Nutritional Issues to Watch Out For in Pregnant Dogs

Reproduction causes a lot of stress in female dogs. Each pregnancy and lactation requires extra energy and nutrients and it is the duty of the owner to ensure the female does not face energy and nutrient deficiency.

An unhealthy female dog can face multiple problems during emergency. The demand for energy would be met by utilization of body reserves and body tissues. Some problems that result from an inadequate diet during pregnancy are:

The manifestation of an inadequate diet during early phases of reproduction may take on several forms. Those most likely to be recognized are:

a. Obviously sick appearance of the dog. This obvious symptom will not be visible until after the pups are born. Body weight loss causes this symptom to appear.

b. Uncontrollable diarrhea and whelping during the lactation period. Difficult to digest low calorie food compels the dog to eat more to meet her energy requirement. This causes diarrhea.

c. Fading puppy syndrome. The puppy which appeared normal at birth may be found crying and chilled due to the fact that it was disowned by the mother. The lack of energy in the mother to take care of the pup leads to rejection.
Attempts to reunite the pup with the mother will not succeed and the pup will remain hungry and dehydrated with no improvement in its weight.

d. Anemia. Deficiency in the diet may lead to this problem in the mother as well as the pup. If this problem is found, the first thing you should check is the diet of the mother.

The effect of inadequate diet on lactation can be seen in the following ways:

a. Lactation failure (agalactia). The mammary glands fail and the dog produces no milk at all. Unless remedial feeding is done and the diet of the mother is improved, the pup will die.

b. Lactation depression (dysgalactia). The mammary glands function in an adequate manner. This leads to stunting of the growth of the pup

c. Deficient milk. Inadequate nutrition may result in the milk being deficient in nutrients. Although the milk may be produced in sufficient quantities, the quality would be poor and the pup will suffer.

3. Deficient milk. The milk, although it may be produced in adequate amounts, is deficient in one or more nutrients.

How To Stop Your Dog's From Raiding The Garbage Can

The simplest and most effective solution is to get a garbage can that has a locking lid. You could also place the can at a place where your dog cannot reach. However, these measures do not solve the real problem.

Find out why your dog raids the garbage. Some dogs find digging as a fun way to get rid of boredom. Come up with less destructive ways for your dog to avoid boredom. Supervise his excursion in the yard. That should help avoid the problem.

Teach your dog that uncontrolled digging is not acceptable. Bury a few tasty chew toys in your yard and let him dig it up. Repeat this process until your dog understands that you have no problems if he digs at that particular spot. Soon, he will not dig anywhere else.