What do lactating dogs eat?

Foods Suitable for Lactating Dogs

1. Feed high-nutrition puppy food or special lactation food as the main diet.

2. You can also feed nutritional supplements such as nutritional paste, chicken breast, and lamb milk powder.

3. It is also necessary to supplement vitamins, minerals, and calcium, as lactating dogs have a higher demand for these nutrients.

4. Probiotics should also be added, as lactating dogs tend to have poor digestion due to energy consumption and the need to feed the puppies.

5. Optimize the feeding method by adopting the principle of small meals and frequent feedings to reduce stimulation to the mother dog and increase the rate of food digestion and absorption.

Precautions for Lactating Dogs

1. If the puppies are with the mother dog, their visual and auditory senses are not fully developed. Pay attention to taking care of the mother dog, protecting the environment from wind and maintaining warmth, and be cautious of the puppies' lack of agility to avoid being crushed or stepped on by the mother dog.

2. It is essential for the puppies to consume mother's milk, as it contains the necessary nutrients and enhances their antibodies.

3. After five days of birth, the mother dog and the puppies can be taken outside to bask in the sun, preferably twice a day for about half an hour each time, to ensure they can breathe fresh air.

4. After 14-16 days, when the puppies' eyes open and their vision is still blurry and sensitive to bright light, they should not be kept in environments with strong light. Around one month, the puppies' vision and auditory senses will have fully developed, similar to adult dogs. It is important to note that the puppies' eyes will open naturally without forceful intervention.

5. If the puppies accidentally get wet, they should be dried or blow-dried immediately, and proper warmth should be provided to prevent them from catching a cold. Trim their nails around 20 days to avoid injuring the mother dog while nursing.

6. Deworm the puppies at 30 days. At one month old, they should receive vaccines for diseases such as canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis, canine parvovirus, and rabies, followed by monthly vaccinations.

7. As the puppies grow, mother's milk alone will no longer be sufficient. It is necessary to gradually add supplemental food, mainly animal-based feed with some plant-based feed, and choose easily digestible options.