I've acquired a young pregnant Chihuahua - this was her first heat and she's 9 months old. I'm concerned about calcium...I've heard not to give any calcium supplementing but to use cottage cheese in the food instead and I've heard you DO need to supplement calcium. Also, since she's still a puppy, AND having puppies, should she be kept on puppy food? I've fostered pregnant cats, but this is time with a dog. TIA!

[polspan]

To start she shouldn't have puppies at 9 month it is risk that she my not survive ( I hope everything will be ok), Calcium even if she wouldn’t be pregnant she still should be given calcium till she is 12 month old but if bitch is pregnant you should always give you dog calcium supplement regardless what you feed with.

DO NOT GIVE EXTRA CALCIUM TO A PREGNANT DOG!!! It has been shown to cause fading puppies & the need for c-sections... Calcium makes muscles contract and can cause delivery problems. It also changes the chemistry & acidity of the bitches body (which can be bad for the puppies)> DO feed her extra protein, do not feed puppy food. A good quality, natural diet (solid Gold, Wellness, Merrick, Blue Buffalo, Innova, etc.) with added meat and/or eggs is best. It has been shown that dogs fed a raw diet (and more calcium than those on a commercial diet) have a higher rate of c-section. Think about it... what is a puppy made of? PROTEIN! Add some scrambled eggs to her food. A great place to get info is to read the breeding/whelping & puppy care books by Myra Savant-Harris RN.

[lil mutt]

Having puppies at 9 month is very risky for that dog... There's a slim chance that that dog will not survive. Im no expert but better to ask a vet quick if there's a need for aborting the pups...

If you're feeding a good quality, balanced diet, supplementing calcium is not necessary. Besides the previously mentioned problems, supplementing calcium sets your dog up for developing eclampsia after she whelps.

You should consult a vet ASAP to determine how far along her pregnancy is, how many puppies she's carrying, how big they are, and if there's a chance she will need a c-section. The vet will also advise you on the wisdom of her carrying to term, or if spaying her now would be the way to go.

Aborting puppies is problematic, and can only be done at a specific stage of pregnancy, other than removing them surgically, during a spay.