Nutrition and Reproduction
A balanced diet is critically important to your dog’s cell maintenance and growth and overall health. Barring any special needs, illness-related deficiencies, or instructions from your vet, your pet should be able to get all the nutrients he or she needs from high-quality commercial pet foods, which are specially formulated with these standards in mind.
But dogs of different ages have different nutritional requirements. So, how much—or how little—should you be feeding your four-legged friend? Read on to learn what your pet’s body needs at the various stages of life.
Factors affecting nutrient status are-
Breed, Neuter status, Activity level, Stress and environment, Age, Health status, Reproduction status, Life stage.
Today our focus shall be reproduction…
Objectives of optimal reproductive performance
Increase the conception rate
Increase the litter size
Increase the delivering ability of the bitch
Increase the prenatal and postnatal viability of puppies
To prevent malnutrition related problems
To deliver healthy puppy.
Three Key Factors for successful breeding program are…
Genetics, Nutrition and Environment.
Genetics
Genetic health of the dog can be screened by a one-time test unless the animal is suffering from cancer.
The test is known as Karyotyping and is recommended in cases of infertility, cryptorchidism, developmental disorders, feminine behavior in males, ambiguous genetalia.
Karyotyping is a gold standard test for screening animals for genetic diseases.
Environment
A proper environment can help prevent many disease problems.
Nutrition in reproduction
Inappropriate feeding and improper management can have a negative influence on reproductive performance.
Nutritional requirements in a Pregnant female
Proper care and feeding of a breeding bitch should begin long before she is actually bred and even before her estrous cycle begins.
If you and your veterinarian decide a bitch is a good breeding candidate, based upon a thorough physical exam in which she is found to be in good health and free of any physical abnormalities that may jeopardize pregnancy or whelping, as well as any potentially dangerous inheritable conditions, then the real work begins.
She should be evaluated and treated for internal as well as external parasites that could impair her health or be transmitted to her offspring. She should also be given all appropriate vaccinations, as determined in consultation with your veterinarian.
To ensure adequate nutritional status of the bitch prior to breeding, many veterinarians will do some simple blood work to determine whether the bitch is anemic or has low blood protein. If either problem is detected, this would indicate malnourishment and should be corrected prior to breeding.
Just like growth and performance, reproduction is a physiologic state with nutritional requirements that exceed those of a maintenance phase. A bitch who is pregnant or has just given birth draws upon the nutritional reserves deposited in her body before and during pregnancy. A malnourished female will not have sufficient protein, vitamins, minerals and energy to support pregnancy.
Malnourishment of a breeding bitch can occur as the result of feeding poor-quality diets, imbalanced diets or insufficient amounts of good-quality diets. It can happen at any stage of her reproductive cycle, though perhaps the danger is greatest during late pregnancy, when nutritional needs greatly increase. Improper feeding of a breeding bitch can result in impaired health of both the bitch and her offspring, can cause low conception rates and birth defects, problems carrying the entire litter to term, dystocia (labor difficulties), as well as improper mammary development, which reduces the quality and amount of the milk and colostrum produced.
Overweight bitches, as well as those who are underweight, may also have many of these problems.
Nutritional deprivation during pregnancy has been shown to affect the immune systems of both the bitch and her pups. The immune system is very sensitive to nutritional inadequacies during its formation and development. It can also affect the immune system’s ability to function during future pregnancies as well, even if proper nutrition is restored.
Many times, the malnourishment of the bitch is not evident until it is too late. She may appear thin and out of condition once whelped, with inadequate muscle and body-fat reserves to support lactation. The pups may suffer from “fading puppy syndrome,” appearing weak, crying frequently, eating poorly and lacking coordination. Many of these pups face early death.
Bitches selected for breeding should be mature enough to have genetic clearances for their appropriate breed and young enough to produce reasonable litter size and survivability. A bitch is at her peak reproductive potential between 2 and 4 years of age. In at least one study of beagle bitches, conception failure occurred in more than 50% of bitches 5 years of age or older. Similarly, the risk of dystocia increases, neonatal mortality increases, and litter size decreases with increasing maternal age. Average litter size is known for most purebred breeds, with average neonatal losses approaching 30%.
What we do know is getting your bitch and stud dog in shape prior to breeding is important for their fertility, the best chances of conception, an easy whelping, a successful litter raising experience and their general health.
Underweight bitches can have:
Small litter size
Low birth weight
Increased neonatal morbidity and mortality
Decreased milk yield
Decreased immunity and decreased response to vaccination
Decreased fertility in later years
Overweight bitches can have:
Decreased ovulation
Decreased fertility
Increased incidence of silent heat
Prolonged inter estrous intervals
Smaller litter sizes
Increased risk of false pregnancy
Increased incidences of dystocia
Overweight stud dogs can have:
Increased scrotal fat deposits which can contribute to overheating of the testes and decreased sperm.
Difficulties in mounting and breeding, including decreased stamina and increased breeding associated injuries, such as cruciate injuries.
Overweight dog can also have following problems
In addition to breeding issues being overweight leads to increases of these general health problems in both stud and bitches:
Orthopedic problems such as joint pain, increased risk of cruciate injury, exacerbation of dysplasia and patellar lunation
metabolic diseases such as heart, respiratory, liver disease and Type 2 diabetes
exercise intolerance and heat sensitivity
increased anesthetic and surgical risks, especially important for bitches that end up requiring a caesarian section
If your bitch is underweight or overweight when she comes into season we suggest that you seriously consider skipping breeding her on this cycle, and instead focus on getting her properly conditioned to breed on her next cycle.
So how can you tell if your dog is the correct weight?
Here are a few suggestions:
Here are three key points to look for so to see if your dog has an ideal body weight.
Their ribs are easily palpable.
They have a waist (narrowing behind the ribs) when viewed from above.
They have a tuck up of the abdomen when viewed from the side.
When the bitch Is Pregnant
Once a bitch is pregnant, she should be fed a high-quality, well-balanced performance diet throughout gestation, even though the pregnant bitch’s nutritional requirements increase only minimally during the first half of gestation.
As a guideline, choose a highly digestible, very palatable commercial diet. It should contain at least 29 percent protein and 17 percent fat. High amounts of soluble carbohydrates and a low fiber content are important to ensure adequate energy intake and to avoid hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in late pregnancy. Adequate intake of calcium (between 1 and 1.8 percent) and phosphorous (between .8 and 1.6 percent) intake is important for adequate milk production by the bitch so that the pups’ bones form properly.
Dietary supplements, such as meats, milk, vitamins and minerals are generally not recommended if a high-quality growth/lactation diet is fed. Feeding excessive amounts of calcium or vitamin D can cause calcification of the soft tissues of the fetus, as well as other birth defects. Although lactation requires large amounts of calcium, supplementation during pregnancy does not prevent calcium depletion during lactation (eclampsia) and may actually compound the problem. Supplementation with meat products can reduce the carbohydrate content of the diet and can be associated with hypoglycemia and stillbirths.
If a high-quality, well-balanced growth/lactation ration is being fed, the actual amount of food required by the bitch during the first five to six weeks of pregnancy need not be increased significantly (10 percent maximum). This is because less than 30 percent of fetal growth occurs during these first few weeks. However, fetal growth rapidly increases in the last three to four weeks of gestation.
The bitch’s food intake should be gradually increased by a total of 15 to 25 percent by the time of whelping to ensure adequate gain of body weight and increase of nutritional reserves. Because many females suffer from decreased appetite late in pregnancy due to abdominal distention, more frequent meals help maintain nutrient intake during this critical time. She should be fed at least twice daily. You may feed free choice by the time whelping approaches.
Maintaining adequate nutrition during the last trimester by feeding greater amounts of high-quality, well-balanced and palatable growth/lactation diet in frequent meals is critical to support the bitch and her pups for the next few weeks and to assure future good health.
Infertility in Dogs
Infertility in dogs can be due to wrong breeding management, uterine disease, ovarian disease, failure of the male to achieve a complete mount, or poor semen quality.
From a practical standpoint, fertility means achieving conception, then establishing a pregnancy through implantation and carrying the pregnancy to term. Although technically the process of delivering the fetus/es through parturition also influences fertility.
The decrease in concentration, motility, and function of canine semen could derive from inadequate food intake, reduced absorption, increased losses or augmented demand for micro-elements. Feed supplementation might mitigate the serious negative zootechnical and economic impact of sub- and infertility in canine breeding.
A healthy diet, properly supplemented with vitamin E, zinc, selenium, folic acid, and n-3 PUFA for at least two months, can represent a cheap and safe way to improve quality and fertility of canine semen. The supplementation of breeding males should be done in a balanced and not overdone manner, underlining that over-supplementation could have undesired opposite effects.
Malnourishment of a breeding Stud can occur as the result of feeding poor-quality diets, imbalanced diets or insufficient amounts of good-quality diets. Inadequate or excess intake of nutrients.
Fertilized egg may die at early stage – embryo loss
Incorrect fetal development
Stillbirth/ abortion/ resorption
Embryo loss & in utero resorption are manifested by smaller litter size
Calcium supplementation and reproduction
During pregnancy and nursing growing babies tap into their mother’s calcium supply to form bones and teeth. Sometimes, the mother’s body cannot keep up with the increased demands for calcium. If mama’s blood level of calcium falls too low (hypocalcemia) a serious condition called pre-eclampsia can occur.
“A dog or cat with pre-eclampsia may become restless, nervous, and disoriented.”
A dog or cat with pre-eclampsia may become restless, nervous, and disoriented. Her legs get stiff causing her to walk with a stilted gait. She may pant as her body temperature and respiratory rate increase. In severe cases, tetany (extreme rigidity) occurs which can be life threatening.
Your veterinarian treats pre-eclampsia as an emergency and will perform a physical exam and blood tests to determine calcium levels. In severe cases, IV calcium is carefully administered while monitoring the heart. After the crisis has passed, oral calcium supplementation may prevent further episodes; however, there may be risks with this therapy.
“Over-supplementation of calcium may actually make matters worse.”
Over-supplementation of calcium may actually make matters worse. The body maintains a balance of calcium in the blood stream by constantly adding and removing calcium from the bone. This action is regulated by a hormone produced by the parathyroid gland. If a dog receives too much calcium supplementation during pregnancy or lactation, the parathyroid gland feels unneeded and shuts down. In other words, giving too much of the calcium supplement can backfire and cause decreased blood calcium.
Veterinary supervision is needed to properly maintain a healthy calcium blood level without shutting down the parathyroid gland.
Summary
The Genetic health of the male and female is important.
Ideal Body Condition score of the breeding dogs.
Fitness to breed certificate from the Veterinarian
Nutritional consideration starts before estrus. Feed an adult maintenance diet.
Feeding a balanced nutrition through puppy food having at least 28% protein and 18% fat during third trimester of reproduction phase
Make sure that essential fatty acids and microminerals are given to the dogs which shall be used for breeding even before estrous.
Over supplementation of Calcium should be avoided. Veterinary advice to be taken before any supplementation if you are using homemade food or you are supplementing a ready-made food.
Home made food also needs to be balanced for appropriate nutrients.
Dr Dhananjay Pandit can be reached on dhananjayvet@gmail.com or 7208561552
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