Re: Feeding Diamonds Extreme Athlete when in Whelp
I feed Diamond performance to my bitches in whelp. The extreme formula has too much fat and makes your puppies too fat and they will be harder to push out.
Re: Feeding Diamonds Extreme Athlete when in Whelp
Breeder
I feed Diamond performance to my bitches in whelp. The extreme formula has too much fat and makes your puppies too fat and they will be harder to push out.
That makes lots of sense. You got your answer OP, look at the amount on the 2 different bags. I tend to believe Breeder is right, she uses the lower of the 2. You don't want 2 lb. pups that some speak of that your bitch can't push out. She's right.
I feed regular food and begin the puppies upcoming food at 1/2 cup mid-day when my girls are 6 weeks then bring it to 1 cup before whelping. Puppies are never too large, never over 1 lb but are not thin either. My girls get the small amount of puppy as an extra supplement, regular food continues and puppy is only 1/3 of her total food intake.
I also add a scrambled or hard boiled egg every other day at 5 1/2 weeks or when I'm sure she's in whelp. All of that works for me. She gets what she needs but not too much.
If in doubt, speak to your trustworthy, regular vet or a repro vet.
Re: Feeding Diamonds Extreme Athlete when in Whelp
Feeding a food high in fat, making fat puppies that are too big to whelp is a ridiculous idea.
I like feeding a performance food while my bitches are pregnant, they get good nutrition and calories and don't have to eat a large volume of food, especially when they don't feel like eating much. If you feed too much of any food, your bitch will become fat, but that still doesn't lead to "fat" puppies.. My repro vet attended a theriogenolgoy meeting, a few years back, someone presented data, and the bitch being overweight had no bearing on puppy size, but did make your bitch less healthy and fit, thus unable to deliver as easily as a healthy weighed bitch.
Re: Feeding Diamonds Extreme Athlete when in Whelp
How much food to increase would depend on if they are carrying just a few pups or if it's a large litter. I get an ultrasound to estimate litter size for this reason.
Also, the food you are feeding is rated for maintenance only, not growth and reproduction. Ask your vet what to do and if you should change their food after they whelp. I wouldn't advise changing foods now.
Re: Feeding Diamonds Extreme Athlete when in Whelp
Results
Feeding a food high in fat, making fat puppies that are too big to whelp is a ridiculous idea.
I like feeding a performance food while my bitches are pregnant, they get good nutrition and calories and don't have to eat a large volume of food, especially when they don't feel like eating much. If you feed too much of any food, your bitch will become fat, but that still doesn't lead to "fat" puppies.. My repro vet attended a theriogenolgy meeting, a few years back, someone presented data, and the bitch being overweight had no bearing on puppy size, but did make your bitch less healthy and fit, thus unable to deliver as easily as a healthy weighed bitch.
The weight of the bitch in whelp has nothing to do with the weight of the puppies at birth, but a abundant high fat/protein diet intake during gestation, especially the last 3 weeks will cause the puppies to get as big as their genetics allow it.
If you read the first response, it states that Breeder feeds Performance too, just not the Extreme formula.
There are new discoveries in science every day. Having attended a meeting years back, does not tell me that your vet is up to date on the last science discoveries.
Same as in humans the diet during gestation will affect not only the weight of the puppies but also every tissue on the puppies' bodies.
