How often and how to feed a nursing dog?

A lot has been said and written about the nutrition of dogs . Practically on all thematic sites and forums you can find information on the nutrition of puppies and adult animals. Our task is to tell the owners of beginners about what to feed the dog after giving birth. Only with the proper nutrition of the nursing bitches you will get healthy well-fed puppies and, of course, you will not lead to the exhaustion of the very mother. Let's look at the questions asked by the owners most often.

What is the best food to feed the dog before giving birth?

It depends on the type of food. If the dog is accustomed to dry food (only premium and super premium classes, others are not even considered because they are of questionable quality), then you should not change it before delivery. Dosage is usually indicated on the package. As a rule, the volume of dry food before birth increases by one third. Some owners during the pregnancy of the dog and in the "milk" period, transfer dogs to the so-called "puppy" - food of the same brand, but for puppies (it has more calcium and protein).

If the dog received natural food (home cooking), it is necessary, first of all, to increase the quantity of fermented milk products (especially kefir and cottage cheese) and meat (raw by-products: stomach, trachea, liver, lungs, udders).
Before the very birth (about a week), the entire volume of food is broken down into smaller doses. This is due to the fact that growing pups press on internal organs, including on the stomach and intestines. Gentle feeding will reduce this load.

What to feed a nursing dog on the day of childbirth?

Most veterinarians advise in the first day to stop on the water. It is believed that those nutrients that the dog receives by eating the after-effects are quite enough. Water is needed to restore the amount of fluid lost during childbirth. At large litters on the day of birth, the bitch is given cool milk (room temperature, but not cold) with glucose (5 cubes per glass).

What to feed a nursing dog in the first weeks after the puppy?

On the second day, you can give liquid porridge on low-fat broth (or beef, or chicken). Among the compulsory products must be milk and meat (only lean). In the first three days, the appetite of the birthing dog may be absent, so the food should be light and caloric at the same time: milk porridges (rice, buckwheat, oats). To avoid eclampsia additionally give calcium preparations. The first week and a half of carbohydrates and proteins should be saturated. Take care of purchasing a good, high-grade vitamin and mineral complex. Poor quality products, even in small quantities should be excluded. Even mild poisoning of the nursing bitch can cause serious problems in puppies.

Feedings should be frequent (at least four times a day). Please note: one-time feeding of the dog during this period is unacceptable. First, the bitch's belly will remain droopy. Secondly, for normal growth of puppies, milk should be nutritious and in sufficient quantity, and its tide occurs after eating. When feeding with dry food, supplementation is not required, however, the dosage of calcium still increases. Milk strengthens lactation.

How to feed a nursing dog when weaning puppies?

As soon as the kids begin to move independently (starting from the 25th day), the bitch begins to "give up" the puppies, less and less often coming to them for feeding. This is natural. On the one hand, the puppies by this time can already be gradually transferred to adult food (taking into account the bait started at the age of two weeks), on the other - the bitch is sick to feed the babies who bite the nipples with sharp, sharp teeth. Do not force your pet if she experiences pain. Here the question: "How to feed a nursing dog?" Disappears by itself, since after the fourth week the animal is transferred to the old food. However, calcium preparations continue to be given additionally for another month.