What Whelping Food !

[YoungFishBreeder]

I'm not going to get into the "should you be breeding" argument, because I have strong views on it and it won't help to get more heated on here, but you say you want her to have "many more litters". How old is she? Sorry if I've missed that. I lost a very special and young dog to mammary cancer because her previous owners wanted her to have lots of puppies, and without meaning any offence, I thought it best to post just in case you're not aware of the risks. If you would like more information on the risks of mammary cancer, I'd be happy to post them. Won't shove them down your throat though.

I know that excessive breeding can cause cancer more information is always better so if you would like to post then please do. Thank you for sharing your views nicely unlike some other members. she's just over 2 years old still a very young dog, we only want to have another 1 or 2 and would never put pippi in any risk. she will always go for vet checks and at a choice between the pups and her it would be her. Its terrible when you lo a pet and have to watch them suffer.

 

[grahamsokel]

To try and get this topic back on track
I start my pups off on the pedigree Profesional porridge then when they get to the 4 week stage i start them off on very fine minced steak once a day and the porridge as another feed then as they grow i increase the feeds till they are on 4 feeds a day by 8 weeks they are on the 4 varied feeds,i stop the porridge at 8 weeks but they get fresh meat and also a complete diet

Unfortunatly you wont be able to get the porridge as you have to be redgistered and you wont be able to redgister with only the one dog but if you know of a breeder who is redgistered they may be able to get you some

 

[fenwoman]

We were warned that first breeders always get the lecture, But they said that's just what every breeder goes through.

You hopefully understand that all animal lovers will ask questions. Some, like myself who used to breed, and show at championship level will have experience. Now I do rescue so from this point of view I am always very wary when people have to ask on a public forum as it makes it seem like the breeder did no research beforehand. Of course if you have the support of your vet and other breeders, you should be fine. I would however like to mention that any breeder who puts pups outside with a hot water bottle is more in the realm of dog farmer than dog lover. Shame on her for suggesting such a thing.
I have been the owner of a tiny yorkie ***** for the last 2 months who came to me through rescue. She is delightful and when she overcomes her fear of being walloped she will be fine. She won't ever get walloped here needless to say, any more than the other 7 dogs are.Nor will she be bred from as she has been spayed now.
Good luck with the pups.

 

[LisaLQ]

Ok, back to weaning food - when our pups were weaned (at 4 weeks) we weaned them onto Omega puppy food mixed with hot water.

Avoid Pedigree, Pal, Bakers, Eukanuba and Hills and the like as they're full of additives and I wouldn't recommend them for either adults or pups. Also their history regarding animal testing is horrendous (removing bones from dogs and cats to test the calcium levels, removing kidneys to test their kidney failure diet etc). The more natural the better, I'm sure if I'd have known what I do now about big name brands, I would have used Burns, or the like, for my pups.

And before anyone calls me a hypocrite, our dog came to us pregnant - went on to have 13 pups - and it was obviously not intentional. If we'd have known she was pregnant when we adopted her, we'd have had her spayed rather than deliberately put her through it - it was an awful experience for her and us, not one I'd consider repeating. She's spayed now of course, but after the pups her seasons were so heavy and irregular that she would become very poorly - and they were every 3-6 weeks rather than months, so in the end we had to risk her life to have her spayed a few weeks after a season. We assume she'd been bred repeatedly when her broken leg (that wasn't treated) stopped her from working. She was dumped on an allotment, with her broken leg, pregnant, covered in working scars.

One thing I will say about your dogs, is however much you love them and however much you know they're fully YT, if she isn't registered, she isn't a pedigree, and the pups can't be sold as such. Is there a reason why she's not registered? Usually it can mean she was bred from too early (if she was bred before coming to you) or that her mum was repeatedly bred more than the recommended amount by the KC so the "breeder" stopped registering litters so as not to get into trouble. Not your fault of course, but certainly something to think about if you're taking advice from her "breeder".

 

[YoungFishBreeder]

Ok, back to weaning food - when our pups were weaned (at 4 weeks) we weaned them onto Omega puppy food mixed with hot water.

Avoid Pedigree, Pal, Bakers, Eukanuba and Hills and the like as they're full of additives and I wouldn't recommend them for either adults or pups. Also their history regarding animal testing is horrendous (removing bones from dogs and cats to test the calcium levels, removing kidneys to test their kidney failure diet etc). The more natural the better, I'm sure if I'd have known what I do now about big name brands, I would have used Burns, or the like, for my pups.

And before anyone calls me a hypocrite, our dog came to us pregnant - went on to have 13 pups - and it was obviously not intentional. If we'd have known she was pregnant when we adopted her, we'd have had her spayed rather than deliberately put her through it - it was an awful experience for her and us, not one I'd consider repeating. She's spayed now of course, but after the pups her seasons were so heavy and irregular that she would become very poorly - and they were every 3-6 weeks rather than months, so in the end we had to risk her life to have her spayed a few weeks after a season. We assume she'd been bred repeatedly when her broken leg (that wasn't treated) stopped her from working. She was dumped on an allotment, with her broken leg, pregnant, covered in working scars.

One thing I will say about your dogs, is however much you love them and however much you know they're fully YT, if she isn't registered, she isn't a pedigree, and the pups can't be sold as such. Is there a reason why she's not registered? Usually it can mean she was bred from too early (if she was bred before coming to you) or that her mum was repeatedly bred more than the recommended amount by the KC so the "breeder" stopped registering litters so as not to get into trouble. Not your fault of course, but certainly something to think about if you're taking advice from her "breeder".

Well we were sold her And told she was a full pedigree and could be kc reg, well it turns out that her mum wasn't kc reg so she cant be. I find it astonishing how people can mistreat such a beautiful animal and how can you sack a Yorkshire terrier sure there naughty but thats just the breed, a firm no should hold them off.

 

[l.michelle]

I don't know much about breeding, but everyone has to start somewhere. I am just curious as to the problem people have with mutts? i have had dogs since i was born, and nearly all of them were mutts, I don't show (obviously ) but they make wonderful family pets. I am just wondering what is so wrong with them?

 

[KathyM]

I don't think anyone thinks there's anything wrong with them. There are tonnes of puppy and adult crossbreeds in rescue though, so the purposeful breeding of them is frowned on by those that would put them as a priority, especially when so many dogs die every day in pounds for no reason other than there not being enough homes to go round.

 

[LisaLQ]

I've got nothing against them, I've got one! I just think it's wrong to breed them when there's thousands put to sleep each year purely because someone thought it better to buy one from a mate or pet shop and not adopt via a rescue. Why breed dogs that there's a surplus of? It's taking away homes from needy dogs.

 

[YoungFishBreeder]

I've got nothing against them, I've got one! I just think it's wrong to breed them when there's thousands put to sleep each year purely because someone thought it better to buy one from a mate or pet shop and not adopt via a rescue. Why breed dogs that there's a surplus of? It's taking away homes from needy dogs.

All our previous dogs were adopted....

 

[pica_nuttalli]

i think lisa was mostly just speaking in general terms.