Why not feed your dog Royal Canin
What, and how, to feed your pregnant dog
Nowthat your dog is pregnant, its essential to provide her and her future litter with the best start possible. Along with preparing your home and making sure shes comfortable, you should give her appropriate nutritional care that supports her health and the health of her puppies.
Giving pregnant bitches tailored nutrition during pregnancy can have a significant impact on the future wellbeing of the litter. For example, in astudyof pregnant Boston Terriers, those given folic acid supplements when in heat and during the start of their gestation had litters with fewer incidences of cleft palate.1
Your dog, her behaviour and her feeding is likely to change during pregnancy, so heres what to look out for and how you can make sure youre giving her the support she needs.
Your pregnant dog's appetite and feeding schedule
At the very start of her pregnancy, your dog may suffer a temporary loss of appetite. This is very normal, and her appetite will return as her body cares for her growing litter.
With this in mind, it might be tempting to change her feeding schedule to fit in with her altered appetite. However, its not a good idea to alter your pregnant dog's feeding times in this way. This approach can harm the dog and her future puppies because she isnt getting appropriate or consistent nutrition which can result in complications, such as difficulty giving birth. Instead, stick to her regular feeding schedule with some specific changes to support the pregnancy.
Nutrition for pregnant dogs
After the fifth week of her pregnancy, your dogs energy needs will increase by 10% every week as the puppies develop. At the same time, her ability to eat can be constrained due to her physical transformation, so shes not able to take in or digest the nutrition she needs. The solution is to transition to an energy-dense food which is high in energy.
In the final third of your dogs pregnancy, after 42 days, you can switch entirely to a high-energy food to support her in the final stages of the gestation. You should also increase the volume of this food by 10% each week until she gives birth, as she will need the extra nutrients and energy.
An important point to bear in mind is to give your pregnant dog a nutritionally balanced food which doesnt require her to take any supplements. Some of these that you might normally give to your dog, such as calcium, can interfere with normal vitamin and mineral regulation in her body during pregnancy, resulting in unwanted health complications.
How to help your dog gain weight
What to feed your dog to help them gain weight
Although it may seem sensible, its not necessarily a good idea to simply give your dog more of their current food to help them gain weight; their digestion may not be able to cope with it, and it may not provide them with the specific levels of nutrients they need at that point.
A weight-gain food should have a high energy density. This means youll be able to give your dog small rations, therefore protecting their digestive system from unnecessary strain, and theyll still get the energy they need. A high fat diet is often recommended for dogs recovering from surgery as its an energy-dense food.
Protein is an essential nutrient for dogs, and also an important source of energy. Their food should provide them with high-quality, highly-digestible protein which is easily absorbed into their body. The right balance of fibre is also important, as this directly affects gut health and the quality of their stools.
Dogs who have been through surgery or illness may have lost their appetite, and so the weight-gain food needs to encourage them to eat. Smell and texture are most important to dogs, so choose a food which has been designed for maximum palatability and the right size and shape pieces for your breed or size of dog.
How to feed your dog to help them gain weight
Generally you should give your adult dog two meals a day, but you may wish to split their daily portion into smaller meals and give these more frequently. This can help improve digestibility and put less pressure on their gastric tract. You can also place their food a little higher than usual and allow gravity to help the food reach their stomach comfortably.
Making their diet wetter either by using canned food or adding water to kibble can encourage your dog to eat as it may feel easier to eat than a dry food. Providing them with plenty of fresh water is also essential for their overall health.
The right combination of food and feeding techniques can help your dog gain weight safely; speak to your vet about the best choices for your pet to help them on the road to recovery.
5 tips for mix feeding dry and wet food for dogs
Tip 1: Start by talkingwith your vet or retailer
A lot of dog foods are now specifically formulated for different life stages or for particular health conditions. Before you begin combining a wet and dry diet, it's worth having a conversation with your vet to make sure that you're giving your dog the right amount of the right food for their age stage and health profile.
Tip 2: Maintain portion control
Super Premium dog foods have specific portion sizes for particular sizes and bodyweights of dogs. These differ between wet and dry diets. Wet food contains less calories per gram than dry food. When you substitute some of one type of diet as you transition to mixed feeding, it isn't as simple as swapping half a cup of dry for half a cup of wet. Super Premium packets should include some guidelines on portion control, but if you are uncertain ask the retailer or pet food company for feeding guidelines that will maintain your pet at a healthy body weight.
Tip 3: Make the change gradual
Dogs might seem like they can eat anything, but sometimes their stomachs can be quite sensitive. This is why it is recommended that any change in their diet is handled gradually over a number of days. That way their digestion has time to adjust. A good rule of thumb to follow is to mix in a very small amount of the new food on day one and gradually alter the balance of new to old over seven days until you're serving the final balance of mixed food on day seven.
Tip 4: It doesn't have to be all-in-one
There is no need to mix the dry food and the wet food in the one bowl when you feed your dog. In fact, you don't even need to serve them at the same time. One of the benefits of dry food is it doesn't spoil easily or leave a strong smell, which makes it perfect to leave out during the day if your dog likes to snack rather than gobble their food down. Then you can serve them their wet food in the evenings.
Tip 5: Don't forget the water
Of course, there are plenty of benefits in giving your dog a mixture of wet and dry food. One of these is that wet food helps to keep them hydrated. However, it only does part of the job. That's why you should always make sure that there is a constant supply of cool, fresh water on hand. Keep it out of the sun so it doesn't get hot, have more than one bucket or bowl so there's a backup if one gets tipped over while you're not there and keep an eye on how clean it is. Some dogs are notorious for dipping their dirty paws into the water.
How to feed your dog after surgery
Undergoing surgery can be a stressful experience for your dog. As with humans, dogs need a period of rest and convalescence after their operation, during which time they may need to be fed in a way that doesnt aggravate their digestive system. How and what you feed them can support their recovery and help them develop a healthier digestive system postsurgery.
Ways of feeding your dog after surgery
Depending on the type of surgery your dog has undergone, your veterinarian will advise you on the best way to feed them. For some digestive issues, the surgery may involve placing a feeding tube so it leads directly into your dogs stomach or esophagus, bypassing any organs that may be functioning poorly.If your dog has a feeding tube, youll need to change the consistency of their diet so it can be administered via the tube and possibly a syringe. Liquid diets, wet food and heavily moisturized dry food can all be given through the feeding tube, as long as they are of the right texture and size so they dont block it.As your dog recovers, you can take other actions to help them eat more easily and comfortably. Placing their food and water higher up, rather than in bowls on the floor, can aid digestion as gravity helps their food move down into their stomach. Small dogs can be fed while you are holding them, with their head over your shoulder.
How to feed your dog after surgery
Undergoing surgery can be a stressful experience for your dog. As with humans, dogs need a period of rest and convalescence after their operation, during which time they may need to be fed in a way that doesnt aggravate their digestive system. How and what you feed them can support their recovery and help them develop a healthier digestive system post-surgery.
Ways of feeding your dog after surgery
Depending on the type of surgery your dog has undergone, your vet will advise you on the best way to feed them. For some digestive issues, the surgery may involve placing a feeding tube so it leads directly into your dogs stomach or oesophagus, bypassing any organs which may be functioning poorly.
If your dog has a feeding tube, youll need to change the consistency of their diet so it can be administered via the tube and possibly a syringe. Liquid diets, wet food and heavily moisturised dry food can all be given through the feeding tube, as long as they are of the right texture and size so they dont block it.
As your dog recovers, you can take other actions to help them eat more easily and comfortably. Placing their food and water higher up, rather than in bowls on the floor, can aid digestion as gravity helps their food move down into their stomach. Small dogs can be fed while you are holding them, with their head over your shoulder.
Mixed feeding your dog
Mix feeding - combining wet and dry food
As we have discussed above, both types of diets, dry and wet, have their unique benefits. So what about using both together? Combining wet and dry food can be a good solution bringing many benefits to your pet. So how can you start doing this with your dog?
A lot of how to feed your dog will come down to your dogs personal preference. Some dogs will prefer their wet food separate from the kibbles as they each have their own unique aromatic profiles to encourage your pet to eat them. Others might enjoy them mixed together, but in this case it is best to be served fresh at the same time each day. There is no requirement to mix the dry food and the wet food in the one bowl when you feed your dog; In fact, you don't even need to serve them at the same time. One of the benefits of dry food is it doesn't spoil easily, which makes it perfect to leave out during the day if your dog likes to snack rather than gobble their food down. Then you can serve them their wet food in one to two set mealtimes during the day to best fit into your schedules.
Some additional tips for mixed feeding include:
1. Gently heating the wet food. This helps to release some of the great aromas in the wet food to encourage them to eat it. Important that this is only done in 5 second bursts, and to make sure you check the centre of the food with your finger to make sure it isnt too warm to touch and give it a good stir before serving it to your dog.
2. Make sure you clean the bowl used for the wet food after every meal. Even though your dog will lick the bowl clean, some of the oils and fats in the wet food will stick behind. These can convert to a rancid smell quickly. Remember your dog has a very sensitive nose, so this might discourage them from eating the fresh food you have put in the bowl.
3. For fussy eaters, a small amount of warm water mixed with the wet food can turn into a gravy to mix into the dry food.
4. Remember that any change in diet, including the introduction of wet food if they have not been mixed fed previously, should be done slowly and with care. Just like us, our dogs have a unique set of bacteria in their intestines that responds to the food your dog is fed. Therefore, a change in diet will result in a shift of this bacteria population that needs to be done slowly to prevent things like diarrhoea from a quick transition.
