Veterinary Blog for Veterinarians and Animal Lovers

Maintenance

When a dog has reached approximately 90% of its expected adult weight, for example an adult Labrador Retriever would normally weigh on the average of 65 lbs so 90% of this weight is 58.5 lbs (65 x 90%).  Upon reaching this weight, the dog can be fed an adult maintenance diet.  This can be fed either in big generous servings or is divided into several meals per day.  Dogs usually eat one to three meals per day.  However, if you are going to provide excessive calories to your dog make sure that he gets adequate exercise in order to burn off those excess calories or else the dog becomes obese.  Giving treats and snacks promotes bonding between the owner and his dog but make sure that the treats and snacks you give are low in fat and high in fiber.  Supplementing the dog’s diet with nutritional supplements is not necessary since commercial dog food is already well balanced and supplemented with vitamins and minerals.

Growth

Puppies at three weeks of age can be started on semisolid food.  A small amount of dry or canned dog food is moistened with small amount of hot water and is offered to the pups.

There are general recommendations in the feeding of puppies at different stages of growth.  Between weaning and six months of age, puppies are fed three times a day.  At six to twelve months of age, puppies are fed two times a day.

Pregnancy

Dogs that are pregnant in the first six weeks are fed an adult maintenance diet.  In the last three weeks of pregnancy, the amount of maintenance diet is increased by fifteen to twenty percent or an equal amount of growth diet can be fed.  For example, a 50 lb dog fed Alpo Complete Dry Dog Food® in the last three weeks of pregnancy, will be given 5 2/10 cups (4 ½ cups + (4 ½ cups x 15%)) of food.  The dog should also be subjected to non-strenuous exercises and the diet is controlled or adjusted in order to avoid obesity.

Nursing

In the first week of nursing, the dog is fed 1 ½ times the normal amount of food.  In the second week, two times and in the third week, three times.  For example, a 50 lb dog fed Alpo Complete Dry Dog Food® will be given 6 ¾ cups (1.5 x 4 ½ cups) in the first week, 9 cups (2 x 4 ½ cups) in the second week and 13 ½ cups (3 x 4 ½ cups) in the third week.  In the next three weeks, the dog is fed two times the normal amount of food plus 25% for each nursing pup.  So, for example, the dog has 8 pups and is being fed the same product as mentioned earlier then the total amount of food to be given daily is 9 cups plus another 9 cups ((4 ½ cups x 25%) x 8 puppies) for a total of 18 cups.

Do not give any food to the mother dog a day before weaning the pups.  To inhibit milk production, only give one fourth of the amount that was given before the dog gave birth.  So, if the dog was given 5 2/10 cups Alpo Complete Dry Dog Food® before giving birth as computed earlier then she would only be given 1 3/10 cups of food for three days.  This is then increased slowly to the normal amount of 4 ½ cups.

Orphaned Pups

The following tables show the composition of maternal milk and milk substitutes and the amount needed to be given during the first four weeks of life.

Table 1. Composition of Maternal Milk and Substitutes*

	Kcal/ml	% Solids	% Fat	% Protein	% Carbohydrate
Batch milk	1.5	24.0	44.1	33.2	15.8
Esbilac powder†	1.0	98.4	44.1	33.2	15.8
Esbilac liquid†	0.9	15.3	44.1	33.2	15.8
Cow milk	0.7	12.0	30.0	25.6	38.5
Evaporated milk	1.2	14.0	15.8	13.9	19.5
Cat milk	0.9	18.2	25.0	42.2	26.1
KMR†	0.9	18.2	25.0	42.2	26.1

*From Kirk and Bistner’s Handbook of Veterinary Procedures and Emergency Treatment 6^th Ed. 1995

†Manufactured by Pet-Ag, Inc, Elgin, IL.

Table 2. Range of Intakes During First 4 Weeks of Life (kcal/gm BW)*

Week 1	0.13-0.2
Week 2	0.15-0.22
Week 3	0.18-0.28
Week 4	0.2-0.3

*From Kirk and Bistner’s Handbook of Veterinary Procedures and Emergency Treatment 6^th Ed. 1995

For example you decide to use evaporated milk as a substitute for a 150 gm pup at one day of age.  To determine intake in milliliters, the following formulas is used:

Kilocalories needed per day = (kcal/gm BW intake) x body weight of puppy in grams

19.5 kcal needed per day = 0.13 kcal/gm x 150 gm

Milliliters intake per day = kilocalories needed per day ÷ kcal/ml

16.25 ml/day = 19.5 kcal ÷ 1.2 kcal/ml

This amount is not given as a single feeding but is divided into four feedings.  The puppy should be fed until it is satisfied.  It should be fed again when it wakes up and vocalizes.  You can use a specially made feeding bottle for puppies which are available in any pet shop or veterinary clinic.  It is usually just a miniaturized version of a human baby bottle.

Tags: feeding, milk substitute, Nutrition, orphaned, pups

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 10th, 2010 at 4:13 PM and is filed under Small Animals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.