Energy and Gestation

The waiting continues.  This week we passed day 28 of gestation for Miss VIP and she's doing great.  We've palpated at least two puppies and my excitement is growing.  Up until this week, there have been no adjustments made to her diet, and it won't be until after day 40 that the fetuses will really begin to take off and start draining some of her energy stores.  The recommendation is to increase energy intake after week 4 of gestation by 26 kcal per metabolic body weight. 

Metabolic body weight is an estimation of the body's actively metabolizing tissues rather than total body weight.  It is typically calculated by taking the animal's body weight in Kg and raising it to the 0.75 power.  In research settings and according to the National Research Council's Nutrient Requirements, energy requirements of dogs range from 95 - 200 Kcal x their metabolic body weight.  This is where we all get into trouble by reading the labels of our dog foods.  The labels reflect these values and if I used the values published for "highly active pet border collies" for my border collie, I'd be feeding her 175 Kcal x 6.19 Kg (Karma's metabolic body weight...yes she really only does weigh 25 Lb) or 1,080 Kcal per day.  I can tell you I feed her about 1/2 that amount.  For the majority of dogs, the labels drastically overestimate the energy that dogs really need, hence the serious weight problems we see in most pet dogs. 

So, little Miss VIP was actually getting 100 Kcal x her metabolic body weight (2.12 Kg) or 212 Kcal per day to maintain a good body condition.  I increased that by 26 Kcal so she's now at 126 Kcal x 2.12 Kg or 267 Kcal per day.  I actually won't bother with this amount much unless her body condition tells me otherwise.  She's getting her regular raw dog food daily, along with a tablespoon of Activia yogurt, and her fishoil.  Additionally, twice a week, she gets a raw chicken wing or pork rib (previously frozen) in lieu of her evening meal. 

The waiting continues.