Now we tell an interesting story. About how a dog ran away from one of the villagers from the yard. During estrus. How it ended, everyone imagines. The bitch became pregnant, and the uncle is not aware. He fed her as usual.
In due time, the dog gave birth. Dead puppies. Uncle was not particularly upset. He buried the puppies, and the dog continued to live in a booth. Getting a bowl of obscure food twice a day.
No need to take an example from a village uncle. If the dog is tied, then it should be fed accordingly. There is nothing to mock the animal. How to feed a pregnant dog? Now we will tell.
Natural food or feed?
An eternal question that dog owners cannot decide. What to feed your pet? Natural food seems to be healthier. But the food is cheaper.
This is not true. Cheap food is bad food. Food for pregnant and lactating dogs should be balanced in composition. And what is the composition of feed economy class? There is no meat there. Only ground bones, proudly called "bone meal". Dyes and flavor enhancers. That's the whole composition. Will much benefit bring such food to the expectant mother and her puppies? Hardly.
Natural food makes the dog "friable." If you overfeed the animal, then there is a risk of difficult birth. Especially for those bitches that are puppies for the first time.
Let's talk in more detail about the advantages and disadvantages of both natural food and dry food.
Dry food
How to feed a pregnant dog? In the event that the choice fell on food, you should know something about it.
Dry feeds come in several forms. Economy class, premium class, super premium class and holistic.
As mentioned above, economy-grade feed is substandard. Often manufacturers write on the packaging: the minimum amount of meat is 4%. These percentages include bone meal. The rest of the composition is cereals, various extracts, carrots and alfalfa. What is hidden under the word cereals? This is cornmeal or gluten, as a rule. How much benefit from it?
Economy food is not suitable for dog food. Not to mention pregnant and lactating bitches. There is no benefit in these feeds.
Premium feed. The advantages of such feeds are as follows:
In the composition there is meat. Although it is not much.
The content of vitamins and minerals.
Large selection of products. The cost is not very high, but not the lowest. A 15-pound bag will cost an average of 4000-4500 rubles.
Premium line feeds also have disadvantages:
The percentage of meat is not indicated.
A lot of cornmeal, as in economy-class feed.
The composition contains the antioxidant E-310. It can become an allergen to a dog.
Among premium feeds, Royal Canin can be distinguished for pregnant and lactating dogs. It is suitable for very young puppies. Many breeders feed them pregnant and lactating pets.
If the owner decided to transfer his favorite to the Royal Canin, then you should carefully monitor her. If a dog’s ears turn red, it often itches, eyes begin to water, and red “pimples” appear on the skin - this is a sure sign of an allergy.
Super premium class. These feeds differ in their composition. Natural meat in them is not less than 45%. Additional ingredients - fruits, vegetables, healthy cereals. The main advantage of such a feed is its composition.
The disadvantages include the high price. A 12-pound bag of feed will cost about 5 thousand rubles.
Holistic. This is the best feed. Consist of 70% of meat. The rest is rice, vegetables, fruits.
Advantages of the line - holistic:
The disadvantage is the price category. 15 kilograms of this feed cost 6-7 thousand.
Natural food
How to feed a pregnant dog? Natural food, as an option. What do owners who have decided to feed the pet normal food need to know?
In the diet of a pregnant bitch should be 70-80% of protein products. For example, if before a dog was given 300 grams of meat per day, now this norm is increasing 2 times. The expectant mother should eat at least 500 grams of meat daily.
Fermented milk products are required. Kefir and cottage cheese, with a fat content of up to 1.5%, give 4 times a week.
No one has canceled vegetables. All vegetables are useful to the dog, except those that are high in starch.
Three times a week, the expectant mother should be given oily fish (flounder, mackerel, tuna, pollock).
Buckwheat and rice cereals are good for pets. You can give them by mixing with meat.
Boiled eggs give twice a week.
A sample menu for a pregnant female will be presented below. The menu is designed for a week.
Menu
How many times to feed a pregnant dog? The first three weeks she is fed as usual. Starting from the third week - three times a day.
| Day of the week | Morning | Day | Evening |
| Monday | Rice porridge, boiled fish without bones | Cottage cheese with kefir | Boiled beef meat |
| Tuesday | Buckwheat porridge with vegetable oil | Boneless skinless chicken | Vegetable stew (except potatoes) |
| Wednesday | Vegetable puree with pollock | Rice porridge with apple and pear | Curd with vegetable oil and egg |
| Thursday | Beef and vegetable soup, without salt and spices | Friendship porridge with egg | A piece of boiled beef |
| Friday | Mashed cottage cheese with apple | Boiled fish with vegetables | Rice porridge with turkey or chicken |
| Saturday | Boiled rabbit with vegetable oil, carrots and cabbage | Beef, Chicken and Rabbit Ace | Rice porridge with kefir |
| Sunday | Buckwheat porridge with pear and apple | Boiled turkey or duck | Vegetable stew with vegetable or olive oil |
This is what an approximate nutritional plan for a pregnant female looks like. It can be adjusted based on the imagination of the owners and their financial capabilities.
Vitamins
What vitamins for pregnant and lactating dogs are necessary, not counting those that the pet receives from the diet? There are special complexes for expectant mothers. But giving them is allowed only after consultation with a veterinarian.
In general, a pregnant bitch needs calcium. There are special "Calcium 8: 1" vitamins. They are suitable even for puppies. Nevertheless, before treating them with a pet, it is better to "take the good" from the veterinarian.
The Farmavit line produces Farmavit Neo vitamins for pregnant and lactating dogs. Reviews about them are very good. Consult a veterinarian, and go.
A bit about nutrition
How to feed a pregnant dog? It was said above that the first three weeks she is fed twice a day. The diet does not change. During this period, the bitch becomes less active. It can be tormented by toxicosis.
After the third week, the pet’s stomach is slightly rounded. Now she is fed three times a day. From about the third to the sixth week, the food norm doubles.
Starting from the ninth week, cut down on protein products. Three days before the expected birth, meat and fish are not given at all.
Breed and Nutrition
How to feed a pregnant dog - york? The same as the German Shepherd. When it comes to natural food. Only in other proportions, of course. Yorkshire terriers eat about 200 grams of natural food per day.
In general, a pregnant dog should always have food. Do not clean it during the day. Hungry - she’ll eat herself. Change it, so as not to deteriorate, that's all.
After childbirth
What to feed a pregnant dog and how, we figured out. And how to feed her after childbirth? Three times a day, nothing has changed. The pet wants to eat all the time, which is not surprising. You can not overfeed, underfeed too. Both cases are dangerous to the dog’s health.
From the age of two weeks, puppies are fed. The first food is warm milk. Starting from the age of three weeks, you should already introduce the complementary foods that are planned as food after weaning. If this is natural food, then it is beaten to a state of mushy mashed potatoes.
How to start feeding? It is better to do this in the absence of a bitch, so that puppies can eat without problems. A little food is taken on the finger and placed in the mouth of the puppy. The main thing is not to overdo it. Serving should be minimal. The puppy will taste and begin to try to eat on its own. Other puppies will follow the pioneer.
Weaning
At what age are puppies finally taken away from the bitch? At 6-8 weeks, that was before. Now weaning is practiced at the age of 4 weeks. It is not right. Firstly, the puppy does not fully receive vitamins from breast milk. Secondly, such babies may later have problems with socialization. Thirdly, a weak immunity in such a dog is guaranteed.
Summarize
The purpose of the article is to maximally tell the reader about the correct diet of a pregnant bitch. So, the main aspects:
They feed the dog with either food or natural food. There should not be a mixed version.
If the owners have chosen dry food, then you should pay attention to the line of super-premium class and holistic.
Natural food is less balanced than a good dry food. But the menu for those who favor natural nutrition is presented above.
Feed the dog three times a day, starting after the third week of pregnancy.
Vitamins are given only after consultation with a veterinarian.
After puppies are born, the dog’s diet does not change until weaned.
Puppies begin to feed from two weeks of age.
Weaned at 6-8 weeks.
Conclusion
What to feed a pregnant dog, we found out. Pregnancy is not a disease. Do not interfere with the pet live her usual dog life. But you must follow it.
Proper nutrition, proper walks and observation by a veterinarian will allow the dog to bear and give birth to healthy puppies. At the time of delivery, the presence of the owner nearby is mandatory.