In honour of all our mother’s and mother’s to be we would like to wish you a Happy Mother’s Day… especially to our soon to be fur mum’s! 

Is your dog expecting? We have put together a guide to caring for your pregnant dog through this special time.

How Do I Know If My Dog Is Pregnant?

Most dogs will show no signs of pregnancy for the first several weeks. It will be difficult to determine if your dog is pregnant early on.  Signs of pregnancy may differ from dog to dog (and even between pregnancies in the same dog). Signs typically appear in the second trimester and throughout the gestational period you may notice:

• Nausea and vomiting (morning sickness) 
• Some weight gain 
• A clear or mucoid discharge from her vulva
• More prominent teats (more erect and pink)
• Enlarged mammary glands 
• Clear discharge from the nipples.

Contact your holistic vet if you have any concerns about the signs your dog is showing.

What Do You Feed A Pregnant Dog?

Dogs fed on a well-balanced, raw food diet are generally more fertile, enjoy easier pregnancies and produce healthier puppies. The puppies themselves, if raised on raw food, can grow into healthier dogs and lead longer lives.

This is because a well-balanced, raw food diet is what dogs are biologically designed to eat and is what allows them to achieve optimum health.

Mums and expectant mums require more food than other adult dogs. Apart from this, there is no difference in the way they should be fed. However, there might be certain extra ingredients and supplements you may like to consider.  Don’t add supplements without getting professional advice from your holistic vet.

During the last 3 weeks of pregnancy and while your dog is nursing her pups she will consume more than her normal requirement of food. During this time it is important that your dog continues to be active. Obesity and lack of exercise can cause your pregnant dog to have birthing difficulties as she will have poor muscle tone and may tire easily during the delivery.

Giving Birth

To care for her provide her with clean bedding; avoid loud noise and disturbing her unnecessarily while she is nursing her pups. While nursing her litter this is the time that she may become excitable, anxious or even become aggressive. Fortunately, most dogs can go through labor and delivery (whelping) of healthy puppies with little or no interference from humans.  For further information your holistic veterinarian or an experienced dog breeder can offer advice and support.

Feeding Puppies

For the first three weeks of their lives, puppies need nothing more than their mother’s milk.

At three weeks it is a good idea to offer puppies cut-up bits of chicken wing for them to lick and play with. It doesn’t matter if they eat anything. You just want them to become familiar with the smell and taste. 

It is vital to a dog’s long-term health that they eat the best possible food when being weaned. It is especially damaging to puppies to allow them to eat processed foods containing harmful ingredients, additives and chemicals. A puppy’s stomach lining is more permeable than an adult dog’s, so the risk of causing lasting health issues is much greater.

Pups Eat Free! If you are lucky enough to welcome a new puppy into your family, contact us and come and see us so we can discuss your pup’s breed and offer you some great information about how a raw diet will improve your Pup’s health and well being.  Instincto offers the first two weeks of food FREE when you first put your puppy on a raw diet! T’s and C’s apply.