Your dog's belly is starting to grow now. Dogs activity level should be reduced. A walk and outdoor time are still important, but don't allow your girl to jump or exert herself. She should not be allowed to get exhausted.
You can give her a vet prescribed multi-vitamin now. DO NOT give calcium. (I can't stress that enough. Giving your pregnant dog calcium could be fatal.) I continue supplementing my dog's diet with additional protein. By now the puppies are tiny, fully formed dogs. I stop giving my girls the folic acid at this point. Since it is only effective before the puppies are formed- it serves no purpose at this stage of the pregnancy.
You dog may have a clear vaginal discharge. This is normal. Anything dark colored or foul smelling is not normal and a vet should be consulted ASAP. You may also notice that your bitch's vulva and nipples are swollen. This is also normal.
Over the next few weeks your dam's weight will begin to increase. She will probably be eating about 25% more food than normal. Allow her to eat as much as she wants, especially if she's on the thin side. At about the five week mark I start switching to either puppy kibble or the food for active dogs I mentioned before. Introduce it gradually, like you would when you are introducing a new brand of food.
The sixth week is when you should introduce your dam to the whelping box. You want her to have time to get used to it, and to feel comfortable in it. My dog refuses to use a whelping box. She wants to be in something with a cover. This is instinct, she wants to keep her puppies protected. So instead of a whelping box, I use a soft sided "pop up" kennel. This would not work for a large breed dog. Whelping boxes need to have pig rails to protect the baby from mommy rolling over on them. I use the soft kennel because it's a better alternative than having her hide them under the couch.
Speaking of whelping boxes. You should put yours in a quiet place. Laundry rooms are a good spot, so are bathrooms or spare bedrooms. Living rooms and kitchens should be avoided. Your dog is going to want to keep her babies away from the hustle and bustle of the house (at least in the beginning). Get her used to the whelping box, but don't worry if she doesn't take right to it. She'll come around.
You will probably begin to feel the puppies move beginning the six or seventh week. It is possible to hear their heartbeats, but if it's a small breed you probably won't be able to hear well until the eighth week. By now the puppies main job is just to gain weight. Mom will probably sleep a lot. Do not allow her to jump around, even on furniture. Two weeks before delivery is expected I separate my mom from the rest of my dogs. In a pack the moms seem to get pushed and bumped too much for my liking.
The dam will start losing hair on her belly, and it' a good idea to give her tummy a shave, especially in long hair breeds. If you don't you may find clumps of hair throughout your house.
If you are feeding your bitch puppy kibble, you should switch her back two weeks before her puppies are due. We want her to start storing calcium, and she won't do that if she's on a high calcium puppy kibble. The growing babies take up most of the room in mom's belly so she can't eat much at one time. Feed her several small meals throughout the day. My girls seem to lose their appetite at this stage so I entice them with additional meat like chicken or by soaking their kibble in broth.
Next week: BABY WEEK!
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