Feeding Mum During Pregnancy and After Whelping

Ensuring optimal nutrition for your bitch during pregnancy and lactation is key to safeguarding her health and producing a robust, thriving litter. At the Natural Dog Food Company, we believe a well-nourished mum translates into healthier, happier puppies. This article will guide you on how best to feed your bitch during pregnancy and after whelping using our carefully crafted dry kibble diets.

Nutritional Needs During Pregnancy

Pregnancy significantly alters the nutritional needs of your bitch. During early pregnancy, her calorific and nutrient demands remain similar to her usual requirements. However, as the pregnancy progresses, demands rise steeply. Around the sixth week, puppies grow rapidly, necessitating additional energy, protein, and specific minerals from the mother’s diet.

We recommend transitioning your bitch onto our Puppy Food around the fifth or sixth week of pregnancy. Our Puppy Food offers increased calories, higher protein content, and precisely balanced minerals essential for the puppies’ healthy development and your bitch’s sustained energy levels.

How Much to Feed Your Pregnant Bitch

In the first five weeks, maintain her regular adult food quantity. From week six, begin increasing portions gradually. By the eighth and ninth weeks of pregnancy, your bitch may need between 30-50% more food than her usual daily intake, depending on litter size. Always feed to condition, ensuring your bitch maintains a healthy bodyweight—neither too lean nor overweight.

Feeding During Lactation

Immediately following whelping, your bitch’s nutritional requirements increase dramatically

Lactation places extreme demands on her body, requiring adequate calories and nutrients to sustain her own health while providing ample milk for her puppies.

Our Puppy Food is specifically formulated to cater to these increased requirements. During lactation, feed her freely, allowing her to eat as much as she needs, typically 2-3 times her normal maintenance quantity. Maintain constant access to fresh, clean water to facilitate milk production and maintain hydration.

Monitoring Your Bitch’s Condition

Regular monitoring during pregnancy and lactation ensures you keep on top of your bitch’s nutritional status. Check body condition frequently, ideally weekly, to ensure she’s neither gaining excessive weight nor losing condition rapidly. Adjust her food accordingly. Healthy mums are bright-eyed, energetic, and display a glossy coat—signs of optimal nutrition and wellbeing.

Weaning and Beyond

Once puppies begin weaning, typically at four to five weeks, gradually reduce the quantity of Puppy Food provided to the mother. This gradual reduction helps her milk supply decrease naturally, minimising discomfort or mastitis risks.

By the time puppies are fully weaned (around 7-8 weeks), your bitch can comfortably transition back to her regular Natural Dog Food Company adult kibble. Again, manage the transition gradually over several days to support her digestion and comfort.

Why Choose Natural Dog Food Company?

Our carefully balanced, premium-quality kibble provides comprehensive nutritional solutions specifically tailored for breeding bitches. Our Puppy Food contains all-natural, wholesome ingredients, expertly combined to ensure mothers and puppies alike thrive.

For personalised nutritional advice, feeding guidelines, or breeder support, our dedicated team at the Natural Dog Food Company is always here to help. Visit our website or reach out directly—we’re committed to helping you raise healthy litters.

Feeding your bitch well during pregnancy and lactation ensures a positive, healthy start for her puppies and safeguards her ongoing wellbeing. Trust in the Natural Dog Food Company’s dedicated nutritional expertise, and give your bitch and her litter the very best start.