What to Feed a Pregnant Dog

Whether intentionally or not, if your dog becomes pregnant, you must provide her with the extra care and attention she needs, especially regarding her diet. People often say when they’re pregnant, they’re eating for two. Pregnant dogs may be feeding as many as 12 puppies (or more!), so ensuring their nutritional needs are met is essential for the health of both the mother and her pups. 

With that in mind, we will examine the best dog food for pregnant dogs and the signs that they may not be receiving the proper nutrients during their pregnancy. 

Impact of Improper Diet for Pregnant Dogs

Malnutrition in the mother is thought by vets to be one of the most significant factors towards neonatal puppy mortality, which currently stands around 20-30%. This is why it is crucial that your bitch is given a proper and fulfilling diet throughout their pregnancy, including in the run-up to conception if the puppies are planned. 

As well as problems with neonatal puppies, poor nutrition for your dog can also lead to: 

• Problems with dog conceiving 

• Problems carrying puppies to term

• Problems with labour

• Birth defects in puppies

• Fading puppy syndrome 

As well as those mentioned above, an improper diet can also cause problems for your dog postpartum, including issues with milk and colostrum production, which are vital for the litter to survive, especially as puppies derive their antibodies from fighting off infections from their mothers. Poor nutrition in puppies can lead to several developmental problems, so ensuring your dog is strong and healthy enough to complete a pregnancy is essential if your litter is planned. 

Many of the above issues can also result from overweight dogs, not just underweight ones, so it’s essential to speak with your vet before your dog’s conception or as soon as you find out she’s pregnant to ensure the health of your dog and her pups. 

The Best Food for a Pregnant Dog

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all food when it comes to pregnancy in dogs. This is because as the puppies grow, the mother's nutritional needs will change, as will her ability to eat and even her appetite. Most dogs are pregnant for approximately 62 days, give or take a day or two. 

With this in mind, we’ve made a brief outline of the best dog food to give a pregnant dog, depending on how far along she is in her gestation period:

1 - 5 Weeks

This early in your dog’s pregnancy, she won’t need any extra food. However, this can be the time when pregnant dogs tend to lose weight as they suffer stomach upsets, which puts them off their food. 

Try to stick to a regular dog food and feeding schedule at this time to reduce stomach upsets and prevent your dog from losing any weight, as this can cause complications with the pregnancy. 

5 - 7 Weeks

By this point in your dog’s pregnancy, you should be able to find out how many puppies your dog is having. This has a big impact on how you alter your dog’s food, as this is the time when they need the biggest increase in calories to ensure the puppies are developing properly. 

At this point, you need to start incorporating a higher-calorie dog food or feeding your dog a smaller amount of their usual food more often. 

7 - 9+ Weeks

This will be your dog’s last stage of pregnancy, and by now, she will need more food but will be restricted in how much she can eat due to the puppy's size. She may also have mobility problems and struggle to eat on a normal schedule. 

This is the time to introduce high-quality puppy food, as it offers the highest density of calories and nutrients compared to other dog foods. 

Do Pregnant Dogs Eat More Often?

As we’ve outlined in our timeline, your dog will need a gradual increase in the amount of food they eat throughout their pregnancy, but this doesn’t necessarily mean feeding them more often. Rather, this will depend on your dog’s appetite during pregnancy as well as her mobility. If she struggles to stand for a long time during the later stages, then offering less food more often may be easier for her. 

While your dog is pregnant, be sure to monitor her behaviour, weight and energy levels. It’s also important to have regular check-ins with your vet while your dog is pregnant and after the puppies have been born. 

What to Feed a Lactating Dog

Just because the puppies are born doesn’t mean mum's job is done. Your dog will still need extra calories once the puppies are born so that she can produce milk for them.

However, much like in the final phase of pregnancy, your dog may not be able to eat as much as usual or have the energy to eat much, so the bests food for a lactating dog is a high-quality and easily digestible puppy food like the Burns Puppy Original Dry Food with Chicken & Rice or Royal Canin Mother & Babydog Starter Mousse for those on wet diets. 

When to Switch A Pregnant Dog Back to Normal Food

Your dog should stay on her higher-calorie diet as long as she feeds her puppies. Once they’re all weaned off, you can slowly return your dog to her pre-pregnancy diet and feeding schedule. Just ensure you do so slowly to reduce the risk of stomach upsets. You can learn more about changing your dog’s food in our blog. 

Maintaining your dog's health and happiness throughout pregnancy is vital for her and her offspring. Ensure you have regular checkups with your vet throughout the pregnancy and once the puppies are born, to ensure everything is going as it should and get the best food recommendations.