The usual pregnancy period in female dogs is indicated at about 58 – 65 days, the average is 63 days. In case of the nutrition of a pregnant female, possible changes in diet can be likened to the changes in diet of pregnant women. Pregnant female dogs should have quality food and rations should be increased in proportion with the approaching date of the delivery. The phrase “in proportion” is quite crucial in this case, since an overweight female dog may have issues during delivery.
Nourishment
If you’re using a quality pet food, it isn’t necessary to change it in any way during the pregnancy. Only at its very end, which is from about two weeks up to ten days before the planned delivery, it is appropriate to transfer the female to the food that you then want to feed to the puppies. On one hand, foods intended for puppies contain greater amount of nutrients that will help the puppies in the uterus to finish growing, and on the other, these nutrients will come in handy for the female during nursing. Not in the least, after the lactation is over, the puppies will get used to the pet food that bears a familiar scent and taste more easily.
A female dog at a higher stage of pregnancy should be rather fed several times a day with smaller rations, since growing puppies in the uterus may repress other organs in the abdominal cavity including the digestive tract and logically, then it can only hold smaller amount of food at one time.
Exercise
Immediately after mating, the female dog should have a more relaxed regimen. The fertilized eggs aren’t quite firmly attached in the uterus yet and as a result, they are vulnerable. About three weeks from the mating, it isn’t appropriate for the bitch to jump excessively or to engage in any more extreme physical frolicking. However, this does not mean that you should lock her inside. Regular walks are naturally ok. After the stated three weeks have passed, the female can be put under normal stress.
As the term of delivery is getting closer and the female is getting rounder, the walks are becoming more demanding for her. The female is slower, less agile and she doesn’t feel like frolicking as much. She should avoid e.g. running up and down the stairs or jumping and other activities where she could be threatened by a fall or an injury.
Preparation for the delivery
About two weeks before the end of pregnancy, the female starts getting ready for the delivery. She seeks calm places, her mammary glands are getting bigger, she drinks more and she needs to pee more often. Few days before the delivery, the female may show signs of nervousness and she may show lesser interest in food. Immediately before the delivery, she may refuse to go out, she wants to be with her master, she may start digging and preparing the bed for the delivery of the puppies. I am going to write more on how such a delivery looks like and what you should know about it in one of the future articles :-).
If you’re using a quality pet food, it isn’t necessary to change it in any way during the pregnancy. Only at its very end, which is from about two weeks up to ten days before the planned delivery, it is appropriate to transfer the female to the food that you then want to feed to the puppies. On one hand, foods intended for puppies contain greater amount of nutrients that will help the puppies in the uterus to finish growing, and on the other, these nutrients will come in handy for the female during nursing. Not in the least, after the lactation is over, the puppies will get used to the pet food that bears a familiar scent and taste more easily.
A female dog at a higher stage of pregnancy should be rather fed several times a day with smaller rations, since growing puppies in the uterus may repress other organs in the abdominal cavity including the digestive tract and logically, then it can only hold smaller amount of food at one time.
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