Excessive bone resorption will lead to osteoporosis and pathological fractures if not corrected. The most effective way to meet the extra demand for calcium in the breeding bitch is to feed a highly digestible, nutritionally complete diet in sufficient quantities to meet increasing energy requirements. Lactation Lactation presents the biggest test of nutritional adequacy of any life stage. The mother must absorb very large amounts of all nutrients to produce enough milk to support the growth and development of the litter. Bitch's milk is relatively energy dense and rich in calcium compared with other species.
Eclampsia is an acute episode of hypocalcaemia which is occasionally seen in lactating bitches.
It is more common in small breeds of dog and in bitches with large litters. Eclampsia usually occurs between 3 and 6 weeks after whelping, coinciding with peak milk production, when the calcium content of bitch's milk is also highest. The aetiology of eclampsia is not clear, but it has been proposed that over-supplementation of bitches with calcium during pregnancy and lactation can predispose to hypocalcaemia, due to suppression of parathyroid hormone release, as observed in dairy cows. The clinical signs are due to lowering of blood calcium levels and include muscle tremors, ataxia and in severe cases, convulsions. Prevention of eclampsia is based on correct nutritional management of the lactating bitch.