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Reproductive Care

  • This handout discusses the need for ensuring your pregnant dog is receiving adequate nutrition to make sure both she and her puppies thrive during this time of increased demands on her body. Feeding and diet suggestions are provided.

  • Special attention needs to be given to a cat’s nutrition before and during her pregnancy to promote a healthy birth and healthy kittens. It is important to maintain a good body condition throughout pregnancy as her weight increases. A good quality kitten or all life stages diet is recommended during the entire pregnancy; ideally one evaluated using feeding trials. This diet is usually fed throughout the lactation period, but attention to body condition is essential here as well, and the diet may need to be restricted if there is a small number of kittens or the cat starts becoming overweight. Weaning is usually aided by feeding significantly less food for a few days while restricting access to nursing to decrease milk production.

  • Special attention needs to be given to a dog’s nutrition during her pregnancy to promote a healthy birth and healthy puppies. It is important to maintain a good body condition throughout pregnancy as her weight increases. A good quality adult maintenance diet is recommended during the first 40 days but after this the energy demand increases greatly and this is most easily met by feeding puppy food. This diet is usually fed throughout the lactation period, but attention to body condition is essential here as well, and the diet may need to be restricted if there is a small number of puppies or the dog starts becoming overweight. Weaning is usually aided by feeding significantly less food for a few days while restricting access to nursing to decrease milk production.

  • The Field Spaniel can be a dedicated hunting companion, an enthusiastic hiking partner, eager agility competitor, ecstatic retriever of anything, and contented lap warmer, all rolled into one.

  • Despite being loud, alert and agile when on the chase, Lappies are calm, friendly and very submissive with people. Their gentle disposition makes them ideal dogs around small children and the elderly.

  • The Finnish Spitz, the national dog of Finland, loves to bark, and his barking talents are so valued that every year in Finland, officials select a King Barker. Maybe not the breed for peace-and-quiet lovers, the Finkie, as he is known to his friends, is nonetheless a playful and devoted companion.

  • For reasons that are difficult to explain, Flat-Coated Retrievers are not as common as pets as other retriever breeds, but it is said that once you live with a Flat-Coated Retriever, no other breed will do.

  • The Frenchie is a quiet but sociable dog who continues to love snoozing on human laps and otherwise cuddle at every opportunity.

  • This is a lively dog with a playful personality that demands to be with people and in the thick of things—and isn't above a bit of high-energy mischief.

  • Shepherds are intelligent and can learn almost any task. They have big hearts and often attempt to perform a request even if it's beyond their physical ability.