Pregnant Female Dog Nutrition

Preparing to Breed

• If you are planning for a litter then it is best to prepare your dog in advance by making sure she is in optimum health. A quick vet visit to confirm that there are no health problems prior to breeding is always a good idea. Several weeks before breeding, place your dog on a diet that consists of 30 percent animal protein and 20 percent fats. Purchase a high-quality food from a reputable dog food company and check the label to ensure that it meets these standards. Several manufacturers have special blends for pregnant and nursing dogs. How much you feed your dog will depend on its size and weight. Refer to the package instructions as amounts vary by brand.

Early Pregnancy

• During the first month of pregnancy, you should continue with the diet in accordance to the feeding instructions on the type of food you purchased. You should see an increased appetite in your dog around the third week but you should maintain the same levels of food until approximately the fifth week. During this time, increase the feeding amount by 50 percent. For example, if you are feeding your small dog 500 calories per day, increase the amount to 750 calories per day. You should do this over a period of a week, increasing the food in small increments until you achieve a full 50 percent increase. This will help ease the transition for the dog and avoid too much stomach upset.

Dietary Supplements

• Unlike pregnant humans, dogs do not need dietary supplements when pregnant if they are eating a high quality, nutritionally complete commercial dog food. Some people may think that adding calcium to the diet would help with the formation of the puppies as it does with human fetuses, but this is not the case. Adding calcium to the pregnant dog's diet can cause serious health problems as it distorts her body's regulation of her own calcium deposits during gestation and lactation. Folic acid is another popular dietary supplement for humans during pregnancy because it helps stave off neural tube defects. As this condition is extremely rare in dogs, folic acid is not necessary.

Non-Commercial Diets

• Some pet owners have their dogs on special homemade diets such as the popular raw meat diet. These should be avoided during pregnancy especially because they are usually not balanced to meet all of the mineral and vitamin needs of the pregnant dog. Home diets cannot be regulated for consistency over time and the fluctuating nutritional values can lead to health problems for your expectant mother.

Lactation

• The nutritional needs of your dog will skyrocket after the puppies are born and she is nursing them. It is extremely important to increase your dog's food intake over the next month or two. She should be fed up to three times her normal food intake, either by free-feeding at will or at least three times per day. A high quality food is critical as most commercial supermarket brands contain protein that is hard to digest and can lead to anemia and gastric problems like chronic diarrhea. This in turn can lead to a depletion of energy and cause dehydration, decreasing milk flow enough that it is insufficient to feed the puppies adequately. In severe cases, the dog will stop lactating altogether.