I need help with my pregnant dog's diet.?

Question

What could i expect with my pregnant dog's diet? Will she more, less, normally? Will she be picky? What will she eat and how much throughout the pregnancy?

Answer 1

give her as much as she will eat, of whatever she wants(within reason, healthy biologically appripriate foods only).

there may be days when she doesn't want to eat, and other days when she can't get enough.

feed her tons of smaller meals.

Answer 2

She'll be eating for several now and you can expect a large appetite. Make an appointment with the vet and he should be able to tell you how much to feed her (most likely puppy food) and how well the pregnancy is going along.  

Answer 3

You need to give her a very high quality puppy food along with folic acid to aid in the development of the fetuses.  Give her as much as she will eat.  Some b*****s stop eating at certain stages of their pregnancy while others eat 2 or 3 times their normal diet.  It just depends on the dog and how she feels during the pregnancy.  A good quality dog vitamin is good for her too.  You need to look for dog food that is high in protein and low in grain content.  If corn or another grain is the first ingredient listed, then don't feed her that.  Meat needs to be the first ingredient listed.

Answer 4

She needs to be on a high quality puppy formula all through pregnancy and nursing of pups. Feed her according to the scale on the back of the bag. Give plenty of water. I would expect her appetite to stay the same until she is closer to delievery then she may back off on her own (may not).

Recommended brands (pick one) : Science diet, Iams, Eukanuba, Pro Plan,  or Nutro. I wouldn't tamper with holistic brands at this point while she is pregnant - you could complicate things if the food has no quality control.

Answer 5

You should feed your pregnant dog a high quality kibble.  You should also be adding one egg to her diet once a day (raw, scrambled, etc. does not matter!) for the extra protein.  *Avoid* calcium supplements all together, they cause more harm then good in the long run.

And she may eat more, she may eat less, she may eat normally, or she may become picky.  All b*tches are different!

ADD: Chris your advice makes me cringe!  A pregnant b*tch should NOT be eating puppy formula unless you want her to have wicked diarrhea and upset stomach!  Yikes!

And the food brands you recommended are some of the worst (and lowest quality) brands of food out there!

ADD: Dances... puppy food is fine (not puppy formula... I know breeders who swear by this, eh), but not necessary.  It is actually preferred to keep pregnant b*tches on their normal high quality kibble with the egg added.  

And calcium can be given during labor and during nursing, not during pregnancy because of the parathyroid function.

Answer 6

She will eat normally for the first and second trimester,but because the pups grow a lot during the last three weeks,she will start eating more.You should feed her a quality puppy food.After the pups are born,increase the amount fed by at least 50% and add some cottage cheese and yogurt to her diet for extra calcium and protein. You can actually leave food down at all times while she is nursing the pups.

Vet Tech - My vet always advises feeding puppy food to pregnant and nursing dogs. I have with no problems at all.The dog shouldn't have extra calcium while pregnant,but while nursing,she will need it to prevent eclampsia and keep her milk coming in.

Edit: Oh,I thought she meant puppy food.Puppy formula ,as in liquid would be OK after she had the pups as a pick me up,but no,not as the sole diet! And no calcium until after the whelping is correct.