“She’s pregnant, so I need to start feeding her more now… don’t I?”. It’s one of those questions that sounds as though it should have a very simple answer.
Then your normally food-obsessed girl leaves half her breakfast, somebody tells you to double her dinner and someone else insists you need to change her entire diet immediately.
Suddenly, feeding a pregnant bitch feels much more complicated than it did before mating.
The reassuring answer is that you don’t usually need to transform everything overnight.
During approximately the first 5 weeks of pregnancy, the developing puppies are still very small. For a healthy bitch who entered pregnancy in appropriate body condition, a large increase in food is not normally needed at this stage.
This surprises people because “eating for two” is such a familiar phrase. But doubling her portions from the beginning can contribute to unnecessary weight gain without giving the puppies an extra advantage.
Instead, use these early weeks to look carefully at the foundations:
Pregnancy isn’t the ideal time to add handfuls of new foods into her diet “just in case”. More isn’t automatically better.
Instead you should add in targetted, natural pregnancy supplements designed for her stage. We recommend Canine Nutrition Coach's Pregnancy Bundle for the right combination.
If you’re considering changing her main diet, make the transition gradually and again, we recommend seeking expert advice from Isobel at Canine Nutrition Coach.
Some bitches become fussier or experience a temporary reduction in appetite during pregnancy.
One unfinished meal, on its own, doesn’t tell you very much. Look at the whole dog.
Is she still bright, drinking, comfortable and interested in normal activities? Or is she repeatedly vomiting, refusing all food, unusually quiet, painful or showing another concerning symptom?
Small changes can sometimes be monitored. Persistent appetite loss or additional symptoms are worth investigating, and the best first step is booking a progress scan with us.
Try not to create a completely new menu every time she hesitates. Constantly offering richer and more exciting alternatives can leave you with an increasingly selective dog and no clear idea of what she has actually eaten.
After roughly week 5, puppy growth accelerates and the bitch’s energy requirements begin to rise.
At the same time, the growing uterus leaves less physical room for large meals. Simply making her usual meals enormous may therefore be uncomfortable and ineffective.
This is where a more energy-dense, suitable diet and smaller, more frequent meals can become useful.
The appropriate increase will depend on factors including:
There isn’t one portion chart that will suit every bitch.
Calcium is one of the most common areas of confusion.
Adding calcium supplements throughout pregnancy without a specific reason under veterinary guidance is NOT recommended. It can interfere with the body’s normal regulation during pregnancy and may create problems rather than prevent them.
A complete, balanced diet should already provide nutrients in carefully considered proportions.
If your bitch eats a home-prepared diet, or eats raw food you should seek individual advice (from Isobel) to ensure you're not giving too much Calcium.
BUT, from the minute active labour begins, Calcium is essential. We recommend you have a natural, easily-absorbable, high-quality Calcium supplement ready BEFORE she whelps so you can administer it right away. We recommend (and use ourselves) the CNC Whelp Wise Natural Calcium.
Good pregnancy preparation also means thinking ahead to whelping and the early days following her labour.
Do you know what you’ll need? Which changes are expected? When should you monitor quietly, and when should you call for help?
Nobody starts as an expert. Every breeder starts with questions.
That's why I've really carefully put together our Puppy Natal Classes. They're designed to help you prepare practically and confidently, with information suited to your bitch and her pregnancy rather than a one-size-fits-all checklist. It also includes the vital progress puppy scan to make sure everyone is cooking nicely.
Want to feel properly prepared before the puppies arrive? Book in a Puppy Natal Class with me, in the comfort of your own home, so I can give you personalised guidance for pregnancy, whelping and those crucial early days. Available from £250.
WhatsApp or call us on 07725 139183 to get booked in, or complete our webform.
You can also join our mailing list for practical breeder guidance and future updates: https://northwestbreedingservices.eo.page/news
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