Adapting the food of the dog's physical condition

The term physiological condition (state) refers to the dog's natural life stages. This includes its age, which has already beed discussed, as well as sexual status. For instance, gestating and lactating females have very high, very specific nutritional requirements. Although artificila in origin, netering (the removal of the testicles of the ovaries & utureus) is also a physiological condition. In this case, the dog's metabolism will be modified for the greater part of its life. As a result, it will have specific nutritional requirements.

 

Stud dogs require high-quality food

Stud dogs do not have any particular specific nutritional requirements, although, even more than a dog in the maintenance phase, they will require a high-quality balanced food to ensure they are in perfect shape. Stud dogs must be in optimal physical condition - neither too skinny nor too fat - as this will have an adverse effect on semen quality, with a healthy skin, (no scrabs or dandurff) and a glossy coat. As explained above, the dog's oral hygiene needs to be impecciable, bearing in mind that the bacteria that cause periodontal disease can spread to other parts of the body. This can affect the prostate, which plays a major role in reproduction.

A high-quality highly digestible balanced food is eesential, as even when there are no clinical signs, any imperfections will have an inevitable impact on semen quality an therefore fertility.

 

 

 

 Preparing the bitch for mating

Bitches, preferably young adults, must always be in optimal physical condition when they are mated. They should not suffer from a chronic disease or any other problem that could have an adverse impact on gestation or lactation and even put their life at risk. Unfortunately, some owners are less scrupulous than others. Body condition is a fundamental criterion, both in terms of fertility (the capacity for producing larger litters). The reproduction parameters will be below average if the bitch is overweight - in itself contentious - so it is advisable for them to slim down a little before being mated. If weight adjustment is necessary, the diet should be adapted during anoestrus, which will give bitches plenty of time to reach their optimal weight. In practice, energy (calorie) intake should be increased (where a bitch is too thin) or decreased (where a bitch is too heavy) by approximately 10% in the months prior to oestrus.

 

In a technique known as flushing, the bitch's energy intake is increased during the pre-ovulation phase to stimulate oocyte maturation and release. Flushing is of little or no benefit to bitches with optimal body condition or those who are already overweight. Energy intake may be increased by 5 - 10% during pro-oestrus to optimise fertility and litter size if the bitch is underweight. While this is common practice with livestock (sheep and cows), its effectiveness is yet to be proven in dogs. Again, the best approach is to ensure that females are in perfect physical condition.

 

 

As with stud dogs, bitches used in reproduction must always be given high-quality, highly digestible food to ensure that their requirements - comprising over fifty nutrients - are met in full. The most important thing here is that intake is tailored to the size of the bitch, regardless of physiological state.

To be continued...