How to Use Calcium at Whelping
In mammals such as dogs, calcium allows the uterine muscle to slide past and shorten, resulting in effective uterine contraction. Low blood calcium leads to ineffective contractions and nervousness, often resulting in puppy loss.
If you supplement calcium before whelping, you shut down the pregnant dog’s ability to fine tune the minute-by-minute demand needed for whelping and milk production. By staying away from calcium supplements pre-whelping, you can let her gear up for the needs of whelping and milking and help prevent calcium issues such as eclampsia or milk fever.
Can You Give a Whelping Dog Too Much Calcium?
Yes. You can giving a whelping dog too much calcium, but it is hard to, particularly when you are giving it short term during lactation. When dosing, consider the amount of calcium, form of calcium, as well as the magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin D3 levels in the supplement.
Injectable calcium gluconate 10% provides the fastest onset of action. Higher concentrations of calcium injectable products are dangerous and should not be used. During labor, you can use either injectable 10% calcium gluconate or Breeder’s Edge® Oral Cal Plus Gel for the most prompt response. Products such as Tums® do not deliver enough calcium and phosphorus fast enough to use in place of Oral Cal Plus Gel. Each Tums® contains 200 mg of calcium carbonate.
We do not recommend the use of calcium supplements during pregnancy – start only at the start of labor. Starting calcium prior to the onset of labor will suppress the dam’s ability to move calcium from her bones during labor and lactation, causing more harm than good.
At the first sign of labor, start oral calcium gel. One cc (ml) contains 200 mg of calcium as calcium carbonate, calcium lactate and calcium ascorbate and 100 IU of Vitamin D3. Large dogs can receive 2 cc and small dogs can receive 1 cc at the start of labor and this can be repeated after the delivery of each puppy.
How much calcium do dogs need after giving birth?
To prevent eclampsia, the calcium level in the bitch’s diet should be at least 1.4 percent.
Whelping with Calcium: Pet Care Pro Show
This particular subject is near and dear to my heart because as I write this, I have a litter on the ground with this issue — I’ve seen three or four Working Aussie Source breeders come up with a case in the last month or so, and after 25 years in the breed, it’s totally new to me. It caused me to lose a puppy, and it’s been as much work as having a newborn baby. It affects our breed and not all vets acknowledge it exists.
What is it? It goes by a few names, the easiest of which to remember is “Milk Fever” but you’ll hear it called postpartum hypocalcemia, periparturient hypocalcemia, or puerperal tetany. Essentially, the dam’s milk supply saps her calcium supply and leaves her with pre-eclampsia, which can be life threatening to her.
From the Merck Veterinary Manual – “Panting and restlessness are early clinical signs. Mild tremors, twitching, muscle spasms, and gait changes (stiffness and ataxia) result from increased neuromuscular excitability. Behavioral changes such as aggression, whining, salivation, pacing, hypersensitivity to stimuli, and disorientation are frequent. Severe tremors, tetany, generalized seizure activity, and finally coma and death may be seen.”
It is also tied to weak labor – my bitch wasn’t having contractions and I had to assist with the birth of the first pups. After whelping, if you see your bitch worrying puppies unusually, unable to get comfortable, or turning aggressive toward them, this is a clear sign that something is starting up. Be sure to rule out retained placentas, infections, and other maternity-related complications first. It’s quite normal for a bitch to be panting heavily post whelp, but extended periods of it and paired with other symptoms, and you might have something on your hands. It happened for me with a bitch in great shape with only three puppies. Many times, running a calcium test won’t reveal anything – you have to be specific and request one for ionized calcium. This will confirm things and if it’s an emergency, you can handle it quickly. If it is not, the following calcium protocol can help, and this is why it’s a good idea to have calcium on hand for whelping.
Recommended calcium products include: Oral Cal Plus – for quick dosing that absorbs as soon as it hit’s the dog’s cheek – and Dr. Roys Healthy Bones.
The group Canine Fertility, Reproduction and Neonatal issues recommends the following calcium dosages:Small Breeds – 600 to 800mg of oral calcium – each doseLargeBreeds – 1000 – 2000mg – each dose
The key is that when you see the symptoms, dose, wait for a change and if you see nothing, give more. Continue until symptoms abate. Once you do this, you’ll need to stay on it with regular dosing, and you will likely need to keep it up around the clock for the duration of her lactation, weaning her off of it as the puppies wean. Not staying regular with dosage once you find the sweet spot can result in the symptoms returning.
If you’re like me, you’ll be hesitant to pump your dog full of calcium – be assured that for the short period that this is happening, you are unlikely to overdose your dog, and excess calcium is excreted by the dam.
Once a dam experiences this, she is likely to do so in future pregnancies. I do not know if genetics play a role, but having gone through a severe case of it, I would not recommend breeding again.