What should I feed my pregnant dog who refuses to eat dry food?

Well that is quite simple actually. Pregnant dogs only require puppy food which is higher in calories and provides exactly what she needs to maintain a good milk supply and muscle mass during her last trimester. You should start about halfway through her pregnancy and continue this food daily until she has completely weaned her puppies (at 3-4 weeks of age). You don't really need a daily food chart, just feed her the normal amount of food that you would feed her on a regular basis an she should be just fine. It is also a good idea to get her examined around day 45 by a veterinarian to find out how many pups she is having (via x-ray) and also for a general health exam to make sure mama is in good medical condition for her upcoming labor. Here is a website link with lots more tips and recommendations on how to care for a pregnant dog http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=678 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1459

At six weeks of pregnancy, she should be getting a third more food than her normal amount; for example, if she was getting 1 cup of food twice a day before she was pregnant, she should be getting 1.3 cups of food twice a day. It's important to stop giving her puppy food 10 days before her expected whelping date, and then I would feed her an adult formulated food. She can go back on the puppy food after she gives birth to the puppies. A dog's normal pregnancy is 58-68 days, so I would stop the puppy food when she is 48 days pregnant.

This is not a good idea. Chicken and steak will not be a balanced diet for your dog and the puppies may not develop properly. Try feeding her some good quality puppy food, warm it up in the microwave, canned puppy food may be even better. If she does not eat it, do NOT feed her the chicken and steak as she will then wait always until you feed her that kind of food. It is not a problem if she does not eat for a day, but the next day she will likely be hungry enough to eat the puppy food. Now is the time when the puppies grow exponentially and therefore it is very important to feed her proper dog, best, puppy food.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! I recommend starting pregnant mothers on puppy food. Commercial puppy food will provide all the nutrients, vitamins and appropriate calories she needs. I do not recommend raw or home cooked diets as they are deficient in the appropriate nutrients unless balanced by a nutritionist. You can pay for websites like Balance It to create diets, see link below. Now is fine for puppy food or if you continue your plan now for the vitamins It is fine that she jumps it shouldn't cause miscarriages. https://secure.balanceit.com/ Good luck!

Hello. If Candy is a pretty normal weight, then you can continue her regular dog food up until a week before her due date. Then gradually switch her over to a puppy food. She should be strictly on a puppy diet by the time the puppies are born. Keep her on the puppy food until the puppies start to eat on their own, around 4-5 weeks of age, & you can then gradually switch her back to her regular food. You can use dry, canned or a mix, whatever she will eat. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I don't normally recommend giving pregnant females any kind of extra calcium supplementation during pregnancy, since there is evidence to show that this can actually increase their risk of post-birth complications such as eclampsia. Instead, feed her a high-quality puppy food such as Royal Canin or Purina Pro Plan during her pregnancy and while she is nursing her puppies - puppy food has a higher calorie content than normal adult dog food, and will meet all of the mother's nutritional needs during this time without the need for any additional supplements.

Yes, you should feed a pregnant and lactating mother a puppy food as this has more calories for the extra demand of nutrition that she will need while pregnant and nursing. Once her puppies are weaned she can go back on to her regular adult maintenance diet. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.