The dog's pregnancy period is a crucial period for the owner, during which he needs to create safe, comfortable conditions for her, as well as correctly create a daily menu. The food that the owner offers to his pregnant dog must meet the increased needs of her body and provide nutrients to the growing, developing puppies.
Food quality
To feed a pregnant bitch, you can use only high-quality natural products, dry food or canned food. It is undesirable to suddenly change the diet and switch from natural food to dry food, from granules to canned food, etc., or switch to products from another manufacturer.
Make sure that the food for the pregnant bitch is fresh, check the expiration date of commercial diets. Store an opened can of canned food in the refrigerator if it is intended for more than one feeding. After eating, remove the bowl and clean it of any leftover food.
Do not feed your animal spoiled natural food: meat, cereals, dairy products that you are afraid to offer to family members. Microorganisms that are dangerous to both people and dogs can multiply in it.
When to adjust your diet
Changes in the usual diet do not have to be made immediately after mating. During the first weeks, the dog may suffer from toxicosis. The consequence of this is a decrease in appetite. Improvement in well-being will occur at the end of the first month, and then you need to review the menu in order to increase its calorie content and volume. The amount of feed should be increased gradually: every week by about 15%. By the end of pregnancy, the amount of food eaten should be 60% more than at the beginning.
It is necessary that the amount of nutrients supplied with food is sufficient for the full formation of the organs and systems of the fetus or several embryos without harming the body of the pregnant bitch.
Those dogs that eat natural foods definitely need additional vitamin and mineral supplements. You can start administering them from the very beginning of pregnancy or before its onset in order to prevent hypovitaminosis.
Pets kept on ready-made industrial feeds are switched to specialized mixtures for whelping or lactating bitches from the fifth week of pregnancy. It must be remembered that when feeding dry food, clean water should always be available. This food tends to swell in the intestines, causing constipation.
By the 40th day of pregnancy, the puppies in the womb have grown significantly, and the stomach is compressed. At this time, the dog needs to be fed up to 5 times throughout the day, dividing the daily amount of food between all feedings. At the same time, single servings are reduced.
Starting from the seventh week of pregnancy, approximately 50 days, the dog prepares for childbirth. To facilitate this process, reduce the intake of protein products from food, reducing their volume. It is also better to avoid additional calcium intake at this time.
Natural products
If you feed your animal natural products, from the first days of pregnancy add the following to your pregnant dog’s diet:
- products high in protein - the main building material for developing fruits: lean meat, offal, cottage cheese, sea fish (herring, hake);
- egg yolks - you should not give whole eggs, egg whites provoke allergic reactions and create additional stress on the digestive system, add 2 yolks per week to the menu of small dogs, 3-4 for medium-sized dogs, 5-6 for large dogs;
- dairy products - they contain milk protein and calcium, the consumption of which increases with the growth of the fruit and are very useful, but it is undesirable to give fresh milk (can provoke allergic reactions, cause stomach upset), fatty homemade cottage cheese, sweet yoghurts, curd mass containing sugar, flavorings , dyes.
Pregnancy is stressful
Despite how easy pregnancy is for a dog, it is worth remembering that expecting offspring is a huge stress for the animal’s body. A lot changes: hormonal levels, load on the heart and vascular system; Due to the rapidly increasing volume of the uterus, the location of the internal organs temporarily changes, and the load on the musculoskeletal system increases.
The first rule of feeding a dog during pregnancy is no sudden changes in diet. Changing food, and even more so changing the type of feeding, is also stressful. And you shouldn’t put one on top of the other, putting the health of the dog itself and future offspring at risk. At least in the first third of pregnancy, the diet is left unchanged.
Ready-made rations
Foods for healthy adult dogs are not suitable for pregnant animals. In the first weeks of pregnancy, switch your pet to canned or dry puppy food of the same brand that she ate before mating. They have an increased content of easily digestible protein, the ingredients are more strictly controlled, and no dyes are used. During pregnancy, appetite improves and the animal requires more food. But some bitches' taste changes, and they refuse the food they ate before or a new diet from the puppy line. Offer your pet a different flavor - if she doesn't like chicken-flavored kibble or canned food, then offer the same brand with beef, fish, turkey, etc. Buy food for pregnant dogs in small packages until the whims stop.
The main thing is animal proteins
In this case, it does not play a special role what type of feeding your pet is accustomed to. It is only important that the diet is balanced in essential nutrients. It is worth recalling here that the basis of any diet for dogs should be animal proteins.
A shift towards fats and carbohydrates, which provide the energy content of low-quality industrial feeds, only leads to the dog gaining excess weight. In addition, a lack of protein can lead to abnormalities in the development of fetuses, regardless of whether you are going to feed a pregnant Toy Terrier or Shepherd dog.
Vitamins
Canned, natural or dry food for pregnant dogs cannot fully provide the body with vitamins and minerals. Their content in food is low, and during pregnancy and lactation you need to take additional vitamin complexes. They contain vitamins A, C, B, calcium gluconate, magnesium, potassium salts, fatty amino acids. Different breeds will have different requirements for vitamins and minerals during pregnancy. Talk to your veterinarian about what vitamins your dog needs. He will prescribe the drug taking into account the breed, age, weight, duration and characteristics of the pregnancy.
Here you can purchase vitamin complexes for pregnant and lactating dogs of large, medium and small breeds:
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GELAKAN BABY protein-vitamin-mineral complex for bones and joints of puppies, pregnant and lactating bitches (150 g)
150 gr 500 gr
150 gr
1 121 ₽
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WOLMAR WINSOME PRO BIO IGF MAX - Wolmar vitamin-mineral-amino acid complex for puppies and large breed dogs to increase muscle mass (180 tablets)
180 tablets
1 109 ₽
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WOLMAR WINSOME PRO BIO BOOSTER CA - Wolmar vitamin-mineral-amino acid complex for puppies, whelping and lactating females of giant, large and medium breeds (180 tablets)
180 tablets
904 ₽
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UNITABS MAMACARE – Unitabs vitamin and mineral complex for pregnant and lactating dogs with B9 (100 tablets)
100 tablets
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8 IN 1 EXCEL MULTI VIT-PUPPY – 8 in 1 Excel multivitamins for puppies (100 tablets)
100 tablets
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Purina Pro Plan PUPPY
Dry food for puppies and adult females during pregnancy and feeding. Manufacturer: Italy and France. There are several types of food available for sale depending on the size of the pet. Purina Pro Plan PUPPY granules are specially adapted for normal dental development in puppies.
Promotes the development of the pet's immunity, helps strengthen the skeletal system, ensures a balance of bacteria in the intestines, so that the animal does not have digestive problems. The food is quite high in calories, which is important for the growing body of puppies and compensation for the bitch’s energy costs.
The composition of the food allows you to comfortably switch from milk to dry food. It contains natural antibodies that will protect a fragile puppy from the negative effects of viruses and harmful bacteria, and will also allow them to better tolerate vaccination.
Price: on average 1500 rubles per 4 kg.
Care
To make it easier for your dog to endure pregnancy and childbirth, give birth and raise healthy puppies:
- increase the frequency of walks - movement in the fresh air will improve digestion, nutrients are better absorbed, excess calories are consumed, muscles are kept in good shape, but in the last weeks before giving birth, reduce their duration - the animal gets tired quickly;
- give up tedious training, work on the obstacle course for working breeds and hunting trips - during pregnancy, the production of the hormone relaxin increases and bones become more fragile, the risk of limb fractures increases;
- protect animals from hypothermia or overheating - in the summer, walk where there is a lot of shade, and on frosty and rainy days, wear insulated or waterproof overalls.
Weaning
At what age are puppies finally weaned from the bitch? At 6-8 weeks, this was the case before. Nowadays weaning is practiced at 4 weeks of age. It is not right. Firstly, the puppy does not fully receive vitamins from its mother’s milk. Secondly, such children may have problems with socialization in the future. Thirdly, such a dog is guaranteed to have weak immunity.
After childbirth
After giving birth, the dog refuses to eat for several hours. Take your time feeding her, but make sure she has clean drinking water. Appetite returns after 5-6 hours, but the animal may not eat longer. If after 24 hours the animal refuses food, call the veterinarian.
The diet after childbirth is the same as the diet of a pregnant bitch. There is no need to change food - this is additional stress. If the animal eats natural food, reduce the amount of porridge and increase the amount of meat, offal, fish, and dairy products.
If you feel that you are not producing enough milk, consult your veterinarian about whether you need to take Apilak or other biogenic lactation stimulants.
Useful tips and tricks
- Do not allow your pregnant dog to go up or down stairs on his own. Also make sure that she does not jump on chairs, sofas, beds and from them onto the floor (if the dog is used to sleeping with you on the bed, build her “steps” from pillows or similar things in the place where the Spitz is used to jumping, only this design should not slide - it is dangerous).
- At the end of pregnancy, a dog should be transported in a car with great care: if possible, long trips are excluded, and it is not advisable to make sharp turns or braking while driving.
- It is very important to ensure that your pregnant dog does not lie on a cold floor or damp grass.
- If for some reason you did not worm your dog before mating, you can do this no later than the third week of pregnancy - taking the medication too late can lead to a miscarriage. If you missed this time, wait until the birth and consult a professional (veterinarian) about how to proceed. This issue needs a serious approach, since the drug will be passed on to puppies through milk!
- Washing a pregnant dog. There are recommendations according to which it is impossible to wash a pregnant bitch after 4 weeks of pregnancy. But if the bitch gets dirty during a walk, wash and treat with products against external parasites, then dry the dog’s fur very thoroughly. Next, make sure that it is not in a draft or cold floor. It is best to bathe in the evening, and keep your Spitz in a warm place. You can forget about a walk on the day of swimming.
- Taking care of a Spitz's udder is a completely different matter . It is necessary to ensure its cleanliness, and also to prevent abrasions and wounds from appearing on the nipples - through them, infection can enter the dog’s mammary glands, causing inflammation. To avoid this, starting a month before the expected birth, every 2-3 days you should wash the dog’s nipples with warm water and laundry soap, then wipe dry with a towel or cotton cloth. After this procedure, you should lubricate the Spitz's nipples with simple pharmaceutical Vaseline.
- Monitor the condition of your Spitz's dental system.
- Monitor the activity of the gastrointestinal tract: if constipation occurs, an enema may be necessary.
- It is very important to be able to lift a pregnant bitch correctly. This should be done carefully and slowly, so that your fingers do not rest against the Pomeranian’s belly. Hold your pregnant dog under the chest. You must also carefully return it back to the ground, placing the dog on all four paws at once. Do not immediately remove your hands: make sure that the dog maintains balance when walking.
