Do pregnant dogs need to be fed a different diet?

Your dog is in heat and you notice the stud next door eyeing her up.   They are left alone for a few hours and chances are they mated.  So how can you tell if your dog is pregnant?  There is no missed period, and no mood swings.  There is not even a home pregnancy test that dogs can take.   Not only do they not make them, but a dog will go through the same hormonal changes whether she is pregnant or not so there is no HGC produced in a dogs body.    So a blood test is out also.    There are though signs you can look out for.  If your dog’s stomach looks swollen or she looks like she had sudden weight gain and her nipple area seems swollen these are all signs that your dog could be pregnant.  The most definitive way of knowing is by going to your vet.  Your vet will do an ultrasound to determine if your dog is pregnant.

So what can you expect now that your dog is expecting?   For starters it is a quick pregnancy.  A dog is only pregnant for anywhere from 60-63 days.  Sounds like a dream come true.   Your dog usually will not need any extra nutrients through out most of her pregnancy.   In fact you might find that your dog will lose some of her appetite and vomit a few times in the beginning of her pregnancy.  It is just like our morning sickness only it lasts a week or so and it usually comes about 2 to 3 weeks into your dogs pregnancy.

During the last 3 to 4 weeks of pregnancy you might want to increase her food slowly so that by the time she delivers she will be eating only about 25-30% more than she was before hand.  That really is not a lot.   Make sure you add this in slowly and try not to overdue it.  You do not want your dog gaining to much weight.  A lot of well meaning pet owners start increasing their mommy’s to be food intake right from the get go because they are under the assumption that they need the extra calories to grow their puppies.  This is not true at least not for the beginning and middle of the pregnancy.  It is only in the last few weeks.    The reason why you are going to wait until the end of the pregnancy to increase her food intake is because that is when the puppies really begin to grow.   Your dog will need more nutrients and energy to grow these pups.   Some vets will recommend you switch her over to a growth/puppy food because it will provide the nutrients for her growing family.  Other vets will suggest your put her on a nursing/lactation diet.

It is up to you on how you want to feed her.   You may want to feed her two small meals throughout the day.   It might be hard to feed her in one feeding because her puppies may be taking up a lot of room and she might not be able to eat it all at once.   You might even want to break the rule of not leaving food in your dogs bowl all day for these last few weeks.    It might be beneficial to your dog if you do this, but make sure you are watching what she eats.   Dogs can develop toxemia or eclampsia late in their pregnancy if they do not eat enough or have a poor diet.   Again some doctors will have give your dog vitamins during pregnancy and others will not.  Do not add any vitamins or minerals on your own to your dogs diet.   It can de deadly to both the mom and the pups.  Especially calcium which can increase the chance of eclampsia and even a milk fever after birth.  Milk fever is when the mother does not have the ability to move calcium into their milk without taking it from themselves.

A pregnant dog can still exercise, in fact it is recommended to keep her on a light exercise program.  This will not only keep her muscles tone but it will also help with the weight gain.  Just as with humans, obesity in pregnancy can cause some serious complications.

Right before you dog is about to deliver, she  will probably stop eating a day or two before delivery.   This is one of your first signs that delivery is immediate.  You might want to keep some food out for her though, just in case she wants to nibble here and there to keep her strength up.

Once she has given birth and all is well you are going to see a remarkable increase in her appetite.  She is nursing after all and lactation brings upon more demands on her body.  Expect her nutritional needs to multiple by 3 or 4 times.  This does not happen at all once.  Expect to see an increase the 20 to 30 days following the birth and the puppies grow and nurse more.  By the time the puppies are a month old, your dog should be eating at least four times of what she did before she was pregnant.  Keep an eye on her, it she seems to be getting to thin you can supplement the food more with some flavored canned food.   Once 6 to 8 weeks have passed since delivery you should start weaning the pups and getting the mom back to normal.

To wean puppies you have to help the milk supply dry up.   Withhold food and give her half of the water she normal drinks for one day.  The next day give her only a quarter of what she was eating before she got pregnant and half her water.   From then on, give her all the water she wants and slowly over the next five days increase her food until she is eating what she was before her pregnancy.   By the time she is back on her pre pregnancy food, her milk supply will have dried up and the puppies will have been weaned.

So for a short while she will be feed more than normal, there is no reason to start going crazy with the feeding of your dog when she is pregnant.   Keep her on the same schedule until the last month or so of her pregnancy.   If you are unsure of when conception took place, your vet should be able to make an estimated guess for you and you can use that as a guide line.   Even before your dog gets pregnant you should make sure she is eating a balanced meal and is not overweight.