Today I switched Izzy to puppy kibble to give her a few more calories. While some books say to dramatically increase the amount of food during the last two weeks of a canine pregnancy, this advice seems to be more relevant to breeds that have large litters. Since ultrasound suggests that Izzy is only carrying two pups, I am keeping the amount of kibble that I am feeding Izzy the same. Feeding too much can lead to puppies too large to pass through the pelvic canel, necessitating an emergency c-section. Izzy's last two litters were "free whelps" (vaginal deliveries) and I hope the same will be true for this one.
Today Izzy began a three-day course of fenbendazole, a dewormer. Normally Izzy's immune system will keep parasites under control. But pregnancy causes a weakened immune system to protect the fetus, which Izzy's immune system would otherwise regard as foreign and attack. So worming Izzy at this stage of pregnancy is recommended. After delivery, Izzy will have another three-day worming treatment two days later and again at two weeks after delivery so that parasites are not passed to the puppies.