What Do I Need to Include in My Beagle's Diet Since She Gave Birth?

Pregnancy and giving birth cause your pet to have all kinds of nutritional requirements she didn't have before. The bodies of mammals need extra calories, vitamins and minerals to supply good quality milk for their newborn young, who feed exclusively on their mother's milk for the first few weeks of life. Knowing how to provide your beagle with optimal nutrition is important for her health and the health of her pups.

  1. Special Diet

    • While providing a good-quality dog food is sufficient before birth, many veterinarians recommend a special "lactation" diet for new mothers. This type of dog food is usually available only from your veterinarian or from a specialty store, but it is well worth the extra effort and expense. Buying this kind of dog food and feeding it as instructed takes all the guesswork out of what to feed your beagle now that she is a new mom.

    Larger Amounts

    • It is important to keep your beagle's food dish full at all times when she is a new mom, and keep it close to her. The first couple of days after whelping, a dog will not want to leave her litter and may not eat or drink unless the food is right there where she can access it close to her pups. She may eat two or three times as much food as she did before birthing, so keeping that dish full is important.

    Fresh Water

    • While it may seem pretty basic, providing fresh, clean water at all times is hugely important for your new mom. Just as with the food, a new mother may forgo her need for water to stay close to her new pups, so keeping a supply of cool, fresh water where she can readily drink it will help keep her producing as much milk as possible without taxing her own body's reserves.

    Higher Protein

    • The mother will benefit from an increase in highly digestible protein during her first few weeks after whelping. This will help restore her body from the blood loss of birth and also her body's increased demand for protein with milk production. Giving your nursing beagle a fresh egg each day mixed into her food is a great way to provide some extra protein and fat in an easily digestible form.