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will be stored in the mammary glands and this in the long chain fatty acid Docosahexaenoic Acid
turn will help the bitch produce the best quality (DHA) during pregnancy is not only important for
colostrum – or first milk – for her newborns. In development of good vision but also supports
addition to this, a high-quality diet containing brain health and development and can even
antioxidants has also been shown to boost help puppies become more ‘trainable’!
antibody production, which is a huge benefit
On a practical note, feeding a high quality and
because - as previously mentioned - neonatal
immunity is very poor. The puppy must build highly digestible diet - meaning that there is less
waste produced, better quality faeces and more
its own immunity from the antibodies passed in
energy-dense meals - is always a good idea
colostrum. The better the colostrum, the more
and never more so than when you are planning
antibodies and the better the ‘ingredients’, if
a pregnancy. Avoid the temptation to feed more
you like, to support the development of a strong
immune system in the puppies. Colostrum is calories until the bitch reaches the third trimester
because, being pack animals, dogs have
only produced for around 48 hours and without
evolved to not need any additional calories until
it a puppy is unable to build good, strong
this time. Once in the third trimester, the calorie
immunity. Thankfully, there is a colostrum
demands increase rapidly and with less space
replacer available which is enriched with
antibodies and can be used if the bitch is unable to put food due to rapidly growing foetuses, the
best way to achieve this is to feed very energy-
to feed her progeny for any reason. To ensure
dense meals little and often. By feeding the
the efficacy of this colostrum replacement, it
bitch the right diet it makes it entirely possible
must be fed within the first two days of life and
to get her all the way through pregnancy without
therefore be readily available for the breeder to
act immediately upon any suckling issues. losing either body or coat condition.
In summary, there are many factors to
There is also robust evidence that folic acid
supplements given to the bitch from the onset consider when preparing a bitch for mating
and pregnancy, breeders should make nutrition
of heat right through to day 40 of pregnancy
one of their top priorities to give them the best
significantly reduces the risk of cleft palate and/or
chance of bringing a full litter of healthy, thriving
cleft lip in newborn puppies, so it is recommended
puppies into the world and ensuring that the
that a diet including elevated folic acid levels is
fed pre-pregnancy (Domosławska et al., 2013). dam remains in the best of health throughout
the entire process.
Many studies (Kelly et al., 2004, Loritzen et al.,
2001) have also shown that supplementation of

References
Corbee RJ. (2013) Obesity in show dogs. J Anim pies and elevates folic acid blood levels in pregnant
Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2013 Oct;97(5):904-10. doi: bitches. Pol J Vet Sci. 2013;16(1):33-7. doi: 10.2478/
10.1111/j.1439-0396.2012.01336.x. Epub 2012 Aug pjvs-2013-0005. PMID: 23691573
11. Kelley, RL. Canine Reproduction: What should we
Davies RH, Lawes JR, Wales AD (2019) Raw diets expect? In: Reinhart, G.A., Carey D.P., eds. Recent
for dogs and cats: a review, with particular reference Advances in Canine and Feline Nutrition, Volume III.
to microbiological hazards.. J Small Anim Pract. 2019 Wilmington, OH: Orange Frazier Press, 2000; 225-
Jun;60(6):329-339. doi: 10.1111/jsap.13000. Epub 242.
2019 Apr 26. PMID: 31025713 Kelley, RL., AJ Lepine, J Ruffing, T. Vennard, and GA
Domosławska A, Jurczak A, Janowski T. (2013) Oral Reinhart. (2004)
folic acid supplementation decreases palate and/
or lip cleft occurrence in Pug and Chihuahua pup-

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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / JULY 2020