A dog's pregnancy is a gestation process that lasts approximately 65 days, and during this entire period of time obviously our pet It will undergo physiological changes typical of pregnancy. It is very important here to emphasize the physiological term, which could well be translated as the normal functioning of the organism in the face of specific demands. In other words, a pregnant dog is not a sick dog, although there is a change in her organic processes that will allow the life and formation of the puppies until delivery.
In this article on our site we talk about the care for a pregnant dog, as you will see they are very simple but essential.
For better care, you need to be informed
If we talk about the parameters of responsible animal ownership the pregnancy of a dog should only occur when it has been agreed voluntarily by the owners, who will be responsible for the puppies, and always without forcing the animals to do something they really don't want to do. Likewise, remember that the sale of animals is illegal, so if you cannot take care of the little ones, you must find an optimal home for them. Starting from this situation, it is equally responsible that you have previously informed yourself about what pregnancy means for your pet, for this reason we must deeply know the dog's pregnancy week by week.
Another aspect that we are going to give importance to later is the feeding of the pregnant dog, but in order to be able to direct it properly, it is also important that you acquire basic prior knowledge.
Finally, if your dog's pregnancy is an unwanted situation, keep in mind sterilization as a prevention method.
Avoid any stressful situation
Stress is a mechanism that all animals have and when it is triggered and sustained over time it alters the proper functioning of any organism, this means that if your dog suffers stress during pregnancy it can cause your he alth and that of your puppies is at risk.
The main care for a pregnant dog, simpler and more natural, is to favor a calm environment where she can feel completely comfortable, although if We are talking about comfort, beyond mental serenity it is important that your pet has a space to relax and sleep, a soft, warm and comfortable surface. This is important throughout the gestation stage but becomes even more relevant approximately 20 days before delivery, since at this time the puppies respond to touch as well as to other stimuli, and they could directly suffer any stressful situation.
An important aspect to manage stress is Physical exercise in the pregnant dog, which obviously should be dynamic in order to adapt to each gestation stage.
On the other hand, to take care of the pregnant dog we also have other very interesting resources for the future mother to be relaxed, such as massages, which should be gentle and preferably avoiding touching the belly, especially as the pregnancy progresses, as it will be a very sensitive area. If you massage your dog she will feel more relaxed, the bond with the human family will continue to strengthen during this important period and this, as a consequence, will help human contact to continue after giving birth.
A he althy, natural and balanced diet
As would happen with a dog that is not pregnant, to offer the best care to a pregnant dog it is vital that we cover all its nutritional requirements. The easiest way to achieve this is to feed her mainly with feed, in this way we ensure a complete nutritional profileand perfectly adapted to her needs. However, it is also recommended that we complement this diet with homemade food, although we should never provide both foods together because the digestion time is different. For more information on this specific point, don't miss our article "Is it good to combine feed with homemade food?".
During the first six weeks it is not necessary to increase the amount of food, however, once this initial stage is over it is recommended that the amount of food be increased approximately 25%, although this may vary depending on each case.
Throughout the pregnancy, it is possible that your dog has loss of appetite problems and you notice that she does not want to eat. However, you should know that this problem can be controlled naturally by following the simple tips that we offer in the article "Why does my pregnant dog not want to eat?".
Deworming and hygiene
A pregnant bitch can suffer various infestations by parasites, such as intestinal worms, and in this sense prevention is better than cure, therefore if the pregnancy is an expected phenomenon it is important that before the crossing deworming is performedIf, on the other hand, the infestation has occurred during pregnancy, it will not be possible to deworm it until weeks before delivery, when the puppies have acquired greater resistance due to their advanced development. It is essential not to neglect these possible infestations, since puppies should not take any type of internal or external medication during the first month of life.
In addition to keeping the pregnant bitch free of parasites, it is also important to encourage her to enjoy good hygienic conditions, that is, she needs to be bathed as often as usual, monthly for long coats and every 2 or 3 months for short coats. However, this frequency will vary slightly. Two baths should be done during pregnancy, the first at the beginning of pregnancy and the second right at the midpoint of pregnancy. We will avoid baths in recent weeks, as they could be a very stressful situation for the dog.
We will use the usual hygiene products as long as they do not contain any medicinal or antiparasitic component, we will take care that the water is at a warm temperature and we will clean the belly area with extreme sensitivity.
Once delivery has occurred, we do not recommend bathing the mother. We'll tell you why in this article: "Is it bad to bathe my dog after giving birth?"
Accompany the dog throughout the process
We stressed at the beginning of this article that a pregnant dog needs an absolutely calm environment, but we should not confuse this with the absence of attention and affection, since we are still dealing with a highly emotional and sociable animal.
Pampering our dog is essential, it is only necessary to apply common sense, for example, we will not pet her and play with her when is sleeping, but we will always respond to all the attention she needs, being very attentive because she herself can demand it.
On the other hand, although our pet should enjoy a calm and comfortable environment, you must know that she will be the one to decide where to give birthand you will perfectly observe the behavior of the nest. Your dog may want to change her blanket or bed and this means that she is looking for the best environment to give birth
It is then that the dog's delivery is approaching, a process that we must accompany but in which we must only intervene when absolutely necessary.
Veterinary care for the pregnant dog
As is evident, within the care for a pregnant dog is veterinary care. In this way, we recommend that at the beginning of the pregnancy you take your dog to the veterinarian so that he or she can assess the he alth status of your pet, this It will help determine if there may be any complications, if the pregnancy is progressing with any anomaly or if nutritional and vitamin supplements are going to be necessary.
Depending on the results obtained through this first evaluation, it is possible that your dog needs to carry out other check-ups or that they may not be necessary during the remaining time of pregnancy.
As the owner of a pregnant dog you will have many doubts and concerns, therefore veterinary attention is essential to guarantee a he althy gestation where you too can feel safer in the care of your pregnant dog.
