# Normal weight gain for pregnant lab?



## jax (May 18, 2010)

Our female normally weighs around 60lbs, she is currently up to 
80 lbs and has 13 more days until her pups are due. Wondering what type of weight gains others have had with their pregnant females? I have another appointment with the vet next Tuesday and am thinking about 
Getting an X-ray done to see how many there are. Maybe I am being to paranoid?


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## Erin Lynes (Apr 6, 2008)

That's a lot of gain with 2 weeks yet to go! We average about 2 lbs of gain per puppy....


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## Don Lietzau (Jan 8, 2011)

1.5 to 2 pounds per pup. 
Don and Crew


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## jax (May 18, 2010)

Is that 2 lbs per puppy for the whole pregnancy? She normally eats about 3 cups of PPP all life stages once a day. She is currently up to 3 cups twice a day and was planning on adding a cup in between those feedings, she also gets one hardboiled egg and one multivitamin daily. Am I over feeding her, or is it more likely a large litter?


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## SWIPER (Sep 24, 2006)

usually they say to increase the food for your bitch by 25% when you know they are pregnant.


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## jax (May 18, 2010)

Correction: the last week she has been fed 4 cups twice daily. She has 13 days until the pups are due.


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## ErinsEdge (Feb 14, 2003)

You don't increase that much while they are pregnant, but you do when nursing. I would get an x-ray in a week.


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## The Snows (Jul 19, 2004)

You've gone from 3 cups a day to 8 cups per day before pups? That sounds like too big a food increase IMHO. Depends on the dog but pre-puppies we are generally in the 5 cup range dividing this into three meals as you get closer to the whelping date. Once pups have arrived we then increase the daily food intake but divide it into multiple smaller (1 cup) meals throughout the day, slowly scaling back once the pups are transitioning onto gruel.


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## jax (May 18, 2010)

Ok, I will back off on feeding so much and will schedule an X-ray.


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## suepuff (Aug 25, 2008)

2 pounds per pup. I don't increase food until the last week and only by a cup or two. I don't change food either. Post whelp food amount goes up significantly. This last litter of ten my girl as eating 10 cups a day during peak lactation.


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## IdahoLabs (Dec 21, 2011)

I'd be more interested in her body condition score than actual pounds of body weight.

Here's a chart.... http://wbanimalhospital.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Pet-Chart.jpg

It's a little harder to tell on a pregnant animal but you can certainly evaluate ribs, hips, bony promininces or lack thereof. I wouldn't begrudge her the weight if she really needed it, but gaining almost half her normal body weight sounds excessive. Be aware that the game may already be played at this point; be cautious of making drastic changes in intake.


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## Lab4me (Sep 25, 2009)

IMO. Have your vet help evaluate your girl and her condition.


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## windycanyon (Dec 21, 2007)

I increase by 15% per week after I can see the bitch is pregnant... so starting at ~4.5 - 5 wks. I start w/ a lean bitch and by the time of whelping, I still have a lean bitch, but one who has enough calories to feed her little army too.


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## Erin Lynes (Apr 6, 2008)

Even with a large litter, feeding before pregnancy doesn't increase nearly as much a you'd think. As someone said above, feed for condition even while pregnant. Different bitches will require different amounts but as a general rule, I don't increase anything until the last couple of weeks, having started with a bitch in lean condition. AFTER the pups are born, feed increases significantly if it's a large litter. The 2 lbs per puppy gain that I mentioned is measured from pre-breeding weight until immediately before delivery, I don't weigh along the weigh but just check condition visually and by feel, as per usual.


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## jax (May 18, 2010)

I had the vet evaluate her and he is having me feed her 5 cups a day,...he said she is a little bigger than he likes them at this time, but he has seen them a lot worse. Thanks for the help everyone.


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## JJaxon (Nov 1, 2009)

My recent litter she weighed 61 lbs the day of breeding. 2 days before delivery she had gained 16.5 lbs. 7 very healthy pups delivered, and drained her in 4 weeks time, but she bounced back to normal 2 weeks after weaning. She just started blowing her coat the other day, pups are 50 days old now. Largest of the litter weighed 15lbs-8.8 a few minutes ago.


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## jax (May 18, 2010)

We had an X-ray done yesterday to get an idea of how many pups to expect and the vet thought that she could have 10+ pups from what he saw. So we are going to be busy!


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## Tim West (May 27, 2003)

I supplement the bitches food with venison round steak when the pups come as well as feed canned food. Some moms don't want to eat right away. Then I transition off of it to normal food,, but more of it.


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