Ratio Raw - Pregnant/Lactating Bitches

Nutrition is what you can control and is one of the most important steps to success.

Since implementing this menu we have had and helped multiple bitches and litters thrive. The results have been nothing short of amazing. Bitches producer higher then average litter numbers, strong puppies that want to grow and puppies that rarely hit the low that so many litters do.

Here are a few of our recommendations with diet. It is important to note that when we didn't do these added steps that litters were weaker, required more hands on nursing and bitches took significant amount of time to rebound usually extending the next breeding date and many times requiring us to unexpectedly retire some bitch's.

A bitch's diet before breeding should be similar to what we regularly promote: Ratio Raw diet With emphases on getting it done!

No fasting should be done with a pregnant/nursing body or a body wanting to be pregnant.

30% of the diet is veggie mix or tripe
However with soon to be moms this portion of the diet should be TRIPE rather then solely veggie. TRIPE contains a significant amount of nutrients that are extremely beneficial to the canine body. We have found that many boxers can replace over half of their veggie meal with TRIPE and reach optimum health.

30% of the diet should be red organ meat
Red organ meat is HIGHLY important to feed the uterus, the umbilical cords and then the pups. A bitch lacking in red organ meat will decline faster then even a kibble fed bitch. A boxer bitch lacking the nutrients found in red organ meat will produce low birth weight pups, pups that plateau then fail after weaning, bitches that have poor rebound of their uterus making for difficult recovery and unpredictable future breedings.

10% Other Fish, Dairy, Eggs, and Oatmeal

About Pregnancy
When planning a litter your bitch should be about 2 pounds above her ideal weight. As she is bred she should be fed to maintain this cover for the first 4 to 6 weeks of pregnancy. After the 6th week many bitches start starving themselves and give all their food to the pups. An increase in food will be needed at this time, usually double what was needed to maintain her weight in previous weeks. The key is not to have your bitch fat but to have her covered when she hits 60 days gestation.

Know that during her last week she will loose weight as her body works to move the puppies into the birth canal. An average bitch will eat very little if anything for three days after whelping therefore you need her body to be at optimum health and not lacking any nutrients or weight.

Please note that a fat or thin bitch will naturally abort puppies to make for easier demand on her uterus.

Birthing Time
Many bitches crave carbohydrates; red meat,tripe and chicken become less of a mainstay during the latter days of pregnancy and into labor. Most of our bitches refuse to eat more then one meal of chicken during the last seven days of pregnancy and into the first five to seven days of motherhood. We have found the more prepared our bitch is nutritionally, the faster she demands her regular Ratio Raw diet. We recommend that if your bitch is refusing chicken that tripe and other red meat bones be a important part of her meals as many complications do arise from lack of calcium in the diet.

The key during this month is to find what your bitch needs and give it to her making sure she still gets a balance of nutrients.

Three Days Post Delivery
For the first few days of motherhood we make up a mix of nutrient rich and caloric foods including:

• Banana
• Yogurt
• Goats milk
• Eggs
• Make this into a shake
• Add Vit. C, Colloidal Silver and water as needed
• Raw meaty bones (when accepted by the bitch)

Slowly as the first five days go by we remove this milk shake if all is going well for both bitch and pups, and the bitch is moving towards eating a Ratio Raw diet once again.