When you first found out that your dog is pregnant, it might feel overwhelming. Some people feel anxious about their dog’s health and sometimes the dog acts differently than usual and you are wondering if you did anything wrong. This is normal if you never had a pregnant dog before. But don’t worry as a dog owner, most people have been through the same situation, it takes some time and experience to properly to take care of a pregnant dog.

Dogs bring joy into your household, you love them as well as your kids love them. You feed them and train them as best as you can. There is nothing out of ordinary from what you’re doing with your dogs at home. And your dog’s pregnancy may change all these things. Don’t have a change of hearts, your dog is still the same dog that you love, only that it now can bring you some puppies into the mix.

But first you should know that breeding dogs is not a simple or easy matter, there are some things to consider, such as, genetics, health, environment and nutrition. Of course once the puppies are born they are now also tour responsibilities to take care of them, especially the first few weeks.

Don’t be scared here are 7 Ways you need to know of how to Take Care a pregnant dog.

1. Prepare a place for your dog to give birth

This is the first step that you should do, it may seems too early for this but getting your dog used to a place to give birth will make it easier for her. Doing this the earlier the better, as you can give more time for your dog to get used it and lessen the stress they might get. A good place to give birth would be a place where there is little to no traffic at all time, because they love to give birth at a quiet place.

2. Give your dog a healthy and nutritious food

You probably already know that giving a good quality food to your dog is important at all time, no matter if they are pregnant or not. A healthy dog will affect the puppies’ health, but during pregnancy, your dog need some changes in her diet. Don’t worry it won’t be complicated at all. From day 1 to 30 of the pregnancy, you shouldn’t change anything regarding the diet, as the puppies haven’t grown more than 30% during this period of time. adding more food could lead to weight gain which is something that you don’t want, unless your dog is underweight, if that is the case than she needs more supplementation. Adding more vitamins and minerals would be the ideal.

After the 30th day of the pregnancy you can double the portion of the meal because during this period the puppies can grow rapidly. Calcium is important on the last days of the pregnancy, it can ease the pain of giving birth, and most Vets recommend premium dog food or puppy food. The trick is to give your dog a smaller portion of meals only more frequently to make it easier for them to digest the food. You can check our article regarding dog food.

3. Provide your dog with enough exercise

During the birthing process, the mother’s muscle tone is very important. Your dog need to be strong and healthy. Keep in mind that your dog will give birth to at least two puppies. During the first 30 days you can play catch or fetch with your dog and at least 3o minutes of walking. After the first 30 day, walking is the only activity that is allowed as your dog’s belly will be too big to do anything else without complications.

4. Create an environment that give less stress

in the last 4 weeks of the pregnancy, it’s a good idea to separate your dog from the rest if you have any to prevent any rough interaction and bumps to the belly, a change to the diet also can cause anxiety to your dog so be cautious. Avoid loud noises and crowded places, it’s good to give your dog a lot of attention but if too many people surrounding her it could add to more stress. Pay attention to things like dirty surroundings, moving furniture, people coming in and out and a change of resident, these things could be stressful for your dog.

5. Go to a vet for medications recommendations

All type of medications are not good for your pregnant dog, but if she needs it than you need to ask the vet regarding the medications. De-wormers, anti-flea and tick treatments are safe for pregnant dogs. However, vaccination is bad for a pregnant dog, as it will affect the puppies’ immune system. So you must vaccine your dog before the pregnancy.

6. Stay beside your dog during the birth

All dogs are not the same some like to be alone when they are giving birth but some love company especially from their owner. Even if they want to be alone, you should keep watch of her, because it is a difficult process for your dog, even more if it is her first tome giving birth.

You can get your dog to give some comfort, watch the breathing and the puppies, and see if there is anything wrong during the process. If your dog is too tired to push, you can give some help by massaging her. Touching the puppies are important to stimulate their biological systems. The ammoniac sac may also stuck on their face and the mother is not able to lick it away and suffocate them, so watch out for that too.

If the mother is struggling and in a lot of pain and is not bringing another puppy since the first one, you should bring her immediately to the vet.

7. Have your dog checked up at least three times during the pregnancy period

It is important to have checkups for your dog on the beginning, middle and last phase of the pregnancy to make sure that she is carrying on just fine. First check should be on 21st – 30th day, this is to check if your dog is actually pregnant or not. The second one will be on the 35th – 40th day, this is to get ultrasonic on her puppies, so you can see how many puppies are to be expected. The third will be on the 57th – 67th day, just a few days away from giving birth, to make sure that everything is fine and no complications on the D-day.

From learning these 7 Ways you need to know of how to Take Care a Pregnant dog, hopefully nothing will go wrong during the pregnancy period and the birthing process. After your dog gives birth you will have more puppies to take care of, so be prepared for them and you will have so much fun.