The right diet and nutrition are key to taking care of your pregnant dog and helping the soon-to-be puppies grow up healthier.
The right diet and nutrition are the key to taking care of your pregnant dog and helping the upcoming puppies develop healthier. You are probably wondering, “What should I feed my pregnant dog?” Based on the dog’s pregnancy cycle, you should arrange a reasonable meal for her, this will greatly help the health of the mother dog as well as the puppy. In the article below, we will give you tips to improve the meal for her “pregnant” season!
Pregnancy period in dogs
62 days is the average gestation period in dogs, and this gestation period is usually divided into 3 main cycles. You should be careful not to feed your pregnant dog too much or too little. Because of overfeeding her dog, she can become obese late in pregnancy, thereby increasing the risk of difficulty in labor. Also, feeding a dog too little during pregnancy can lead to embryo loss, abnormal fetal development, miscarriage, or stillbirth (or puppies will often be born with very low birth weight, making it difficult to grow). later development).
During the first 2 cycles of pregnancy, what kind of diet should be followed?
During this period, the nutritional needs of a pregnant dog are essentially the same as those of an adult dog. It is important that you pay attention to the weight and condition of the mother dog, if you see her losing weight at this time, consider letting her eat a little more, but don’t overfeed her. make her fat.
A little note, that is during pregnancy, remember to keep the mother dog away from other chemicals and toxins that can hurt the puppies (Discuss carefully with your veterinarian about some medication or lice control products that are safe for pregnant dogs before using.)
In the 3rd cycle, what should the mother dog eat?
After about 40 days of pregnancy, puppies will grow rapidly and that also means that the nutritional needs of the mother dog will skyrocket during this time. Depending on the size of the litter, the nutritional needs of the mother dog can increase by 30-60% compared to the normal diet of an adult dog.
During this period, you can feed the mother puppy food, as puppy food is often richer in nutrients and provides more energy than adult dog food. Plus, puppy food is easy to digest. Therefore, you can gradually change your pregnant dog’s diet about 1 week before entering the last cycle of pregnancy.
To choose the right food, please pay attention to the size of the dog (large, small ..) before choosing to buy. Usually, dry dog food will contain more calories than wet food. If your girl only likes wet food, then give her a larger portion, or mix wet food with dry pureed food, to ensure that the mother dog is provided with all the necessary nutrients. dental.
In addition, consult your veterinarian for other nutrients such as calcium phosphorus, folic acid, and essential fatty acids to support fetal development.
Summary
Hopefully, through the above article, you have had some knowledge and experience to choose the right food for pregnant dogs.