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Feeds and supplements for the pregnant female dog

The main task of a pregnant or breastfeeding female dog is to provide her puppies with the nutrition they need to develop. It is therefore important that the dog receives the amount of food and nutritional supplements needed for the puppies to be healthy.

To think about before mating

Important to consider before mating is what feed the dog eats. This is because a low-energy adult feeding can be insufficient towards the end of pregnancy and it may therefore be good to phase in a new feed before the dog becomes pregnant. Be sure to switch to an energy-rich whole food that covers the needs of the dog through the period she will be able to get through.

The amount of feed during pregnancy

During the first weeks of pregnancy, the dog consumes as much energy as usual and the amount of food does not need to be adjusted. But about five weeks into the pregnancy it is time to increase the amount of feed as the dog needs about 25-50% more energy. How much more food the female dog needs depends entirely on the activity level, size and number of puppies in the stomach. One can have as a template that the female dog should increase about 25% weight as it should have some extra holes, but should not be thick.



When you increase the amount of feed you can also choose to spread the amount of food on several meals or if you have a picky dog you can give free access to the feed.

The amount of feed during feeding

When the puppies come to the world, the dog´s energy needs will increase significantly. A dog who gets a medium litter needs about 50% more food than usual during the first week of feeding, twice as much the second week and about three or four times as much food during the third week of feeding. This is when the third week is the week the female dog milks the most.



Now also divide the food into 3-5 meals during the day and make sure the female dog is allowed to eat her food in a calm place by herself.

Supplements

If the female dog gets the right amount of food, the dog usually does not need any supplements. But sometimes you have a picky dog who doesn't get the amount of food she needs to maintain her weight. A good dietary supplement is then this energy cake containing as much as 6000 kcal / kg, which means that the female dog can only absorb a large amount of energy through only a small amount.