Best food for a nursing mother?

[Donna Jean]

The vet recommended a brand they sell there at the office. However, are there recommendations on other brands? Grain free yes or no? What if the mother is on the skinny side?

 

[MissyGallant]

I am far from an expert on this. I will say that Tara's puppies were pretty big compared to her. She got very, very thin. We gave her vitamins and doubled her two daily meals. And at the height of nursing, we added a third meal. She is gaining her weight back.

 

[Ann]

It is VERY important for a mother dog to eat a high quality, (no by-products, wheat, corn, soy) dog food, which would exclude most of the food sold by vets. Nursing mothers should be fed puppy food because it's richer and they need extra calories. She should eat three or four times a day until she's done nursing to help her produce the milk the puppies need. Both the dam and puppies can become ill if the mother is not fed properly. My dogs eat Fromm Gold Puppy Food during and after pregnancy, available on www.chewy.com.

Here's an article by the AKC that helps to explain the dam's need for extra calories and high quality food.
http://www.akc.org/content/dog-bree...e-and-feeding-of-the-breeding-bitch-part-two/

 

[Annabellam]

I agree. It is absolutely important to feed a healthy diet. Puppy food is great as it has most nutrients needed. Also be sure the nursing mom has a lot of water so as to generate the volume of milk needed to feed the litter.