Nutrition for Pets in
Reproductive Stage
Nutritional
needs of cats and dogs during reproduction are different
for gestation (pregnancy) and lactation. The gestation
period in both cats and dogs is about nine weeks - 63
days. The important point to remember is that dogs and
cats in any life stage or with any lifestyle should be
fed to condition. Keep them looking healthy and avoid
laying down excess fat.
Gestation:
During the first six weeks of gestation, the fetuses do
not grow significantly and the mother's nutritional
needs can be met with her maintenance food, providing it
is suitable for all life stages or specifically
identified as a gestation diet.
Beginning
with the seventh week of gestation, food intake should
be increased gradually by up to 50% over her maintenance
intake at the time of breeding. The mild increase is
continued until delivery (called "whelping" in dogs and
"queening" in cats). This will support the rapid growth
of the fetuses during the last three weeks of gestation.
A bitch or
queen with a large litter may need to be fed more
frequently, especially in the final stages of pregnancy
since her stomach may not be able to expand sufficiently
for normal-sized meals. It is not unusual for a drop in
appetite near whelping or queening. At whelping or
queening and the day immediately after, bitches and
queens frequently lose their appetite. Keeping nutrient
dense, highly palatable foods available at this time is
beneficial so that when they do eat, they get as much
nutrition in each mouthful as possible.
Practical feeding tips: Gestation
Feed a diet that is highly digestible and energy and
nutrient dense
Do not increase feed intake until the seventh week of
gestation
Provide several small meals per day during gestation
Increase food intake to approximately 1.5 times
maintenance by the end of gestation (a 50% increase)
Bitches and queens should gain about 15% to 25% of their
body weight by the end of gestation
Bitches and queens should weigh 5% to 10% above their
normal body weight after whelping/queening
Lactation:
Large
amounts of nutrients are required for a lactating
animal. During the first week of lactation, food intake
will typically be about 50 to 75% greater than the
maintenance level. During the second week, food intake
may be increased to twice the maintenance level and to
three times maintenance during the third week. Queens
often increase their intake more, on a percentage basis,
than bitches.
The third
and fourth weeks of lactation are the most nutritionally
demanding for the new moms. Their offspring are still
consuming almost all of their nutrients from milk and
have not begun substantial intake of either dry or
canned food. Once the kittens or puppies start eating
some of mom's food or food placed out specifically for
them, their consumption of milk will begin to level off
and may even decrease until weaning. Because the large
volumes of food the bitch or queen needs to support this
large milk production may be difficult to consume, it is
important to feed a nutrient dense diet to prevent the
break down of body proteins and fats. Both lactating
queens and bitches can usually be fed free? choice
during lactation.
At weaning
time, the food amount for either the queen or the bitch
should be tapered back to the amount she was receiving
when she was bred. Continued feeding of the lactation
amount will only put extra weight on her.
Milk
production is influenced by the quantity and quality of
dietary protein. If a queen or bitch is being fed a high
quality, nutritionally balanced pet food, she will not
require additional vitamin or mineral supplementation
during her breeding cycle. The use of such supplements
is unlikely to be beneficial and, in some cases, may
actually do harm.
Practical feeding
tips: Lactation
Feed a diet that is highly digestible and energy and
nutrient dense.
Provide adequate calories to prevent excess weight loss.
Feed two to three times maintenance during peak
lactation.
Provide free-choice feeding or several small meals per
day during peak lactation.
Slowly reduce the mother's intake for the week before
weaning.
Always provide clean, fresh
water free-choice.
Article courtesy: The American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Printed with permission.
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