Dixie's Diet

Discussion dedicated to promoting the well-being of your dog through diet, exercise and general health tips.

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Leigha
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Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:02 am

Re: Dixie's Diet

Post by Leigha »

He's worried that she's rail thin despite all she's eating. I'm thinking it's kind of "normal" for her situation and she'll chunk out once the pups have weaned.
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Nettle
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Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:40 pm

Re: Dixie's Diet

Post by Nettle »

Yes, spot-on. :D She can't make milk and put on weight herself. Even well-fed broods sometimes lose a lot of weight while suckling.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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Fundog
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Re: Dixie's Diet

Post by Fundog »

Leigha, here's a human equivalent that might help to put it into perspective: A pregnant human mother needs to add 500 calories to her pre-pregnancy diet, to sustain a healthy pregnancy, for just one baby. When nursing said baby, she is to continue consuming 300 calories per day over her pre-pregnancy diet-- for just one nursing baby. Granted, Dixie is not a human, but she does have seven babies, who are growing at an even more phenomenal rate than human infants do! Oh, and here's one more: the average nursing human mother will produce an average of one LITER of milk per day for her baby-- for just ONE baby!!! (yes, I felt like a cow!)

So feed Dixie all she has time for-- which is pretty much whenever she's not feeding the puppies, or going potty, or sleeping. That pretty much sums up the life of a new human mother, too. Hmm... how ironic.
If an opportunity comes to you in life, say yes first, even if you don't know how to do it.
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Nettle
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Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:40 pm

Re: Dixie's Diet

Post by Nettle »

Pretty good info there, Fundog :)

Also - don't fret if Dixie's hair falls out. It's quite normal. Doesn't happen with all of them but does with a lot. It's not mange or some foul infection - it's hormones.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
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