Seeing our furry friends in discomfort and pain is heartbreaking. Therefore, it’s best to start preparing for the gestation period from the beginning.
Exercise
Pregnant dogs shouldn’t do any intensive activity. Like other expectant mothers, pregnancy in dogs requires gentle, non-strenuous exercise.
During their gestation period, the moms usually benefit from: regular daily walks, gentle playtime, and loads of attention. The important thing is to avoid overstimulating your dog with lots of noise and activities.
It’s best to keep a pregnant dog apart from other dogs and animals during the last three weeks of pregnancy. During this period, it’s better to stick to indoor activities rather than going outdoors.
Food
In the first four weeks, you can feed your dog her usual amount of high-quality dog food. These foods usually contain all the right amounts of nutrients required.
Try to avoid homemade food, as it may not contain all the necessary nutrients a pregnant dog needs.
Over the final few weeks of the pregnancy, your dog will be consuming about 50% more than she did before. However, she might not be able to eat it all in one meal due to the puppies pushing on her stomach.
A good idea is to divide her food into smaller, more frequent portions throughout the day.
Another helpful tip is to avoid adding any minerals, vitamins, or calcium to your dog’s food unless instructed by the doctor.
Puppies
Last but not least, it’s time to take care of the newborn puppies properly without agitating the mom or scaring her..
Touching
You should know that their mother can take care of her puppies in the first few weeks, all on her own. So, there’s no need to touch or hold the newborn pups unless there’s an emergency.
The puppies will be able to move around on their own after about three weeks. After that, you can begin to interact with them.
Warmth
New pups still can’t regulate their body’s temperature. So, keeping them warm should be at the top of your list. Make sure there are enough soft blankets for all of the puppies inside that nesting box.
The Mother
Because the pups’ survival depends on their time with the mom, it's best to avoid separating them from her under any circumstance.
Hence, make sure the mother’s time with her puppies is uninterrupted.
Food
There’s no need to feed the puppies anything. Their mother’s milk provides the nutrients they need for a strong immune system and healthy development.
They usually feed every three to four hours. Bear in mind that they won’t be able to eat solid food until they’re approximately four weeks old.