Dams fed diet with no or minimal amounts of carbohydrates during pregnancy and lactation produce normal and healthy puppies: seven case reports.

Abstract

A diet containing approximately 20% carbohydrates is typically recommended for pregnant bitches. Carbohydrate-free diets have been indicated as risk factors for low birth weight, increased neonatal mortality and stillbirths, hypoglycemia, and ketosis in the dam. Here, seven cases of dams fed raw-food diets are presented. These diets contained 0 to 6% of metabolizable energy from carbohydrates. Altogether, there were 41 puppies in these seven litters, including two stillbirths and two mummified fetuses, with 100% survival among live-born puppies. Four dogs gave birth naturally, two had emergency C-sections, and one had an elective C-section. Postnatal survival compares favorably with the previously reported ranges, while prenatal loss fell within previously reported intervals. Health issues observed among the dams after giving birth included metritis in a French Bulldog and mastitis in a Mastiff. These case reports show that dams can give birth to healthy puppies with excellent survival rates, even when their diet contains few or no carbohydrates.