Maximum Health for Pregnant & Nursing Dogs

“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 Dr. Bill’s Animal Health Supplements can supply.”

—Dr. Bill Barnett

Nothing I have found in my forty years of veterinary experience can compare to the use of Canine Ultimate Fitness & Health. 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 Ultimate Fitness & Health powder.

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 Digestive Support product. Make sure you keep it around for the puppies as they often develop loose stools around weaning time.

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 Ultimate Fitness & Health I recommend that all pups be given my Canine Immune Support 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 Ultimate Fitness & Health to the Esbilac formula. Beginning around week 3 you can additionally begin adding the Immune Support to the formula to provide extra protection for the puppies.