9 Tips to Managing your Dogs Pregnancy
Managing a dog's pregnancy is a crucial and exciting responsibility for any pet owner. Just as human mothers require special care during their pregnancy, so too do our furry companions
Ensuring the health and well-being of your pregnant dog demands a combination of knowledge, preparation, and attentive care. In this guide, we will explore nine essential tips that will empower you to navigate this unique journey with confidence. From proper nutrition and regular veterinary check-ups to creating a comfortable whelping area, these insights will provide you with the tools to ensure a safe and successful pregnancy for your beloved canine companion.
Feed frequent small meals. As gestation progresses, the uterus and puppies enlarge, so the bitch’s digestive tract reduces, meaning the food should be distributed over an increasing number of feeds
Give an all-wormer which is safe for pregnancy at 6 weeks gestation to help prevent gastrointestinal worms passing into the puppies across the placenta
Get the whelping box and heat lamp set up a few weeks before the due date to encourage the bitch to use it so she is comfortable by the time whelping comes
Be prepared that many bitches will go off their food between three and five weeks of pregnancy. We don’t know why this occurs, it is often likened to morning sickness in women, however morning sickness in women is caused by hCG production from the placenta, yet in dogs they have no chorionic gonadotrophins that we know of; pregnancy in the bitch is maintained purely by progesterone
Early pregnancy diagnosis via ultrasound is imperative to both confirm the pregnancy and to ensure the developing foetuses are viable
Ensure the bitch gets normal exercise. If she were in the wild she would still have to get her own dinner! However, as the uterus and puppies get bigger her energy levels will reduce in the last two to three weeks of pregnancy, so later in pregnancy her exercise will need to be reduced. At the end of the day allow her to be the judge of how much exercise she wants!
Avoid fresh (raw, lightly cooked) meat and raw bones. Progesterone which maintains the pregnancy suppresses the immune system of the bitch and so pregnant bitches are more likely to get sick or at worst abort their puppies if given fresh meat and raw bones. Cooked is best, however high-quality commercial diets formulated for pregnancy are even better!
Avoid swimming and bathing in stagnant water as this type of water is more likely to contain bacteria which may go through the cervix into the uterus causing infection
Feed a premium quality puppy food, or pregnancy specific food from four weeks of gestation. Most of the growth of puppies is from six weeks of pregnancy, however it takes the gastrointestinal tract approximately two weeks to adapt to a change in diet
