news

Feeding during pregnancy and nursing

During pregnancy and nursing, the developing puppies get all of their nutrients from the mother. Getting the mother's diet right is therefore essential, not only for keeping her healthy, but also for ensuring the puppies have the best possible start in life.
During the first 6 weeks of pregnancy, the puppies remain quite small and don't place too many demands on their mother, so her normal diet will usually be sufficient.

6th week of pregnancy to birth
During the last third of pregnancy (weeks 6 - 9) the puppies are growing very quickly, roughly doubling in size each week. This puts enormous demands on the mother, and her diet will have to be bolstered to compensate.

Although extra food would do the job, the mother's stomach capacity will be significantly reduced due to the presence of the puppies, so it is much better to continue to feed the same amount but switch to a higher energy food. Some companies produce specific foods for pregnant and nursing bitches, but any puppy food or high energy diet would be just as effective. As her stomach volume continues to decrease, it is often wise to feed the mother several, smaller meals per day for the last 1-2 weeks of pregnancy (rather than one or two larger meals).

Birth until weaning
Following the birth, the mother continues to supply everything the puppies need for growth and development through her milk, and her dietary needs will continue to rise. Continue feeding the high energy food, and begin increasing the amount being fed as shown below, preferably by offering more meals each day rather than larger meals.
Week 1: Feed up to 150% of the usual daily amount.
Week 2: Feed up to 200% of the usual daily amount.
Week 3 to weaning: Feed up to 300% of the usual daily amount.
This guide is very approximate and may need to be adjusted. For example, a mother nursing only one or two puppies will need less than suggested above, and mothers with very large litters (over 6 puppies) may need more. For mothers of larger litters, free feeding may be necessary.