more than we do about nutrition and when they say switch prior to whelp I follow their recommendations. In 20 years I've never had an issue. Just my opinion.

What reasearch says to feed puppy food to a bitch in whelp?

Mike