Products for Pregnant & Nursing Dogs
Recommended By Dr. William Barnett, DVM
AVN Founder
“Canine pregnancies average 63 days but can be anywhere from 58 to 68 days long. Litter sizes average around 5-6 but can vary between a single pup all the way up to the Guinness World Record of 24 puppies given birth to by a Neapolitan mastiff. Health wise, nothing usually needs to be changed for the first 30 days of pregnancy as long as mom is getting a balanced, biologically appropriate diet and just like with pregnant women, prenatal vitamins which AVN’s Animal Health Supplements can supply.”
– Dr William Barnett, DVM
ProBalance – Complete Daily Wellness
Nothing I have found in my forty years of veterinary experience can compare to the use of Canine ProBalance. The 83 ingredients provide added protein, amino acids, essential vitamins, minerals plus 31 additional specialty nutrients that should be added to your pregnant dog’s diet using the regular recommended daily dose during the first 30 days.
For the second 30-day period, when the puppies are beginning to grow at a very rapid pace, mom will need more daily energy & protein (food). However, with a belly full of puppies most pregnant moms have trouble finding the room needed for anything extra. This problem can be solved by selecting a food with a higher number of calories per unit weight and feeding it in smaller amounts more frequently throughout the day along with the benefits of my delicious, easy-to-use ProBalance powder.
Ideal ProBalance dosages for each stage of pregnancy:
- Weeks 1-3, standard dosage as shown on the package (based on the weight of your dog)
- Weeks 4-6, increase the dose to 1.5 times the standard amount.
- Weeks 7, you should vary the dose depending on the expected litter size. Increase the supplement to twice the standard dose for 1-3 puppies; three times the standard daily dose for 4-7 puppies; and four times the standard daily dose for 8 or more puppies.
- For the first 5 weeks after delivery, while mom is producing milk for her puppies, continue mom’s diet at 3-5 small meals a day (or as much as she will tolerate) and maintain the supplement at the same level as her final seventh week of pregnancy.
As weaning approaches, diet and ProBalance amounts for mom can be reduced to the standard pre-pregnant dose on the package. When the puppies begin to eat food on their own start adding ProBalance to their daily diet. The dosage can be determined by combining the weight of the entire litter and stirring that amount of my easy-to-use powder into the food. That way, each pup will get their fair share.
GastroPro – Digestive Support
What other products should be considered for mom and the pups? High energy diets can often produce diarrhea in mom. You can stabilize disrupted intestinal bacteria with the 41 active ingredients, including pre and probiotics, in my Canine GastroPro product. Make sure you keep it around for the puppies as they often develop loose stools around weaning time.
ImmunoPro – Immune Support
Maternal antibodies are transferred from mom to pup in the first few nursing sessions. These antibodies usually begin to wane before the first puppy shots are given. Even then, the vaccinations only protect against diseases like distemper, hepatitis, kennel cough, parainfluenza, and parvovirus. In addition to ProBalance I recommend that all pups be given my Canine ImmunoPro product starting at 6 weeks of age. The 41 active ingredients work together to enhance the innate immune system helping to prevent such intruders as yeast, molds, fungus, bacteria, and viruses from turning into serious health hazards.
One last situation to discuss. That is the occasional scenario where mom decides before her pups have a chance to nurse that her job is over and doesn’t allow them to nurse. When this happens, no maternal antibodies are passed on. To prepare yourself for this, you might want to learn how to tube feed an infant pup and make sure you add ProBalance to the Esbilac formula. Beginning around week 3 you can additionally begin adding the ImmunoPro to the formula to provide extra protection for the puppies.
ProDerma – Skin & Coat Health
There are many things capable of wreaking havoc with the skin and coats of dogs such as climate, fleas, mites, bacteria, and poor choices in nutrition. If you want your dog to look a little more like the ones you see on TV, then you need ProDerma. It has clinically proven its effectiveness for over 35 years in the veterinary profession and top breeders alike.
OTHER CANINE CATEGORIES
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Adult Dogs
Senior Dogs
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