My Tervueren bitch was mated this week and hopefully she will be growing some lovely puppies as we speak. I feed her raw only. She eats (all food human consumption grade) Chicken legs, wings,quarters, necks. Lamb off cuts, usually containing a fair bit of meat, beef and/or lamb mince, lamb necks. She eats the following organs: Beef or Lamb kidneys,hearts and livers (some times she gets chicken livers). I make sure to mix the organ meat so that she doesn't just eat liver only. She also eats approx 1 or 2 raw eggs a week.I do not feed vegetables, basically because it's a lot of work and the dogs don't like it and won't eat it but if someone wants to convince me that at this time she really does need vegies, I'm open to it. This is the first time I am raw feeding a pregnant bitch and I am a bit frightened she's not getting all she needs. Is there anything else I should be giving her? I seem to remember there is an organ that contains a lot of folate and is good for her while she is pregnant? I could not find another thread on this topic but I'm sure there probably is so I would really appreciate either a link to the information or the information I need to make sure this girls gets the very best for her and her pups.
Carla Spelt, Perth West Australia

http://leerburg.com/feedingqa.htm#preg

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=157144

http://leerburg.com/diet.htm



Also, from the LB Q & A on raw feeding:

QUOTE:
I want to breed my female. Is it ok to feed a raw diet to pregnant dogs?

Absolutely! Pregnancy and growth are 2 of the most physically taxing times in our dogs lives and feeding an easily digested diet can make the whole breeding, whelping and weaning process easier and more successful. Pregnant dogs have a need for extra carbs, which we provide to our breeding females in the form of pulverized vegetables. If you have the desire to breed your dogs, you owe it to them to do the research necessary to make the right food choices for the health of mom and pups! We carry books that outline the “ HOW-TO’s” of feeding dogs a raw diet. These can be purchased at the Leerburg online book store. END

Also,
http://www.google.com/custom?domains=leerburg.com&q=feeding+pregnant+bitch&sa=Google+Search&sitesearch=leerburg.com&client=pub-9352112989043417&forid=1&channel=8149920423&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&safe=active&flav=0000&sig=XaJqMPqToCkex0QJ&cof=GALT%3A%23333366%3BGL%3A1%3BDIV%3A%23999999%3BVLC%3A336633%3BAH%3Acenter%3BBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLBGC%3AFF9900%3BALC%3A333366%3BLC%3A333366%3BT%3A000000%3BGFNT%3A666666%3BGIMP%3A666666%3BLH%3A86%3BLW%3A100%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.leerburg.com%2FPhotos%2Fheadlogo.jpg%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.leerburg.com%3BLP%3A1%3BFORID%3A1&hl=en

Scroll down a few lines to "WEB."

Carla,
My female has been on Raw all her life and when we bred her i did not change her diet very much just upped the amount OZ a day.
I like the way you feed and I really would not change it but add a little more to it.The only time you really add is when she is nursing, I added more bones into her diet, actually i added wings to it and more backs. I do not do Veggies either, I'll never believe their is a need for it. I do the salmon oil, I do add yogurt 2 times a week. Look at your female as the pregnancy progresses and add if you feel their is a need for it. When she whelped she was the best mother i had hoped for and she eat the next day like normal.I fed Broth only the night after she whelped but the next day she was ready for her RMBS. The pups were weened with Raw meats, and at times I would put wings and let them play with them and figure out what it's for, then I would let mom in and she would eat them ( show them what they're for)of course once they got their teeth and could use them to eat they would tear meat off bones, until the day they could eat the bones too. I had gotten a huge variety of meats for them and they loved it. I think on Raw it's truly amazing to me how well every stage was, my female looked great and her pups looked amazing. I wish you well, if you can get the book called "grow my pups with bones" great book for pregnant females and pups.
I wish you the best!

Thank you so much Angelique. Did you notice, I'm a bit lacking in confidence :-) I've had litters before but never on Raw all the way through the pregnancy as well as the weaning. I actually had some trouble getting this girl to come in season. She 'nearly' got in for months and months. She finally came in and it probably had nothing whatsoever to do with the raw feeding but I kept wondering if there is something I'm doing wrong. Your mail is a great confidence boost and I'll try to get that book but will have to get it from the U.S. which may mean that it won't get here until half way January which will be half way through the pregnancy. Just a quick question; What do you mean with "the amount OZ a day" Does OZ mean Organs?

I just had a look at "Grow my pups with bones" Is that the Ian Billinghurst book? That is based on BARF which - I understand - is very different from how I feed. To be honest, I don't really believe they need either vegetables or additives. I do believe that if we get the 'mix' right (meaning raw meats and organs), the dogs should be getting everything that is needed to keep them fit and healthy. Problem is getting that mix right ofcourse and I am old enough to know that - with the best intentions - we sometimes get things very wrong through sheer ignorance :-)

Thank you Connie - I've had a look through the links you suggested and found a lot of info that is very helful. Also found the answer to the Folic Acid question; Beef or Calf liver. She already eats beef liver but I'll make sure she gets it several times a week from now on. Thank you so much for your help. This forum truly is a great resource and the place where I go when I need an answer I can trust.

Yes on that book the feeding is a bit different BUT you can take things from it and really it will answer some of your questions or perhaps give you ideas.I never follow the Ian Billhurst feeding program BUT I take some of his ideas and sometimes change them a bit to my style. I meant OZ for ounces...sorry.
Keep the organs in her diet for sure, sometimes i leave them on my counter over night, my dogs like them at room temperature, you can also put beef or chicken broth over them.
I think you have to be confident in this feeding that you are doing the right thing and it seems to me that you are on the right track.Do not add kibble.You'll see at the time of nursing all that good rmb diet , keeps a huge supply of milk. We had 6 pups and they looked pretty good size and so full of themselves. the feeding time was great cause they were busy figuring out how to take apart their meat...kept them occupied
Look through my album I have a few pictures of my female and pups:
http://s141.photobucket.com/albums/r77/cadogancna/
Feel free to email me privately too:
cadogancna@aol.com
And by the way i love your boy MULTI...nice
all your dogs are nice but MULTI has the coat i like..

Ofcourse I forgot that Ian Billinghurst is Australian so, for once, this book was easy for me to get. It will be posted to me in tomorrow's mail. Will let you know what I think.

This list has a whole bunch of raw feeding books:

http://www.leerburg.com/feedingdogs.htm

The top two are quick easy reads (hands-on) for anyone who doesn't need the convincing part. :>

The raw feeding revolution definitely got its major momentum from Aussies, and not just Ian Billinghurst. Thank heaven for those vets who were willing to be ostracized and ridiculed and stood up against crap-in-a-bag, I say.