Avoiding malnourishment of a bitch from the pre-breeding phase to parturition is vital to the health of both the bitch and her pups

We are all aware that good nutrition and proper prenatal care play important roles in ensuring the birth of healthy human children. The same is true in ensuring that our canine friends are born healthyProper care and feeding of a breeding bitch should begin long before she is actually bred and even before her estrous cycle begins.

As a Natural Rearing breeder myself, I belive this bitch should come from a healthy Sire and Dam that were not vaccinated or at least minimally vaccinated and perferablly were fed a raw diet. At the very least, hopefully, you have raised her with no or minimal vaccinations and on a raw diet.

Test her for any breed specific, inheritable diseases or problems (CERF, OFA, BAER, etc.). With all testing passed and after checking with reputable breeders of your chosen breed, making sure her structure/conformation is to standard for the breed; have her weighed and a thorough physical exam done by your veterinarian.

Dietary adjustments in amount or type of food should be
made at this time to achieve optimal body weight. A bitch who is either overweight or underweight will have less reproductive success.

Nutritionists strongly believe that malnourishment of bitches before breeding and during pregnancy is a major factor in neonatal puppy mortality, which is estimated to be between 20 and 30 percent. Just like growth and
performance, reproduction is a physiologic state with nutritional requirements that exceed those of a maintenance phase. A bitch who is pregnant or has
just given birth draws upon the nutritional reserves deposited in her body before and during pregnancy. A malnourished female will not have sufficient
protein, vitamins, minerals and energy to support pregnancy.

Malnourishment of a breeding bitch can occur as the result of feeding poor-quality diets, imbalanced diets or insufficient amounts of good-quality foods.

Malnourishment can begin at any stage of her reproductive cycle, however, the most dangerous and critial time is during late gestation, when nutritional needs greatly
increase due to the puppies developing and maturing in the womb. Improper feeding of a breeding bitch will result in impaired health of both the bitch and her puppies and can cause low conception rates, birth defects, problems carrying the entire litter to term, dystocia, as well as improper mammary development, which reduces the quality and
amount of the colostrum and then milk produced.

Nutritional deprivation during pregnancy has been shown to affect the immune systems of both the bitch and her pups. The immune system is very sensitive to nutritional inadequacies during its formation and development. It can also affect the immune system's ability to function during future pregnancies as well, even if proper nutrition is restored.

Many times the malnourishment of the bitch is not always evident until it is too late. She may appear thin and out of condition once whelped, with inadequate muscle and body-fat reserves to support lactation. The pups may suffer from
"fading puppy syndrome," appearing weak, crying frequently, eating poorly and lacking coordination. Many of these pups could face early death.

To ensure adequate nutritional status of the bitch prior to breeding, you may be able to get your veterinarian to do some simple blood work to determine whether the bitch is
anemic or has low blood protein. If either problem is detected, this would indicate malnourishment and should be corrected much before ever breeding.
estation.
Be sure you are feeding raw meaty bones as fresh as possible along with organ meats at least once a week
Proper vitamin and mindral blance is important for adequate milk production and for the pups' bones to form properly.

Feeding supplements for calcium or vitamin D can cause calcification of the soft tissues of the fetus, as well as other birth defects. Raw Bones have the perfect ratio of Calcium and Phosphorous. Although lactation does require large amounts of calcium, supplementation during pregnancy does not prevent calcium depletion during lactation (eclampsia) and may actually compound the problem.

Once a bitch is pregnant, her nutritional requirements increase only minimally during the first half of gestation. No great increase in the quantity of food is required until the sixth week of gestation because less than 30 percent of fetal growth occurs during these first few weeks. However, fetal growth rapidly increases in the last three to four weeks of gestation.

The bitch's food intake should be gradually increased by a total of 15 to 25 percent by the time of whelping to ensure adequate gain of body weight and increase of nutritional reserves. Because many females suffer from decreased
appetite late in pregnancy due to abdominal distention, more frequent meals help maintain nutrient intake during this critical time. She should be fed at least twice daily at this time if she goes off her food.

Maintaining adequate nutrition during the last trimester by feeding greater amounts in more frequent meals is critical to support the bitch and her pups for the next few weeks and to assure future good health.

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