Fall is a popular time for breeding and whelping, and it is important to consider the nutritional needs that these physiological events place on your dog. Whether you are breeding for business or pleasure, the health and well-being of both dam and puppies is of paramount importance.
Start with a female that is healthy, fit and not over or underweight. An underweight dog may not be able to eat enough to provide for her needs and those of the fetuses, while an overweight dog is prone to having extra-large puppies and birthing problems. Feed your dog a high-quality, highly digestible food, but do not feed her as if she is eating for six! The majority of fetal growth in dogs does not occur until the fifth or sixth week of the nine weeks of gestation, so the dam does not need extra food before that time. Feeding her too much too early will only make her fat. However, after the fifth week the dam's intake should be increased gradually so that she is consuming 25% to 50% more than her normal intake at whelping; this will help her meet the nutritional requirements of the rapidly growing fetuses she is carrying. Feed the dam several small meals per day, as the ever-growing fetuses will be taking up space and limiting the amount of food she can hol d at one time. A high-quality, nutrient-dense food is very helpful for allowing the dam to obtain optimum nutrition from a smaller amount of food.
After whelping, the dam will need to continue to consume food at a higher level than maintenance as she provides milk for her litter. The bigger the litter, the more milk she must produce, and therefore the more energy she will need to consume. Without adequate consumption of a high-quality food designed to meet the needs of pregnant or lactating dogs (performance foods are appropriate; adult maintenance or weight-loss formulas are inadequate for this life-stage), the dam may lose dramatic amounts of weight. This can result in malnourishment of the dam and a reduction in the amount of milk she is able to provide for her puppies. It is also important to ensure that she drinks plenty of water in order to support milk production. As the puppies increase in size and consume more, the dam will need to eat and drink more to produce the required milk. Generally, you should feed her 1.5 times maintenance during the first week, 2 times maintenance during the second wee k, and as much as 3 times maintenance through the fourth week of lactation, depending on litter size and the dam's appearance. It is normal for the dam to lose some weight, but she should not lose a lot.
After the fourth week, the puppies should be showing considerable interest in solid food. Begin to slowly reduce the amount of food the dam eats as you increase the solid food offered to the puppies. Be sure the puppies aren't eating all the dam's food, and vice versa. By the time the puppies are ready for weaning, the dam should be eating no more than 1.5 times her maintenance level and less if she is continuing to produce a considerable amount of milk. A high level of feeding will encourage continued milk production, which can lead to mastitis (mammary gland infection) once the puppies are completely weaned. On the day of weaning, withhold the dam's food (if she is in good physical condition), then slowly reintroduce food over the next several days until she is back up to maintenance level. This should encourage milk production to halt.
If all has gone well, you should have a healthy dam and a litter of strong, robust puppies ready to take on the world!
Source: Better Animals - Electronic Newsletter - Pet - October 2011
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