hotdog 8 Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 my bitch has just finished her first season which lasted about four weeks from start to finish, she now seems to be acting as if she is feeling sorry for herself and a bit down. is this quite normal, i have just started giving her extra boost with some vitamins to see if that helps. any advice would be most welcome. Quote Link to post
hotdog 8 Posted January 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 has no one come across this?????? Quote Link to post
skycat 6,174 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Quite normal for bitches to go all mopy and strange after a season. Her Body thinks it is pregnant and all her hormones are all over the place! Keep your routine as normal as you can, don't fuss over her and make her think she's precious, but do make allowances for her behaviour: mine who are normally brilliant retrievers tend to want to eat what they catch: it is nature's way of making sure the mother to be gets lots of good food to feed the imaginary growing litter inside her! Cut down on the carbohydrates so she doesn't put on too much weight, work her normally until about the 6th week after her season then ease off a bit: no long hard runs as her muscles will have gone soft and the ligaments around her pelvic area will slacken in preperation for birth: even if she hasn't been mated. Bitches also lay down fat round their internal organs so bad news to run them hard round this time. Most bitches also 'bag up' a bit: get tits, sometimes even produce milk. The best way to tell when she's over all this stuff is when her tits go back to normal. Bitches who throw serious phantom pregnancies often start nesting about the time they would have given birth had they been mated. Don't let her hoard toys, small furry items etc: it will make her worse. One of the best things to help avoid this situation is to give Raspberry leaf Tablets: available from Sorwest Herbs: helps to keep the uterus tight. Not all bitches get really serious phantoms but it is as well to look out for the signs. Quote Link to post
hotdog 8 Posted January 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 cheers skycat, your advice was very helpfull we did think this may have been the problem but its nice to hear from other people, she has been scrounging a lot more lately well more than usual. Quote Link to post
hotdog 8 Posted January 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Thats info to remember, she doesnt have milk just all the other symtons but all these remodies come in handy at some point! Quote Link to post
Tyla 3,179 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 My bitch does the same after her season, skulks around looking sorry for herself and stealing things. i didnt know to slacken off the work after 6 weeks though, very useful - thanks skycat Hotdog - are you still wanting to go lamping or ferreting sometime? Quote Link to post
skycat 6,174 Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 I should have added that I don't run my bitches hard from around the 6th week after a season until their muscles start hardening up again. I have one bitch who is soft and 'blubby' under her belly for a full 3 months after each season! They are all different and some don't lost much condition at all, but hard running when they're full in milk and soft is a sure way of damaging their muscles and tendons. Quote Link to post
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