Framheim German Shepherds

The Joy of......Puppies, Dams and Studs!

 by Joan Andreasen-Webb

 Published in Schutzhund USA March/April 2000

Let the music begin! Get out on the dance floor! If I managed to avoid stepping on some toes in the last articles, I am bound to do it now. If you think your toes are in jeopardy, put on some shoes!

What is normal health for our working breeds? 'Normal' as defined in the The American Heritage Dictionary is 'conforming or adhering to a usual or typical pattern, level or type...based on group tendencies rather than on an arbitrary ideal'.  According to this, normal is a variable; affected by the overall group. More and more, I hear people accepting chronic allergies, sensitive digestion, prostate difficulties, irregular seasons, missed breedings and small litters as a normal part of breeding. The German Shepherd Dog breed just has these problems and we need to accept these as normal. It may be tempting to accept these diseases as normal when so many others have the same things occurring in their dogs.

Just for arguments sake, let us all agree that the best and most appropriate diet for dogs is raw; meat and bone based. Let us also accept what those having years of experience with this diet assert: There is less disease in dogs fed this diet, especially after several generations. Does this mean that genetic faults are being covered up? No diet is capable of concealing  genetic faults. However, if a dog can achieve the highest quality of health possible, faults that appear can be more accurately and confidently attributed to genetics rather than the environment. We won=t need to play guessing games.

If you have read the previous two articles on diet, you understand that the basis for optimum health is an optimum diet. The highest quality and most appropriate diet being raw, human-grade ingredients. Other choices can be a cooked diet or commercially produced diet when supplemented with raw food. Understand that whatever forms the greatest part of a dog's diet will impact their health the most. If you have chosen to feed a commercial diet of excellent quality, the crucial time to add raw food is for the stud dog, dam and litters of puppies. Free yourself from accepting that only a cooked, commercial, scientifically-formulated dry food is supreme nutrition especially when it comes to the cornerstone of your breeding program. Dogs have only been eating this cooked, grain-based type of food since the early 1900's when Bennet's Milk-Bone Dog and Puppy Foods were developed. This is a short time in the history of dogs and humans living together.

Some of the most valuable ingredients for your dog are the most fragile. Essential Fatty Acids, friendly bacteria, vitamins and minerals are all necessary and easily destroyed by heat, oxygen or processing. The appropriate combinations of these works together for assimilation. Too much or too little of a few can affect the absorption of others. Always use the most natural and least processed form of any ingredient especially vitamins and minerals. When choosing from food groups, select clean, whole and preferably organic sources. This is important with organ meats such as the liver and kidneys that cleansed the original owner=s body.

A Case History

We had an opportunity to experiment with diet and health earlier this year when a three year old  GSD male  came to live with us. We had whelped and reared him until he was just over a year old when he was adopted and relocated to another state. After he left us, he had been fed only dry kibbled dog food of a well-known brand found in pet stores and many supermarkets. In reviewing his medical records he was basically healthy save for a low-level chronic ear irritation and occasional loose stools. His teeth had more plaque on them than our dogs almost four times his age. His breath could knock you over. Under his layers of fat, there lay hidden a splendid structure. He weighed in at 99 pounds on a frame that should in athletic condition support 75 to 80 pounds. What a project to shape him up!

His first meal with his kibbled food, our grated vegetables and yogurt shocked the poor fellow. Lots of grimaces and spitting out whatever morsel of vegetable he could manage. With subsequent meals, the disgusted expressions faded as he found less kibbled food and more vegetables. He resigned himself to eat his veges or go hungry. Gradually, we changed to a kibbled food with human grade and whole ingredients we sometimes use while increasing the variety of vegetables, fruits and dairy products. We had not introduced raw meat or meaty bones yet. To begin this, we used a tablespoon of a minced beef. The results were immediate, impressive - and everywhere in his kennel! Explosive diarrhea does not come close to describing his first foray into raw meat. Even after years of exercising 'pro' rather than 'anti' remedies, I was tempted to bring out the big guns for this. Cool thought won out and after several doses of Pet Inoculant from Wysong, intestinal calm reigned. It was obvious that a different strategy was needed. It required several weeks of home-prepared cooked meals with an ever increasing amount and variety of raw ingredients mixed in before we graduated to a completely raw diet and a clean kennel. Ground chicken backs were tolerated well before we tried raw meaty bones. His intestinal fortitude after 3 months was as fine as you ever could wish.

All the while, I monitored his health. Four months into this diet, the ears were clean without inflammation and no head-shaking. I did not use any medications or homeopathic preparations during this time. I wanted to see what diet might do. His weight declined with daily runs and playing. As I write this, nine months after his arrival, his ears are clear and odorless, his coat thick and lustrous and his energy and attitude improved.

For fifteen years, we have been experimenting with home-prepared diet. Many times in those early years, I allowed the fear and propaganda spread by the pet food industry to sway me away from home-prepared foods. I think we tried every commercial diet available, sometimes shipping them from far away. Small fortunes were spent  Quite frankly, in the early years I did not see miracles happening with my dogs, with either home-prepared or expensive commercial foods. It was when we had a puppy who had little interest in commercial food that I stayed the course with home diet. By 18 months of age, his development was noticeably different. More muscle, glimmering coat, endless stamina. Several miles of road work barely affected him. Years have added up with observing litters of both ours and others, with the easiest whelpings and healthiest pups consistently coming from dams who were raw fed.  It is now, on our third generation of primarily home-prepared diets, that I could not go back to a totally commercial dry, kibbled diet. Yes, our food bills have increased but our medical bills are a quarter of what they were. Those are real numbers and sufficient proof for me to stay the course.

The Stud Dog

Given a proper diet and regular exercise from puppyhood, a stud dog can remain viable and virile to a ripe old age. Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) are found in flax seed, hemp seed, evening primrose and fish oils. We rotate through them all. Vitamin A is essential for glandular development, especially the thyroid and adrenal glands, for maintaining proper hormone levels and to keep the  libido soaring. Cod liver oil, carrots, sweet potatoes, collard greens, raw eggs and liver are natural sources of vitamin A.  Prostate health is improved with vitamins A, E and zinc. The B-complex vitamins are easily diminished by heat and are all crucial for reproductive health. Biotin is vital for glandular development and functioning of the testes. Dr Billinghurst emphasizes the need for zinc in the stud dog=s diet and reminds us that the excessive calcium found in most dry dog food interferes with the absorption of zinc. In the wild, canines would first eat the organ meat which is high in zinc, followed by tissue meat and lastly, they would chew on bones (the source for calcium). The zinc would be absorbed prior to the calcium-rich bones.  When we adapt this and feed meaty bones, the tissue meat digests more quickly while the bones take longer to pass through the intestines. The calcium is less available to combine with  zinc making it inaccessible to the body. Vitamins C and E are wonderful healers and immunity boosters. Foods such as herrings, sardines, mackerel along with organ meats of liver, kidneys and heart rounded off with raw free-range eggs and kelp powder contribute to the vigorous stud dog.

The Dam

Given that much of the future health of puppies depends on the health of the dam, a breeder can not be too conscientious with her care. Diet and exercise prior to mating should assure the highest condition for easy birth and lively whelps. If you have a breeding program that enables your pregnant females to be with you a great deal, allow them to teach you what they need. I have found that the relationship developed with a dam while she is pregnant can be a wonderfully trusting and close one. This is essential if, during whelping, complications should arise so the dam has complete faith in your actions.

As her pregnancy moves along, her room for food is increasingly taken up by the fetuses, so nutritional density is a must in her diet. Do you want to fill her up with grain fragments, animal by-products and dead, worthless ingredients? What the food does not supply these tiny forming sport dogs, the mother's body will, robbing her of vitality. Do you want a dam that bounces back from motherhood in a trim, firm form? Then feed her real food; fresh from the market, your refrigerator and freezer.

The Dam and Dr Billinghurst

If you are following meaty bones and vegetable diet as outlined by Dr Billinghurst, chicken wings and backs along with organ meats, flax seed oil, kelp and eggs should increase before and at mating and the vegetables decreased. In early pregnancy,  return to the maintenance diet since a dam in good health has adequate reserves for the developing fetuses. This is an easy time to over-feed a dam. A fat female will have difficulty staying in condition during the final weeks of pregnancy and this will affect her whelping.  From my observations, obesity and lack of condition have been major causes for failure to become pregnant and for difficult births.

You will need to discontinue vitamin A supplementation for the first half of a pregnancy. Vegetables and organ meats will supply sufficient quantities. By the 6th week of pregnancy, the dam may demand more food. The fetuses are growing by leaps and bounds. Quite literally this is the case. If you place your hands on her abdomen, you may feel the first hold and barks or blind searches being performed. Increase the meat, organs, eggs, flax seed oil and begin to reduce bones and vegetables. We concentrate on the carrots and greens for the vegetable portion.

Juliette de Bairacli Levy and her Natural Rearing Formulas

Another philosophy of raw feeding is one based on the writings and practice of Juliette de Bairacli Levy. She espoused the feeding of raw meat and bones as well as lentils, peas, beans, sesame (tahina sauce), root vegetables, greens, various milk products and grains. By traveling the world, Juliette studied various cultures and their feeding practices. Her herbal remedies are well accepted. Many people have had success with this regimen of a cereal based meal at midday and  meat meals in the evening. Cereals are from whole grains of oats, barley, some rye and corn. Marina Zacharias outlines an example for this diet in her web-site. Cereals are soaked and vitamins, minerals, herbs added along with essential oils. Raw goat=s milk, cottage cheese, yogurt or buttermilk  mixed in. The meat meal of tissue and organ meats is supplemented with vitamins A, C, E, essential oils as well as Cyrofood (natural bone meal), bran, wheat germ, seaweed, carrots and other vegetables along with the all important greens. Juliette recommends bones after the meat meal and Marina gives meaty bones several times a week.

Mentioned above is Marina Zacharias, a gifted individual who has shared her knowledge unfailingly with others. Her Natural Rearing newsletter, catalog of supplements and supplies along with a listing of natural rearing breeders is invaluable. (www.naturalrearing.com) Our females have shown improvement in birthing, milk production and general condition with her Natural Rearing (NR) formulas. A few to consider would be:  NR Seaweed Mineral Food with deep sea kelp, nettle, comfrey, cleavers and uvi ursi. NR Birth Aid is formulated with wild raspberry leaves, dandelion leaves, wild hawthorn or rose fruits, elder, dill,  among others. NR Herbal Compounds have garlic, rue, sage, thyme, eucalyptus, wormwood and vegetable charcoal. This is especially good prior to breeding and during pregnancy and nursing as it stimulates immunity. NR Tree Bark Gruel will be referred to later with weaning pups. It is made from slippery elm tree bark, barley flour, dill, marshmallow and more herbs. It is wonderful for the dam before and after whelping. These formulas are blended in proper amounts and the sources are clean and reliable. Marina has some excellent birthing aids, homeopathic and herbal remedies that we have used successfully.

Vitamins C and E are as essential to the dam and fetuses as they are to the stud dog=s health. Natural vitamin C complex or calcium ascorbate with bioflavinoids and rutin should be given throughout pregnancy. Dr Billinghurst recommends 1,000 mg daily for a 44 pound dog. In C J Puotinen=s book, The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care, she writes that Wendell  Belfield suggests up to 3,000 mg daily for medium sized dogs and 6,000mg daily for large dogs. You need to monitor the stools and adjust the amount if stools become loose. There has been concern that vitamin C binds with calcium, robbing the body of needed calcium. This is of little concern when using a C complex or ester-C, a chelated  form of the vitamin. Natural vitamin E complex can be given at 200 IU for medium sized dogs and up to 400 IU for large dogs. Greens are great for pregnancy as in wheat grass, barley brass, sprouts, dandelion and watercress - minced or grated.

Pregnancy and milk production in the dam is improved by grated carrots, oats, raw goat's milk, honey and seaweed.  Our dams rarely have an appetite in the morning so our first meal is near midday. Remember dogs primarily would eat later in the day if in the wild, so don't worry if she is not interested in an early meal. A favorite is oats (rolled or flaked and not quick or instant) soaked over-night in carrot juice, yogurt, water or goat's milk. If soaked in carrot juice or water, add goat's milk to form a gruel. To this is added honey, seaweed/kelp and an occasional raw egg. She will love this and milk production will benefit. We use this when her appetite falls off during the last week of pregnancy as well. A word about raw eggs. Egg whites contain avidin, a protein that interferes with the absorption of biotin. The tests performed to learn this involved feeding excessive amounts of raw egg whites, more than you are ever  likely to feed your dogs. Remember, for centuries, coyotes, foxes and wild dogs have been feasting on eggs they have robbed.

Preparing for Whelping

 Teas of chamomile, red raspberry leaves and ginger sweetened with honey or vegetable broths are especially useful when a dam's appetite declines. Meat and bones should be lessened during the final week of pregnancy. The major growth has finished with these future siegers and siegerins and the finishing touches are being applied.  Liquids, fruits, vegetables, yogurt, raw goat's  milk and small amounts of dates and figs will be enjoyed by the mother-to-be. Slightly laxative foods are valuable for cleansing her system as she readies herself for whelping. By the day of whelping, most dams will refuse all food. She knows this fasting is nature's way of detoxification. She will need her energy for the whelping, not digesting food.

During the whelping, drinks of water and herbal teas sweetened with honey will rejuvenate her. We offer goat's milk and honey especially if the litter is large. Once the pups are on the ground, most dams will refuse food for the first twenty-four hours. A liquid diet as outlined above is offered. Our experience has been that this enables them to flush their systems and insures a sweet and generous milk supply for the whelps. Her temperature is more likely to stabilize with less risk of infection with this fast. Feeding Natural Rearing's Tree Bark Gruel is excellent as a first meal after whelping as well as during lactation. One of the ingredients, slippery elm, is well-known for soothing the stomach and intestinal tract.

Lactation

Lactation! Now, the work begins - for mom and you! Lactation takes more from the mother than pregnancy ever does. The nutritional needs continue to escalate reaching their peak by the third week. If you are feeding an all raw diet, increase the meaty bones even if you have to grind them. We have found that some females will develop 'soft' mouths when they have a bunch of babies to look after and hesitate to crunch up the bones. Others are so worried about the litter, they don=t want to take the time to eat meaty bones. Feeding ground chicken parts and mixing the vegetables, kelp, essential oils and vitamins actually is very convenient. If you have been feeding a commercial food and adding raw ingredients, now is the time to increase the amount and quality of the additions. According to Juliette de Bairacli Levy, foods that increase milk supply include unpasteurized goat and cow milk, grated carrot, oat flakes, wholewheat, rye, beanmeal, seaweed powder, molasses, honey, raw eggs, linseed tea,  calamus root, pine kernels, milk-wort plant, dill seed, slippery elm flour, marshmallow root, finely cut borage leaves mixed in milk. Supply ample clean water even if you need to bring it to her in her nest. Herbs that help milk production are fennel seed, fenugreek seed, nettle and raspberry leaves. During the spring and summer, we cut the tender nettle plants from our woods and brew a tea for dams as well as  the entire kennel.

Some excellent dietary additions from Dr Billinghurst

Dr Billinghurst provides a few  recipes that are invaluable for the lactating dam. The first is added to a 2 kg (approx 4.4 lbs.) portion of the meat/vegetable patty mix and contains: small tub of plain yogurt, 3 to 5 raw eggs, 3-4 dessert spoons flax seed oil, raw organ such as liver or heart, 1-2 cloves garlic, 3-4 teaspoons kelp powder, mega-doses of vitamins B and C, 2 pound cottage cheese and 2 tablespoons Brewer=s yeast.

His suggestion for fortified milk drink contains one cup milk, one teaspoon honey, 1-2 teaspoons flax seed oil, one raw egg or two egg yolks, 1-2 packets junket. What is junket, you ask? I thought you might. Since my husband is a New Zealander, we have junket so I looked at the ingredients for you. Junket contains rennet enzyme, sodium chloride and sodium benzoate. I even looked up rennet in the dictionary and after reading what it is, I probably won't eat junket again! In short, it is an enzyme from the lining from calves and other ruminants' stomachs. You can attain much the same value by using raw or at least, non-homogenized goat or cow's milk or if unavailable, treat milk with Lactaid or add a digestive enzyme like Prozyme.

Once the litter is a few weeks old, the dam will enjoy time outside to soak up sunshine and replenish vitamin D. Simple exercise like walking can begin for her, especially with her  litter of pups taggling along behind her.

Let mom tell you when it is time to wean the group. A dam on a high quality and primarily raw diet will have gallons of milk. Reducing her milk output means reducing the foods that stimulate milk production. Cut out the milk portions, eggs, oats and reduce meat and meaty bones. In fact, reduce her total food intake for 48 hours. Add parsley or sage teas to her food or drinking water. Juliette de Bairacli Levy recommends a strong tea of common garden mint three times daily. Also a dessert spoonful of raw cucumber juice given twice a day helps to dry off the milk. Common sense dictates that the dam is not put with the litter unless the pups have been recently well fed and mom has a way out of the pup enclosure if she wishes to escape their hungry little mouths.

Puppies!

There is no better nutrition for puppies than their mother's milk. The more they nurse, the more she will produce - IF she has proper nutrition! The dam's milk should have a sufficient spectrum of enzymes and such but many people like to provide pro-biotics to pups. One of the best products for this is Pet Inoculant by Wysong. This is especially needed if there are any complications and anti-biotic treatment. However long the dam allows them to nurse is great. Once the pups are eating other foods, the milk demand will diminish until eventually, nursing is more a social interaction than nutritional.

There are several methods of getting the litter onto food. We use bits and pieces from all philosophies with pups thriving in good form. Dr Billinghurst is adamantly opposed to weaning with grain cereals and milk believing this type of food as pre-disposing dogs to allergies and various auto-immune problems. If you have had dogs with these problems, it may be wise to consider this when rearing pups. You will need to research and come to conclusions that you are comfortable with.

Marina Zacharias begins the weaning process in the fourth week with raw, unpasteurized goat's milk and a tablespoon of honey per quart of milk. To this is added approximately one teaspoon per puppy of Natural Rearing Tree Bark Gruel. If you can not find raw milk, try to buy unhomogenized milk from a health food store and add yogurt or a pinch of a digestive enzyme. Powdered goat's milk is not preferred but can be used if strengthened with Lact-aid, yogurt or other digestive enzymes. Let the pups have a bit from a shallow dish or licking from your fingers. This is such an opportunity to develop a bond with your litter, so enjoy, take your time and be prepared to be wearing the formula! After several days, you can add finely ground barley or oat flakes. We have found that the human baby cereal produced by Earth's Best is perfect for this. They have Wholegrain Oatmeal and Wholegrain Multi-grain with brown rice, oats and millet flours. Grains are organically grown. (www.earthsbest.com) We begin adding a small amount of flax seed oil and a pinch of seaweed/kelp powder around the fifth week.

Introducing Meat

Opinions vary about when to introduce meat to pups. If we are certain that the meat is clean, we introduce shredded meat around the fourth week. We have had one bad experience in all the years we have been rearing pups and that was when I hurriedly purchased beef from the local large supermarket. We must remember that in the wild the dam would regurgitate her stomach contents for the pups. This regurgitated food is rich with enzymes and 'treated' with the hydrochloric acid of the mother's stomach.

C J Puotinen writes several handy treatments to disinfect meat. We have used grapefruit seed extract (available from health food stores) to soak the meat in. She recommends soaking the meat for 5 minutes in 30 or more drops of extract in a bowl of water. A 32-ounce spray bottle with 20 or more drops of the extract with water is useful to spray on meats. Rinse off with cool water after treatment.  Food grade hydrogen peroxide can be used by adding several drops of 35 percent solution to a bowl of water. You want the water to form small bubbles but not change the color of the meat.  You can further sprinkle enzymes containing bromelain on the meat a few hours before serving.

Another aspect of how hardy pups will be in handling meat depends on how much they have been outside and introduced to the myriad of bacteria to boost their immune systems.

Meat can be shredded, shaved from a large chunk with a sharp knife, or ground in a food processor. Liver can be cut into chunks and given to pups to eat. Once the pups are introduced and handling the meat well, finely grated greens and vegetables can be introduced gradually. One way to acquaint pups with fruits and vegetables is to provide apples, carrots, grapes and other produce for toys. After they chase each other about, they will eventually begin munching on them. Vitamins C is graduated into the meals as is cod liver, flax seed or fish oils. Marina adds Cryofood tablets to each meat meal.

Weaning a la Billinghurst

Dr Billinghurst recommends a different method with the introduction to chicken wings, necks as early as three weeks of age. They may not actually crunch them up at that age but will get plenty of exercise as they try. By the sixth week, the minced meat and vegetable patties with supplements are introduced. Nursing from the dam is crucial in the early stages of this weaning process. We find that chicken necks are easily eaten by pups although we tend not to give them until the fifth week.

Eating meaty bones is an excellent way to have pups adjust to crates. In order to gauge what each pup is eating and avoid competitive eating so pups do not gorge themselves, we feed the edible bones in crates. From very early on, pups run and leap into the crates without hesitation.

In Conclusion

This article is far from complete considering entire books have been written on nutrition! If you have been less than happy with your dogs' vitality, health and longevity or have experienced difficulties in your breeding program, look at the resources at the end of this article as well as the previous articles on diet. (Schutzhund USA; November-December, 1999 and January-February, 2000  issues) As you study nutrition,  incorporate suggestions you are comfortable with gradually into your feeding program. Home-prepared and raw diets do require more effort and expense. I won=t lie to you! You may not notice immediate or enormous changes either. It is believed that it takes about five generations of natural rearing to really achieve ultimate health although you will see changes for the better far before then. One major difference we have noted is growth in pups and adolescents. Growth is gradual and slow thus eliminating growth spurts upwards and accompanying looseness or laxity. Adolescents of eight to twelve months of age that have been primarily raw fed may not have the height of their dog food fed counterparts but by eighteen to twenty months will have achieved normal height. Muscle development is very different as well with more development and firmness of muscle mass in the shoulder, pelvic and thigh areas. We have had pups from both styles of rearing; the difference is remarkable to us. Enough said.

As I write these final words, I watch out the window to three generations; grandmother, mother and a 15 month old imp, rolling about in the snow.. A lovely sight - although secretly I suspect grandmother and mother may wish to string the imp up to the highest tree! Did I mention energy levels of naturally reared pups?

Resources:

Marina Zacharias: Ambrican Enterprises, Ltd P.O. Box 1436, Jacksonville, OR 97530

phone: 541.899.2080   Fax: 541.899.3414   E-mail: ambrican@cdsnet.net

http://www.naturalrearing.com

Dogwise: 1.800.776.2665   E-mail: mail@dogwise.com    www.dogwise.com 

Books and videos; Dr Billinghurst=s books, Give Your Dog a Bone and Grow Your Pups With Bones are available here

The Vitamin Shoppe: Phone:1.800.223.1216 Fax: 1.800.852.7153   www.VitaminShoppe.com 

Juliette de Bairacli Levy:  The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat

C J Puotinen: The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care

Excellent article on diet: http://www.zeta.org/%7Elonsdale/PFIC.html

Author=s note: I wish to thank the people who generously shared their knowledge and expertise for these articles. You know who you are: Thank you! If you are naturally rearing your dogs, do contact Marina Zacharias and add your kennel to the Natural Rearing listing.