General nutrition of pregnant and
lactating animals:
Important point: The information below is a guideline for the proper
feeding and management of pregnant and lactating animals. It is
recommended that either a breeder or veterinarian (or drop us an e-mail)
be consulted for specific questions about your particular breed. It is
also a good idea to consult with a breeder to possibly learn any tips that
they may be willing to share about how to better manage the breeding of
your particular animal.
Before breeding your pet, it is a good idea to attend some shows and talk with other breeders and owners about your breed. It is also recommended that your vet performs a breeding soundness or pre-breeding examination to make sure that your pet is healthy and will does not possess any disorder which would prevent it from breeding. It is also at this time that any vaccinations, which might be required, should be given. Your veterinarian should be able to give you a list and timetable for vaccinations of breeding animals.
The pre-breeding condition of your pet is extremely important. In the case of the male, a fit animal with the proper disposition for breeding is all that is required. With regard to females, an animal that is too fat or too thin is more likely to have complications due to pregnancy than an animal that is in shape. An over weight animal has a greater likelihood of having larger fetuses and therefore, dystocia (difficult birth). An underweight animal may have difficulty conceiving in the first place, and will require more food to maintain the pregnancy and even more food during lactation. It is also important to keep in mind that your pet will gain weight during pregnancy, and most of that weight should be fetal rather than fat.
Feeding the bitch during pregnancy:
Less than 30% of fetal growth occurs during the first 5-6 weeks of
pregnancy. Due to this fact, the nutritional needs do not increase
greatly, and the dam should not be fed a greater quantity of food until
later in the pregnancy. It is during the last third of the pregnancy where
the fetuses are growing rapidly and require a larger amount of nutrients.
During this last third of the pregnancy, the growth of the fetuses is
taking up much of the space in the abdomen and for this reason, a series
of smaller, highly digestible, meals is recommended. It is during this
period that her body weight should increase by about 15-25%.
As whelping approaches, she will probably not eat for around 12 hours, and probably will not drink either. After all of the puppies and fetal membranes are delivered, fresh, clean water should be provided. It is not uncommon for food to be refused up to 24 hours after delivery; however, moistening the feed with water may stimulate her appetite. This will also insure that adequate fluids are taken in.
Feeding the bitch during lactation:
The most important thing to consider at this stage is providing an
adequate quantity of calories and a constant supply of fresh clean water.
Both of these things together will insure sufficient milk production while
reducing the amount of weight lost by the dam. The size of the litter and
condition of the dam prior to parturition will also affect the amount of
weight lost during lactation, but gradually increasing the amount of food
up to 3 times maintenance by the fourth week of lactation should allow for
all of these factors. Keep in mind that weaning is usually done at around
6-8 weeks of age and mom's interest in nursing will decline after the
fourth week, so feed does need to be cut back starting after the third
week. It is also at this point in the development of the pup that an
interest in solid food should be occurring.
During lactation it is sometimes recommended that calcium be supplemented. This can be done with actual calcium supplements or by feeding dairy products. It might be a good idea to check with your vet before adding any supplements to her diet, but just knowing how much calcium is already in the food should help with this decision.
Feeding the queen during pregnancy:
Your cat's (queen's) pregnancy will be a little different from that of a
dog. Your cat will undergo an almost linear increase in weight from the
second week of the pregnancy, and they will lose around half of the weight
gained during the pregnancy. The other half of the weight is stored as fat
that will be used during lactation. Food should be increased starting
around the second week of gestation and should be at a maximum of 1.5
times maintenance at the time of parturition. It is recommended that a
free-choice style of feeding be adopted so that adequate nutrition is
provided.
Feeding the queen during lactation:
Lactation in the cat is almost identical to that of the dog. For this
reason, similar guidelines can be followed.
Feeding the dam during weaning:
Food should be cut back at least one or two weeks prior to weaning. This
will reduce the amount of milk she is producing. A level of milk
production that is too high at the time of weaning can increase the
chances for the development of mastitis (an infection of the mammary
gland).
On the day of weaning, all food should be withheld from her. Food should gradually be reintroduced, by quarters, for the next four days after weaning. Since all animals will lose around 10% of their body weight during lactation, it is at this post-weaning period that the weight can be gained back. If successive breedings are going to take place, the weight should be gained back slowly to minimize fat.
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