How To Feed And Hydrate A Mother Dog 8 Steps With Pictures

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] X Research source

To make food even more palatable, try soaking it in chicken broth and microwaving it so it’s warm.

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.

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.

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.

You should be particularly vigilant about monitoring how much water your dog is drinking if she is being fed a dry diet. [8] X Research source

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.

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] X Research source