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My dog is pregnant! How do I care for her and what should she eat?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 8 months and 28 days old

How to take care about a pregnant dog of 8 months

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on December 29th, 2019

Feed Rita puppy food to give her extra calories, calcium, and protein. During the last five weeks of her pregnancy, increase her food intake gradually, until she consumes 35-to-50 percent more than usual. Increase her intake slowly and feed her small, frequent meals, as large meals can cause discomfort. Make sure to take her into a vet tomorrow to confirm she is pregnant, and have regular vet visits during the pregnancy. Emergencies happen during pregnancy. While you are at your veterinarian for a prenatal checkup, ask your veterinarian about what to do in the event of an emergency and set up a plan with your family and pet sitter.

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2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Health & Wellbeing
Goldie may be 4-5 weeks pregnant (We surmise because thats when she mated and since then her energy levels decreased and her nipples have enlarged. She is also drinking and urinating more frequently). We feed her 1 1/2 cups in the am, and 2 cups at n
Have her examined by your veterinarian to confirm pregnancy. This can be done via blood test, palpation or abdominal ultrasound. If she is pregnant, transition her slowly to a high quality puppy food at around 6 weeks of pregnancy and continue until the litter is weaned. Feed her as much as she wants unless she has a tendency to becoming overweight. She will need the additional energy and nutrition to support her litter.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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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.
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 tha
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
How to help pregnant dog ?what kind of food should i provide?give me some advises about daily food chart
Well that is quite simple actually. Pregnant dogs only require puppy food which is higher in calories and provides exactly what she needs to maintain a good milk supply and muscle mass during her last trimester. You should start about halfway through her pregnancy and continue this food daily until she has completely weaned her puppies (at 3-4 weeks of age). You don't really need a daily food chart, just feed her the normal amount of food that you would feed her on a regular basis an she should be just fine. It is also a good idea to get her examined around day 45 by a veterinarian to find out how many pups she is having (via x-ray) and also for a general health exam to make sure mama is in good medical condition for her upcoming labor. Here is a website link with lots more tips and recommendations on how to care for a pregnant dog http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=678 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1459
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Our 2 1/2 year old Labrador may be pregnant. Should I be giving her a supplement or different dog food?
After the first month of pregnancy, pregnant dogs have an increased caloric need, and I recommend that they start eating puppy food since it has more calories per bite and more healthy fats. Here is a good article on birthing puppies with a section on pre-natal care of dogs: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=678
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
What's the best food diet for pregnant dog?
Great question! A more energy dense food is appropriate for a pregnant dog, such as puppy food, but you will need to take her off the puppy food by last 10-14 days of her pregnancy. Calcium rich foods need to be stopped then, and she should be fed an adult dog food. If she is gaining weight during the pregnancy and is healthy, then an adult dog food is fine to feed her for the entire pregnancy. Once Alma has her puppies, she will need to go back on the puppy food. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My female is pregnant of 25days ,,she does not eat her regular food which she daily eats why she does not eat the food,she does not even response to that food?
Sometimes their personalities and appetites change while pregnant. If you don’t already I would try to put her on puppy food. Puppy food has more calories and nutrients to help nourish a pregnant dogs body during pregnancy and while nursing. If she still won’t eat puppy food then you may want to try some boiled chicken (no bones) and rice. If she still doesn’t want this food or her appetite doesn’t pick up, I would have your vet take a look at her. Your vet can make sure she is handling the pregnancy okay. Your vet may want to check her bloodwork and give her some fluids if she is dehydrated. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a male and a female dog. She is pregnant. Will he know the puppies are his and is it a good idea to keep one of the puppies? What should I feed the female and how can I make her first pregnancy easier for her? Will she choose her own space for
First, I would recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian to have Srna examined and make sure she is up to date on all preventative care (deworming, vaccinations etc.). You can also discuss when to expect puppies, other testing to confirm pregnancy and count the number of puppies, and when to start monitoring for impending labor. Male dogs can sometimes act aggressively towards their own puppies so you should always supervise contact between them. Plenty of people choose to keep a puppy but you do not have to - and be sure to take precautions since once the puppy becomes sexually mature it could breed with the mother or father. I would recommend feeding a commercially available puppy food or high calorie food intended for working dogs. You should provide a box or other area with bedding for her to whelp, and you should try to be present during whelping to assist if you need to and to watch for complications. After delivery the puppies will need deworming, vaccinations, an
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
How many puppy food (brand-pedigree) have to give my pregnent labrdor(day 42) female at here lunch and dinner time because i am stops the raw feeding because of some various on chicken.
At six weeks of pregnancy, she should be getting a third more food than her normal amount; for example, if she was getting 1 cup of food twice a day before she was pregnant, she should be getting 1.3 cups of food twice a day. It's important to stop giving her puppy food 10 days before her expected whelping date, and then I would feed her an adult formulated food. She can go back on the puppy food after she gives birth to the puppies. A dog's normal pregnancy is 58-68 days, so I would stop the puppy food when she is 48 days pregnant.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
My dog eats alot because of her pregnancy should i give her more food when she wants or this is wrong she eats 400 grams in normal now she eats 700 and needing more.
A dog's pregnancy typically lasts around 63 days. Pregnancy is divided into trimesters. A healthy, pregnant botch will usually gain around 15 -20% beyond her weight at breeding. You should neither over- nor underfeed your dog during pregnancy, as overfeeding will cause obesity past the pregnancy and underfeeding can cause thee puppies to be underdeveloped, abortion or stillbirth and a small litter size and/or low birth weight puppies. During the first two trimesters (approx. up to the 40th day of pregnancy) you should feed her her normal amount of feed, observing whether she is losing weight or condition. If so, increase her food as needed, During the third trimester, after about day 40 of gestation, the puppies wil start growing rapidly and exponentially and so the bitch will need extra nutrition. Feed her an about 30-60% higher ration depending on the size of the litter and general condition. This may mean you have to feed her several times a day as she will have less and less
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Is it a good idea to give my pregnant dog eggs and shells?
I don't normally recommend giving pregnant females any kind of extra calcium supplementation during pregnancy, since there is evidence to show that this can actually increase their risk of post-birth complications such as eclampsia. Instead, feed her a high-quality puppy food such as Royal Canin or Purina Pro Plan during her pregnancy and while she is nursing her puppies - puppy food has a higher calorie content than normal adult dog food, and will meet all of the mother's nutritional needs during this time without the need for any additional supplements.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

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