There are several signs and symptoms indicate your Siberian husky’s pregnancy, from the change in appetite, to lose of interest in physical activities, nipple enlargement to their un-friendly behaviour. As a proud owner, the soon you know that your husky is pregnant, the more you want to take care a pregnant Siberian husky in order to keep them comfortable until they give birth. Husky’s pregnancy last about 57 – 63 days long in average, and you really have to give them special care in order for the mother and their soon to be born baby healthy until the due date. Here is 10 ways to take care a pregnant Siberian husky at home:
1. Provide a Good and Balance Nutrition
In the first semester of her pregnancy, your husky’s appetite will decrease drastically, but don’t worry because it’s a normal thing. When the pregnancy is 6 weeks old, their appetite will be back to normal even increase a lot, when this happen give your pregnant husky a high quality dog food with good nutrition. On the 3-4 weeks until the labor, Husky needs a lot of energy so all you need to do is gradually increase their portion until 25-30% more than before. Remember, you still have to control the food because if they get overweight it could give them a hard time during the labor. A pregnant husky could also have low appetite from the moment they were pregnant until the give birth to their babies, it definitely not a good thing. As a good owner, you need to spare some times to feed your husky food in order to give her and her babies good and proper nutrition.
The best food for pregnant husky is a food that already include a good balance of calories, nutrition, and vitamin. Giving them an additional vitamin and mineral are necessary, but not too much because it will have bad effect for the growth of the puppies in the future. Adding a lot of calcium or vitamin D can affect the hormones that naturally release from the body, the result will lead to eclampsia that will show when the husky begin to nurse their puppies. Calcium only matter when your Siberian husky is about to give birth, it can relieve the birth pains and help them contract the uterus.
2. Light Physical Exercise
If your husky use to do some physical exercise daily, then the routine should go on even when they were pregnant. But avoid doing some heavy exercise that could harm their pregnancy. When your husky is on 4-5 weeks of their pregnancy, physical exercise should be reduce but still some light physical activities must go on. The purpose of the light physical exercise is to keep your husky healthy since they are working dog who are bound to move a lot, and also it will be much more easier when they are on labor. When the husky past the first 30 days of their pregnancy, a small walk is the only exercise they allowed to do, if you make them jump or run fast it will give a huge risk for the puppies inside their belly.
3. Prepare the Place Where They Give Birth
When the due date is getting closer, you should keep a very close eye on your husky. You need to prepare a box for her to give birth in and also to avoid husky giving birth in hidden places or around the houses in unknown location like they usually do. Put the box in clean and dark area, and give it clean towel inside. Introduce your husky to the box and make them familiar with it. The more they become used to the whelping box, the easier would it be for them to give birth in it. A pregnant Siberian husky prefer giving birth in a dark and quit place. During the due date, you should take your husky temperature frequently, when their temperatures drops below 100 they usually will give birth in the next 8-12 hours. Read also Safest Ways To Clean Mother Dog After She Gives Birth and Important Tips to Take Care Of Mother Dog After Giving Birth
4. Minimize the Stress
Much more like a pregnant woman, way to take care a pregnant Siberian husky is to lessen their stress. Pregnant husky will be very sensitive, they can either want to be alone or seek a lot attention from you. When a husky is pregnant, usually they get a lot of attention from people around her, it is a good and also a bad thing at the same time. When pregnant husky get a lot of attention, it could also mean stress to them. The best possible way to remove stress from your pregnant husky is to give them some space to be alone. It doesn’t mean you should abandon her in the house, just keep her away from any noises, dirty surrounding, toxic materials and the present of guests coming in and out a lot of time. Avoid rearranging furniture when your husky is pregnant, it could make them feel out of place and could lead them to stress and miscarriage.
If you have any other dogs in the house, it’s the best to separate them for a while especially during the last 4 week pregnancy. This separation is to prevent any rough play or maybe fight that could harm the puppies inside her belly. Don’t give them a new and unfamiliar food that will make them stress, and if you plan to move house or resident, you should do it when they already give birth.
5. Frequent Check Up
During the whole pregnancy you should at least get three times check up by your vet, in order to make sure the puppies in your husky bellies is healthy and fine. By checking up with your vet, you can also seeks some advice on the best way to take care a pregnant Siberian husky. The best check-ups should be done during the beginning, middle and last phase of pregnancy. The check-ups on beginning is to help to know if there are any development or problem with the fetus. The second check-ups should be done during 35-45 days into pregnancy, at this stage you can do an ultra sound to know how many puppies are your husky carrying. The last check-ups are done just a few days before the due date, this to make sure that everything is fine and it will be no problem until the labor.
The most important things is as the owner of your beloved husky, you should be there when they are giving birth, even though they like a quiet place when they on their labor, your present is important to them during the process. You can help and giving them some comfort during the process, if anything go wrong you can help them immediately. If the interlude between the puppies is taking too long, then there might some problem with the process and you should bring them to your vet as soon as possible. And that is how to take care a pregnant Siberian husky at home.