Download Article
What to feed your dog after she has puppies
Download Article
After a mother dog gives birth, you will need to give her some extra care. Specifically, she will need to be fed and hydrated properly in order to assure that she and her puppies stay healthy. In order for the mother to produce enough high-quality milk to feed her puppies, she will need high quality food that includes large amounts of proteins, fats, and calcium. Additionally, she will need access to more water than normal in order to feed her puppies.
What types of food should I give a mother dog?
Puppy food designed for small breeds is high-calorie, easily digestible, and nutritionally balanced, making it an excellent choice for mother dogs from pregnancy through nursing. Shortly after birth, you can also encourage a mother dog to eat by offering her favorite treats or by adding egg yolk or chicken broth to her regular food.
Steps
Section 1 of 2:
Download Article
-
Bring food to the mother dog shortly after she gives birth. Place food near the mother dog so that she doesn't have to leave the puppies to eat. Many new mothers don't want to leave their puppies to eat, so they abstain from eating for too long after giving birth. [1] X Trustworthy Source American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show. Go to source- It’s normal for the dog to wait a few hours before she eats. This will give her time to rest and recover from whelping. [2] X Research source
-
Offer highly palatable foods that she normally likes. If your mother dog is hesitant to eat dog food right after birthing puppies, give her high-calorie treats that she can't resist. [3] X Trustworthy Source American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show. Go to source You might offer her a special treat that she normally loves, or you can try adding an egg yolk or lard to her normal food. [4] X Research source- High-quality puppy food is a nutritious, high-calorie food source for mother dogs after birth and during nursing. However, it may be best to choose puppy foods designed for smaller breeds—the nutrient balance tends to be more favorable for milk production. [5] X Research source
- To make food even more palatable, try soaking it in chicken broth and microwaving it so it's warm.
Advertisement -
Provide the dog with liquids immediately. A dog that has given birth will have lost a lot of fluids during that process. Because of this, you want to get her to drink some water as soon as possible afterword. This will help to avoid dehydration.- If she doesn't want to drink plain water, try giving her a bit of chicken broth to drink. This may be more enticing to the dog than water is.
-
Feed the mother dog more food than normal. A dog that has given birth and is breastfeeding her puppies will need to eat more food than it normally would. In fact, most dogs should be fed twice as much food as normal after they give birth. If you don't give her enough food, she won't be able to recover from whelping and feed her babies. [6] X Trustworthy Source American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show. Go to source- This food should be fed in small meals throughout the day, instead of just a few large meals. This will help your dog digest the food easier.
- Refer to the back of your dog's food bag to see what serving the manufacturer recommends for pregnant or nursing dogs. You can also check with your vet to see what an appropriate serving size would be based on her size and nutritional needs.
Advertisement
Section 2 of 2:
Download Article
-
Transition the mother dog to puppy food. Puppy food is high in calories and it is highly digestible. This means that the mother can absorb the nutrients in the food quickly. Feeding the mother dog puppy food also assures that the puppies she is feeding get the proper nutrition. [7] X Research source- Feed the mother dog the food amount suggested on the puppy food packaging, but make sure to give multiple meals throughout the day or just let the dog graze on the food constantly.
- If you haven’t been giving her puppy food before this, transition gradually in order to avoid stomach upset, mix the puppy food with the dog's normal food for the first 3-4 days. This will help the mother dog to adjust to the puppy food gradually.
-
Make sure the mother dog is drinking lots of water. A dog that is breastfeeding needs to drink a lot of liquid in order to produce enough milk. Make sure that the mother dog has constant access to water while she is nursing her young. [8] X Research source- You should be particularly vigilant about monitoring how much water your dog is drinking if she is being fed a dry diet. [9] X Research source
-
Increase the amount you feed the mother dog for several weeks. Your mother dog will need to increase the amount of milk it produces over several weeks after giving birth. It will be at peak milk production around three weeks after giving birth. At this point it will also need to be eating up to four times as much food as it did before pregnancy. [10] X Research source- This food should be spread out over at least four meals throughout the day. This will help her to digest this increased amount of food.
- If you dog is nursing more than 2 puppies, it’s okay to let her free-feed for the first 3 or 4 weeks after she gives birth. If she only has 1 or 2 puppies, give her several regular meals a day, but don’t let her free feed—she may produce more milk than her puppies can use, which can lead to mastitis. [11] X Research source
-
Monitor the mother dog's weight. A mother dog that is nursing puppies is at risk of losing too much weight. If she is not taking in enough calories to keep up with the milk production, her body will use reserves that can lead to unhealthy weight loss. In order to avoid this, make sure that your dog has not lost more than ten percent of its original weight before pregnancy.- If your dog has lost too much weight you need to increase the fat and protein content of the food you are feeding it, as well as increasing the amount it eats. [12] X Research source
Advertisement
Expert Q&A
Search
-
QuestionIs it a good idea to have food and water close to the mother during an extended birthing?Ryan Corrigan is a Licensed Veterinary Technician in California. She received her Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Technology from Purdue University in 2010. She is also a Member of the Academy of Equine Veterinary Nursing Technicians since 2011.You can leave it to the side for her if she wants it, but do not try to force her to eat. If the birth is prolonged, you should already have a veterinarian on the phone for guidance if needed.
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Tips
- To ensure your dog and her puppies are healthy, make sure she’s getting a nutritious, well-balanced diet through the whole process of having puppies—before breeding, during her pregnancy, after she gives birth, and while she’s nursing. [13] X Trustworthy Source American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show. Go to sourceThanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- Read the ingredients list before offering your dog broth or stock to be sure it doesn't contain onions.
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement
References
- ↑ http://www.akc.org/content/dog-breeding/articles/the-care-and-feeding-of-the-breeding-bitch-part-two/
- ↑ http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/breeding-for-dog-owners-caring-from-birth-to-weaning/489
- ↑ http://www.akc.org/content/dog-breeding/articles/the-care-and-feeding-of-the-breeding-bitch-part-two/
- ↑ http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/breeding-for-dog-owners-caring-from-birth-to-weaning/489
- ↑ https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feeding-the-pregnant-dog
- ↑ http://www.akc.org/content/dog-breeding/articles/the-care-and-feeding-of-the-breeding-bitch-part-two/
- ↑ https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feeding-the-pregnant-dog
- ↑ https://www.vetinfo.com/what-to-feed-dogs-after-giving-birth.html
- ↑ http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/breeding-for-dog-owners-caring-from-birth-to-weaning/489
- ↑ http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/breeding-for-dog-owners-caring-from-birth-to-weaning/489
- ↑ https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feeding-the-pregnant-dog
- ↑ https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/nutrition-feeding/what-to-feed-a-pregnant-dog
- ↑ https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/the-care-and-feeding-of-the-breeding-bitch-part-two/
About This Article
Article Summary
X
After a dog gives birth, you’ll need to bring food to her whelping box and find ways to encourage her to eat. Bring her water immediately after she gives birth, since the dog will have lost a lot of fluids. You should also bring dog food to the whelping box, because the dog won’t want to leave her puppies to eat. If she’s not keen on eating, mix an egg yolk or some lard into her food to make it more palatable. When the dog starts nursing the puppies, give her puppy food to make sure she passes on enough nutrients. Encourage her to eat it by mixing the puppy food with her normal food for the first 3 or 4 days. You’ll need to feed her much more in the weeks following pregnancy, because she will need to produce enough milk for the puppies. For tips from our Veterinary co-author on how to monitor a mother dog’s weight during nursing, keep reading!
Did this summary help you?
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 285,444 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "It listed things I already knew, such as giving chicken broth to my nursing dog to help her eat after giving birth, and to put egg in her food. The reassurance of reading that helped. The article was very detailed." ..." more
Advertisement
93%
of readers found this article helpful
.
Click a star to add your vote
% of people told us that this article helped them.
"It listed things I already knew, such as giving chicken broth to my nursing dog to help her eat after giving birth, and to put egg in her food. The reassurance of reading that helped. The article was very detailed."
..."
more
"My dog just gave birth but would not drink. After reading the article from this page, I now feel better about how to help her and to know what to look out for in case she gets bad."
..."
more
"It helped us for feeding the right food and liquid quantity. Thank you for the excellent advice."
"General information was good to help me with a stray dog with puppies near my home."
"It helped me to know how much food she should be eating."
