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I own a small chihuahua dog, she’s 4 years old and her name is Lady. Lady gave birth 5 days ago to 5 adorable chihuahua puppies, 3 females and 2 males. I recently got her “Bravery Mini Puppy Small Breeds” dog food as been recommended by the vet to get her a high quality puppy food so she can nurse her newborns with high quality milk. The problem is that, she has Diarrhea, everyday 2 times a day, her stool is always loose. I am not sure if it is because of giving birth lately, or is it because the food I fed her. I have to mention that she eats her food 3 times a day, and pretty much loves it. She drinks a lot also, and there is no signs of illness. For these who they’re female dog had giving birth, how long did she suffer from diarrhea? I read that it is a normal phase, but it’s been 5 days since and I’m really concerned. My dog is pregnant and is getting ready to deliver her puppies. I have heard that nursing her puppies will be even more energy-intense than pregnancy. Is this true?It is correct that during nursing (lactation), a dog needs the greatest amount of energy calories of any life stage. Optimal nutrition for a dog having puppies is essential to support:
The various stages of reproduction – heat (estrus), pregnancy, lactation (nursing), and weaning – provide unique stresses to the body. Each has specific nutritional concerns that should be addressed to maximize both mother and puppy health. Dogs are pregnant for 63 days, plus or minus two days. The pregnancy is divided into trimesters, and a healthy, well-fed dog will gain about 15 to 20% beyond her weight at breeding. "Meal feeding is the best way to control body condition and weight gain during pregnancy." Overfeeding can result in obesity at the end of pregnancy, increasing the risk for difficult or prolonged labor and extra stresses on the puppies. Meal feeding is the best way to control body condition and weight gain during pregnancy. A high-quality puppy formulation designed for high digestibility is generally recommended during the third trimester, and multiple small meals may be the best way to make sure the mother can eat enough calories and nutrients. The mother’s energy requirements increase after delivery and during lactation. At her highest energy need, three to five weeks after whelping (giving birth), she may require 2-4 times the energy calories of a normal healthy adult. The mother’s energy requirement will decrease and return to normal by about eight weeks post-delivery, around the time the puppies are completely weaned. Once the puppies are born, the mother can increase her food intake, but the energy density of the food must be high enough or she will not be physically able to consume enough to sustain milk production, weight, and body condition. Periodic assessments of her body condition provide opportunities to fine-tune feedings. Just like the third trimester of pregnancy, feeding during lactation is best accomplished using a highly digestible, high-quality puppy formulation. "Periodic assessments of her body condition provide opportunities to fine-tune feedings." Free-choice feeding during the first three to four weeks of lactation, unless she only has one or two puppies, provides many advantages. The mother can eat on her own schedule, she can consume smaller amounts of food each time she eats, and the puppies can begin sampling solid food as soon as they are able (at about three weeks of age). Do I need to change how I feed my dog as she weans her puppies?Restricting food to the mother before and during weaning can help her taper off her milk production and make the transition more comfortable. On day one of weaning, withhold her food, allowing the puppies to eat their food while they are away from their mother. They can all be together that night, and the pups will suckle a bit. On day two of weaning, separate the pups from the mother and feed her about 25% of her pre-breeding portion of her regular food, instead of the puppy formulation. Over four or five days, increase to the full pre-breeding portion. The puppies should not be allowed access to nurse during this time as that will delay drying up milk production. With a bit of planning and input from your veterinarian, you can create a nutritionally sound plan for pregnancy and lactation, setting the stage for both a healthy dog and healthy puppies. We may earn commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Learn more When it comes to taking care of the new lives in your household and the tired mom, both have specific needs. One thing is for certain, the mother needs proper nutrition to keep herself healthy as well as her puppies, who get all of their first weeks of food from her. Here we will help you learn throughout the process of birth and the weeks after why it is essential to keep a good diet for the mother dog and what she should be fed. Contents
During birthIf your dog has yet to give birth, or you know it is close pay attention here because this moment is not only a crucial time in your precious dog’s life but also yours. You have to make sure this process is smooth and seamless for the both of you by doing whatever you can before hand to prepare for the long road ahead. For starters, you’ll need to make a nesting area for your dog to get through her late pregnancy phase. This area should be warm, large, comfortable, and in a secluded room. This gives the dog the feeling of maximum comfort and privacy during her time of giving birth. Remember, dogs naturally give birth with or without human aid so just let the process happen naturally and make sure to keep an eye on how many puppies there are and if the momma dog is doing okay. What to do with the puppies immediately after birthMake sure the momma is cleaning off the puppies immediately after they are born, this is because there is a sac that the puppies were created in that is still attached to them. The mother dog works to get it off by licking them. If she does not lick them, you can vigorously rub the puppy dry, which gets rid of the sack while stimulating breathing. Then once it has been 1 to 3 hours after the birth, if the puppies still are not nursing, you have a few options. You can place the puppy in front of one of the nipples and gently squeeze some milk from the nipple into the puppy’s mouth area, but if the puppy is still not feeding, it most likely means that there is something further wrong with the puppy such as cleft palate. In order to further inspect, open the puppy’s mouth. If there are any holes in the sinuses, call your veterinarian because this is a condition that needs to be addressed quickly. In the meantime, you may need to bottle or tube feed the puppy with puppy formula to make sure they still are able to survive. Do not immediately remove the placentas from each of the puppies either because while it may cause vomiting later for the mother dog if she eats it, it is also possible for her to gain back the nutrients immediately because the placenta is a natural good source of those nutrients that were lost. Other vets say there is no moral reason to let the nursing mom eat the placenta, so it is a choice that you can make especially if you already have food prepared for the new mom. Know what to do with the new momThe new mom will be tired and dehydrated after birth, dogs give birth in a similar way that humans do: it takes a lot of effort and they are in a lot of pain. Be sure to not to take the puppies away from the mother too soon, she will be very protective of them and you never know when they may need to be fed. Take the new mom out whenever you think she would need to go the bathroom, but do not force a schedule onto her. The best thing to do in the weeks after the birth is make sure you are not forcing the mother dog to do things she does not want to do. You may be thinking it might be necessary to force the dog to feed to gain back its weight, but in most cases the dog will be hungry enough on its own knowing she needs to feed her babies as well as herself. It is now just a matter of knowing what to give her in order to restore all things back to how they should be, if not better, postpartum. What do you feed a dog after giving birthNursing dogs need to gain back their weight in order to be healthy for themselves and their pups. You will need to find the best source of nutrients to feed your dog, which is puppy food. It’s even better if it’s homemade. It gives the nursing dog the proteins and healthy fats to meet the needs of the growing puppies as well as recover from birth. Another big thing that needs to be factored into what you feed the nursing dog, is how it will be digested by the dog. Sure normal dog food will work, but you’re going to want to help your dog recover from the birth as well as produce milk and more nutrients are needed for both of these processes to work at the same time without tiring the dog. To ensure that the good food gets digested and absorbed the food should be bioavailable, which means “the proportion of nutrients that enter the dog’s body is capable of being absorbed and available for use or storage,” breedingbuisness.com says. Also when choosing food, there are a few things to keep in mind:
And when food is given, be sure to give her plenty of fresh water to generate milk.If you are concerned with how much food to give the nursing dog, don’t worry too much! You’re wanting to help her gain back her weight that was lost with the puppies and feed a whole new litter of puppies, so you would rather over feed her than under feed! The momma dogs will need to eat 2.5 or even 3 times their normal amount of food that it normally eats because of its new needs. You may be thinking it’s as simple as putting out a dog bowl packed full with a meal full of nutrients to feed your nursing dog, but you also need to know the proportions for an ideal meal. Since the food should be bioavailable, the meal can go straight to her system to help produce milk, but not feeding her often enough won’t do any good. If you have a large portion of a meal prepared for the nursing dog, consider breaking it down into smaller portions. This ensures that you can feed the dog as much as you like and as often, it is recommended with this technique that you feed in 2-3 hour increments. This is just to make sure the mother dog is getting nutrients in as quick as they are leaving her body, from her milk being sucked out by the puppies and from her milk being produced. This takes a lot out of the momma dog to be able to perform all of these actions, so you can help her best if you give her the right food and do it the right way. Another reason for 2 to 3 hour smaller portions is because it will not upset the dog’s stomach while still letting her be full at all times. But, of course, not all dogs will want to be fed that often, so work with your nursing dog in order to learn what they need and when they need it, since this is a very crucial time in their life as well as yours communication is key. It is also worth noting that there are some vets that recommend you leave a small bowl of kibble (normal dry dog food) next to the dog at all times, this is called free feeding. It should be full at all times so the dog has as many opportunities as possible to eat, this will help the mother feel comfortable and safe in the area that her pups are in. The only thing to worry about from there is the bathroom breaks, they should be done as needed, if not more because food and water are constantly moving through her system with the free feeding technique. How nursing dogs get diarrheaThe hormones that cause the mother to give birth can cause loose stools due to excess strain on the stool track which can cause a change in bacteria population in the gut which causes diarrhea. In order to make sure that she is safe, several fresh stool samples (soon after they have passed) should be submitted to her veterinarian to be sent to the laboratory for a parasite check. If you have any suspicions of worms, in the meantime, you can give your nursing dog medication like Fenbendazole or Pyrantel to treat her, or an additional probiotic such as fortiflora to help clean out the bad bacteria from the gut. What to feed a nursing dog with diarrheaIt may be difficult to know what to feed a dog normally that has diarrhea, and with nursings dogs it’s even tougher. If you leave the issue alone, it can worsen and stop lactation which causes a domino effect with the puppies suffering in return of lack of milk. So here’s what you can do if your nursing dog is having diarrhea.
If diarrhea still persists after feeding her for multiple times and/or giving her the kaopectate supplement, consult a vet because there might be a very serious underlying problem that you cannot see. Be careful with the food
Before feeding the dog any new ingredients you have never given the dog, check with you vet to make sure that they are not allergic to it or it is not harmful to the dog’s system in producing milk. There are some who would consider putting fresh veggies to the food that the nursing dog is already getting to increase the amount of nutrients immediately given through the food, but this is not always necessary and can do more harm than good. If the dog is sensitive to one of the veggies and you add because a recipe tells you to, it could block up the dog’s system or hinder milk production. There are also others who say that the dog is lacking calcium after giving birth so they will need supplements. But it has been found that getting too much calcium can lead the mom into going into a state of milk fever. What is milk feverMilk fever can occur in any dog and it can occur 2 to 3 weeks into lactation, but it is more common in moms of smaller breed dogs. It is a state that dog can go in from having too much calcium in the bloodstream from lactation which can include symptoms of stiffening and spasms that can lead to seizures which can lead to possible damage or death. If you suspect possible milk fever, consult a veterinarian as soon as possible. Be sure that the dog is getting enough nutrients by feeding it puppy food as often as the dog allows and allowing her to get the food and water out of her system to prevent milk fever. What to feed a nursing dog to gain weightPuppy food is the best option to gain weight back for the nursing dog because of the extra nutrients it provides, having even more meals a day of that will help the dog gain weight back quickly. You can also give them treats to increase the fat and caloric intake the dog receives, as well as free feeding, as previously mentioned, because the availability of food to the dog allows for healthy “overeating.” Nursing dog food alternativesA few homemade alternatives can be given to the nursing dog which include:
Via breedingbuisness.com Nursing dog won’t eatIf your nursing refuses to eat, it would be a good idea to entice the dog into eating rather than forcing her to. You can mix puppy milk into her food, if she likes the taste or offer it separately alongside water to still get fluids into her system. You can buy tasty, healthy brands of puppy, a veterinarian on justanswer.com recommends Wellness, Newman’s Own, Halo, Natural Balance, Candiae and may others: they contain no artificial additives or preservatives and are common allergen sensitive. Showing the nursing dog that you are adding plain boiled chicken breast or turkey into her puppy food should get her excited to eat. Table scraps are not what she needs but is a way to entice her to eat, a quick transition from plate to bowl of the plain chicken or turkey should hopefully entice her to eat. What to feed a picky nursing dogAs mentioned before, there are good tasting puppy food out there that can be purchased. It might be frustrating to see that your dog does not like a certain brand when you bought a whole bag, but at least you have some for when your puppies come off milk. You can provide them with alternatives to puppy food, as we mentioned before, it is most meats and some grains and greens. The thing that needs to be done here, though, is careful integration of puppy food. They can survive on human food but it is easier to prepare and care for the nursing dogs needs financially if they are on puppy food. If these things do not work, you can trying feeding the nursing dog food from your hand, or on the floor. Whatever she needs to be comfortable eating. If you are unsure about other methods, speak with your vet to see if there is something in the food that is causing the dog pain, if they have a parasite that keeps them from eating or just methods of feeding in general for your picky nursing mom. What can I give my nursing dog that has diarrhea?Imodium (loperamide) is another over-the-counter medication dogs can take, which also helps resolve diarrhea.
What do you feed a nursing mom dog?Nursing: Make Sure Your Dog Gets Sufficient Nutrition. Feed a nutrient-dense diet such as puppy food.. Without increasing the amount of food offered at a meal, increase the number of meals throughout the day.. Free-choice feed her, offering unlimited access to dry food throughout the day.. |
What to feed a nursing dog with diarrhea
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