Dog Pregnancy: Duration, Stages, and Feeding the Mother Before and After Birth

Canine pregnancy lasts roughly fifty-nine to sixty-five days, and feeding through it is not simply a matter of larger portions. The mother is building puppies and preparing for a lactation that drains her more than the pregnancy itself. Here are the stages and the right feeding for each.

Duration and stages

Pregnancy divides into three clear stages.

Weeks one to three

Almost no visible change. Embryos implant and the mother's weight is largely stable.

Weeks four to six

Real weight gain begins and the abdomen becomes visible. Mild nausea may appear in week three or four, which is normal.

Weeks seven, eight and nine

The fastest fetal growth, and the mother needs considerably more energy. The abdomen enlarges clearly and movement decreases.

Work out the expected due date

Our calculator gives you the dates from the mating day: petzybites.com/dog-pregnancy-calculator

Feeding at each stage

This is where mistakes most often happen.

The first four weeks

Do not increase the food. Early increases cause obesity that complicates delivery. Hold the normal amount and a balanced diet.

From week five

Begin a gradual increase. By the end of pregnancy the amount will have risen roughly twenty-five to fifty percent depending on litter size.

Move her onto growth food

An important point: puppy food, with its higher energy and protein, suits a pregnant and nursing mother better than adult food. Transition gradually from week five.

Smaller, more frequent meals

The enlarged abdomen presses on the stomach, so four small meals beat two large ones.

Do not give calcium supplements during pregnancy

This is a common and dangerous error. Excess calcium during pregnancy increases the risk of post-whelping eclampsia rather than preventing it.

After birth: lactation is the greater drain

Many owners reduce food after birth when the opposite is correct.

The requirement can reach three times normal

At peak lactation, around week three, the mother's requirement can be triple her normal intake.

Leave food available

During lactation is one of the few situations where continuously available food is appropriate.

Continue on growth food

Stay on puppy food throughout lactation, returning gradually to adult food after weaning.

Water matters more than ever

Milk production consumes a great deal of water. Clean water must be available at all times and changed more than once daily.

Signs that need a vet

Do not delay.

Discharge with an odd smell or colour

At any point in the pregnancy.

Complete refusal to eat for more than a day

Especially in the final weeks.

Trembling or seizures after birth

This indicates eclampsia and is an emergency.

More than two days past the expected date

With no signs of labour.

Preparing the whelping area

Simplicity is best.

A low, wide box

In a quiet place away from traffic and noise.

Prepare it two weeks in advance

So the mother becomes accustomed to it and treats it as hers.

Moderate warmth

Newborn puppies cannot regulate their temperature, so the area must be warm without being hot.

Our brands, made in Egypt

Petzy Bites is an Egyptian factory in the industrial zone of Banha. We produce growth formulas to international standards, and these are the same formulas suited to a pregnant and nursing mother. Every batch carries a lot number.

Where to buy

In our store at 101bite.com/store, priced in Egyptian pounds with delivery inside Egypt, or through the retail points we serve in Cairo, Giza and other governorates.

Thinking of manufacturing your own brand

We manufacture for third parties with a minimum order of three tons. Request a quote at petzybites.com/private-label