To ensure healthy offspring, a dog needs a healthy and balanced diet both before and during pregnancy. But it is especially important for a new mother to eat properly after childbirth, because she needs to recuperate as quickly as possible in order to feed the babies.
Feeding in the first days after childbirth
During childbirth or immediately after it, the bitch eats the remaining afterbirth. Some breeders remove them before she can do it, but most still tend to allow the dog to do what is inherent in nature. The tissues of the afterbirth contain many nutrients and useful substances, so there will be no harm to it from this. The only thing that threatens the animal is mild diarrhea. But this is for the best - in this case, the dog will not have to strain too much to defecate.
If the afterbirths have been eaten, the next time the bitch needs to be fed after 4-5 hours. In the first few feedings, you can give crushed rice, which must be soaked for 8-12 hours before that, then boil with boiling water and add a little salt and vegetable oil to the mixture. This food will help your dog get rid of diarrhea. In the first days after giving birth, the animal's diet should not contain animal proteins that will not yet be well absorbed. The dog's diet should consist of various cereals, fresh, not very fatty cottage cheese, omelets, cream of 10% fat content. The dog should eat 5-6 times a day, she should not starve, but do not give her overeating either. Drink her at least every 3 hours, give her fresh raw water and milk.
After giving birth, during the feeding of the puppies and a few weeks after that, the dog's diet should be a lot of dairy products, their amount should prevail over meat.
Feeding in the following days
Animal fats can be introduced into the bitch's diet on the 8-10th day, it is better if these are offal. Heart and liver, cut into small pieces, add to cereals and soups along with a small amount of fresh vegetables. Since that time, soups for her can also be cooked in meat broths. Diversify your dog's diet by alternating between milk and meat feeds, adding raw vegetables and fruits, chopped or grated if he will eat them with porridge.
After giving birth, you need to add ground eggshells, special vitamin complexes, rehydron and other supplements with minerals to the bitch's feed.
Keep in mind that lactation lasts only 6 weeks; by the end of the 5th week, the amount of milk decreases noticeably. Therefore, until this time, the amount of food that you give the dog should constantly increase - after all, the amount of milk sucked out also becomes more. Then, after you start feeding the puppies, gradually reduce the portions of food for the bitch. After the puppies have been weaned from her breast, feed her 3 times a day, after a while, transfer to the usual one- or two-time feeding regimen.
