Mary Allen
If the bitch is optimally cared for during pregnancy and lactation, the puppies get the best starting conditions. With this knowledge in mind, many dog owners want to give their pregnant bitch as much good as possible – which sometimes causes more problems than it is good for. Read here what is important when feeding pregnant bitches and what mistakes you can make.
Optimum Starting Conditions: Feeding the Bitch Before Mating
If the pregnancy is planned, you should ensure optimal “breeding conditions” before mating. The most important thing is that the bitch has an ideal weight.
Obesity has a negative effect on fertility so that the bitch either does not conceive at all or possibly only gives birth to a few puppies. Labor weakness and lack of milk are also more common in overweight bitches. However, pregnancy itself is not the right time to lose weight!
Of course, the bitch should not be underweight either. Therefore, you should switch a lean bitch to a high-energy food (e.g. for active dogs) so early before mating that she has the ideal weight at the time of mating.
Otherwise, breeding bitches should be given high-quality, i.e. balanced and easily digestible dog food so that they start the pregnancy with the best possible care (e.g. from Royal Canin Vet Care Nutrition). If your bitch shows ideal weight and good muscles with the previous feed, has a dense, shiny coat, and produces small, well-formed mounds of excrement, you already have many indications that the feed is appropriate. However, if you have any questions, you are welcome to email or call us.
Specifically: What Mistakes are Often Made When Feeding Pregnant and Lactating Bitches?
In fact, problems often arise from doing too much of a good thing. Many bitches become overfed, gain excess weight during pregnancy (see below), and then struggle with birth complications and lack of milk.
Since most dog owners know that the need for vitamins and minerals (especially calcium) increases significantly during pregnancy and lactation, they add vitamin and mineral supplements to a portion of balanced complete puppy food. However, this upsets the compositional balance and can have serious consequences. For example, an oversupply of vitamin A leads to deformities, and an oversupply of calcium can cause a zinc deficiency.
Many dog owners also supplement a complete food with meat, fish, or liver. The thought in itself is not bad, as they provide high-quality protein and the liver in particular also contains important vitamins. However, such a supplement only makes sense in relatively small amounts (depending on the complete feed used). For example, pure meat lowers the total calcium content of the feed ration, so that the bitch can develop a life-threatening calcium deficiency during the lactation period (milk fever, eclampsia). With liver, on the other hand, there is a risk of vitamin A overdose, with salmon, for example, there is a risk of vitamin D oversupply with developmental disorders in the puppies. Therefore, you should discuss such supplements with your vet beforehand.
Supply deficiencies arise if you do not switch your bitch to food that meets the above criteria from the 5th week of pregnancy. Then it mostly gets too little energy, protein, calcium, and vitamins. In addition, supply deficiencies arise through “dilution” of vitamins and minerals if you add too much meat or the like to suitable complete food.
Can I prepare the food for my pregnant bitch myself?
Yes, of course, you can. However, for the sake of the bitch and the puppies, you should have a veterinarian calculate the composition of the ration so that there is no over-or under-supply. Your veterinarian or a veterinarian who specializes in nutrition can put together various recipes for you to cook with. You can also BARF pregnant bitches, but you should comply with hygiene standards that you would apply when preparing sushi for yourself. You should also follow a prescription from a veterinary nutritionist.