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What special care and food does my 5-week pregnant dog need?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | unspayed | 4 years and 5 months old | 5 lbs

My dog is currently 5 weeks pregnant and I was wondering is there anything special I should be providing or feeding her at this point.

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1 Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on August 26th, 2017

Congrats on Chula's pregnancy! She should be a fed a high quality dog food, such a Royal Canin, Hill's Science diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. Make sure she has plenty of food to meet her needs as she is growing these puppies. It's not recommend to give pregnancy dogs supplements during pregnancy as it can lead to serious problems. Excess calcium above the amount provided by a high quality diet suppresses parathyroid hormone production, and increases the bitch's risk of puerperal hypocalcemia. Excess vitamin A has been associated with congenital defects, including cleft palates. Dogs produce sufficient vitamin C of their own and do not require supplementation. Excess vitamin D may complicate the calcium mobilization ability of the bitch. A high quality dog food will give her all the nutrients she needs. I would also start putting as much money as possible aside in case she needs an emergency c section. Toy breed dogs such as Chihuahuas often have problems giving birth, and that leads to needing a c section. It's best to be financially prepared for it ahead of time. Finally, it's important to have regular vet visits to make sure everything is progressing normally during the pregnancy. I hope this helps, good luck!

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