How to Feed and Hydrate a Mother Dog

Co-authored by Ryan Corrigan, LVT, VTS-EVN

Last Updated: December 23, 2022 References Approved

After a mother dog gives birth, you will need to give her some extra care. Specifically, she will need to be fed and hydrated properly in order to assure that she and her puppies stay healthy. In order for the mother to produce enough high-quality milk to feed her puppies, she will need high quality food that includes large amounts of proteins, fats, and calcium. Additionally, she will need access to more water than normal in order to feed her puppies.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Feeding and Hydrating a Dog After it Gives Birth

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Bring food to the mother dog. Place food near the mother dog so that she doesn't have to leave the puppies to eat. Many new mothers don't want to leave their puppies to eat, so they abstain from eating for too long after giving birth.^{[1]
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American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.
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- However, you can allow your dog to wait a little while to eat. Most dogs that give birth wait a few hours to eat. They need to rest and recover a bit from the whelping before attempting to eat.^{[2]
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Give highly palatable foods. If your mother dog is hesitant to eat dog food right after birthing puppies, you can choose to give it high-calorie foods it can't resist instead.^{[3]
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Trustworthy Source
American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.
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- To make food even more palatable, try soaking it in chicken broth and microwaving it so it's warm.
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Provide liquids immediately. A dog that has given birth will have lost a lot of fluids during that process. Because of this, you want to get her to drink some water as soon as possible afterword. This will help to avoid dehydration.
- If she doesn't want to drink plain water, try giving her a bit of chicken broth to drink. This may be more enticing to the dog than water is.
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Feed the mother dog more food than normal. A dog that has given birth and is breastfeeding its puppies will need to eat more food than it normally would. In fact, most dogs should be fed twice as much food as normal after they give birth. If you don't give it enough food, it won't be able to recover from whelping and feed its babies.^{[5]
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American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.
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- This food should be fed in small meals throughout the day, instead of just a few large meals. This will help your dog digest the food easier.
- Refer to the back of your dog's food bag to see what the manufacturer recommends for pregnant or nursing dogs.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Feeding and Hydrating a Dog That is Nursing Puppies

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Transition the mother dog on to puppy food. Puppy food is high in calories and it is highly digestible. This means that the mother can absorb the nutrients in the food quickly. Feeding the mother dog puppy food also assures that the puppies she is feeding get the proper nutrition.^{[6]
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- Feed the mother dog the food amount suggested on the puppy food packaging, but make sure to give multiple meals throughout the day or just let the dog graze on the food constantly.
- In order to avoid stomach upset, mix the puppy food with the dog's normal food for the first 3-4 days. This will help the mother dog to adjust to the puppy food gradually.
2
Make sure the mother dog is drinking lots of water. A dog that is breastfeeding needs to drink a lot of liquid in order to produce enough milk. Make sure that the mother dog has constant access to water while she is nursing her young.^{[7]
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- You should be particularly vigilant about monitoring how much water your dog is drinking if she is being fed a dry diet.^{[8]
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Increase the amount you feed the mother dog for several weeks. Your mother dog will need to increase the amount of milk it produces over several weeks after giving birth. It will be at peak milk production around three weeks after giving birth. At this point it will also need to be eating up to four times as much food as it did before pregnancy.^{[9]
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- This food should be spread out over at least four meals throughout the day. This will help her to digest this increased amount of food.
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Monitor the mother dog's weight. A mother dog that is nursing puppies is at risk of losing too much weight. If she is not taking in enough calories to keep up with the milk production, her body will use reserves that can lead to unhealthy weight loss. In order to avoid this, make sure that your dog has not lost more than ten percent of its original weight before pregnancy.^{[10]
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- If your dog has lost too much weight you need to increase the fat and protein content of the food you are feeding it, as well as increasing the amount it eats.^{[11]
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Expert Q&A

Question

Is it a good idea to have food and water close to the mother during an extended birthing?

Ryan Corrigan, LVT, VTS-EVN
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Ryan Corrigan is a Licensed Veterinary Technician in California. She received her Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Technology from Purdue University in 2010. She is also a Member of the Academy of Equine Veterinary Nursing Technicians since 2011.

Ryan Corrigan, LVT, VTS-EVN

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Expert Answer

You can leave it to the side for her if she wants it, but do not try to force her to eat. If the birth is prolonged, you should already have a veterinarian on the phone for guidance if needed.