Are you having a pregnant pet and feeling unsettling about how to care for it? Worry not. This article will provide all the essential information that you’ll need to be the best pet parent during their pregnancy. Having a pregnant pet can be both stressful as well as a rewarding experience.
It’s a totally different experience from just having a pet. Pet pregnancy hurls many challenges, forcing you to be even more loving and caring than ever before. For pet owners, pets are part of their family. When your pet is pregnant, it’s important to help them as much as possible.
Along with ensuring that your pet doesn’t bite or scratch you while pregnant, you need to take some steps to ensure that mother and baby stay healthy throughout their time together. These steps include careful and constant monitoring of their health and regular visits to your veterinarian while keeping him informed of even the slightest strange things during their period.
Many dogs suffer itching during-and-post their pregnancy which can be really frustrating for them. Itching is particularly painful during pregnancy when your dog is going through many internal and external changes.
In such a situation, worry not. With your vet’s recommendations, using allergy medicines like Apoquel for dogs can help relieve different types of itching in your furry friend.
Get Your Pet to the Vet Regularly
If your pet is showing any signs of pregnancy, the first thing you should do is schedule an appointment with your vet. This is because a certified vet will eliminate all the concerns you might have regarding your pet’s pregnancy and put you in a better situation wherein you can make a better decision.
If he confirms the pregnancy, your vet can begin with monitoring and other essential tests to know the status of the pregnancy and advice about what to expect during and after birth.
If you notice no signs of pregnancy, it may be too early for her body to show any outward changes. The right decision here would be to wait until she’s due before taking action. Even in this scenario, regular check-ups with a vet won’t disappoint you.
Feed Your Pregnant Pet a High-Quality Diet
Similar to humans, pets need a balanced and complete diet, particularly when they are pregnant. The health of your pregnant pet is important. And when it comes to their diets, it’s important that you feed them high-quality food.
That’s because a diet consisting of low-quality ingredients can cause digestive issues in pregnant pets. Moreover, it can also cause unhealthy weight gain or even nutritional deficiencies. So, ensuring your pregnant pet eats a diet full of nutrients and vitamins will go in your favor. Being their owners, you should provide them with enough healthy food that was made specifically for their needs during this time period.
How do you know if your pet is eating the right amount? Your vet will be able to tell you what they need based on their size, age, and breed type. If they are getting enough nutrients through their diet, then they should have no trouble maintaining an ideal body weight throughout their pregnancy.
Keep Their Weight Under Control
It’s important that you keep your pet’s weight under control during pregnancy. The aim here is to keep her at an optimum level that will be conducive for the fetus and offer required nutrition for both your pet and the baby.
But are you unsure about how much to feed? You can figure this out in many ways, such as calculating food consumption each day, weighing your pet before and after eating (comparing these measurements) or even counting treats she receives each day (measure these first).
Additionally, you should prefer using standard-size measuring cups or spoons to measure food portions, so that you don’t unintentionally end up giving too much or too little.
Provide Quiet, Safe, and Secure Surroundings
You might have heard that cats don’t enjoy their maternity period and don’t really care about their kittens. This isn’t, however, true. Pregnant cats do enjoy their pregnancy and love their babies, but they prefer to be in a safe and quiet place where other pets in the home can’t reach easily.
Make sure you provide a quiet and safe place for your cat to rest during and after her pregnancy. This is because a safe place will keep other animals away from your cat and newborn kittens while preventing accidents like falling downstairs or getting stuck under furniture or appliances.
A mother cat will spend most of her time with her newborns while they are small, so it’s important that you provide this safe haven where the mom can relax without worrying about being disturbed by other pets or children who might accidentally sit on them.
Isolate Your Pregnant Pet When She’s Ready to Give Birth
Isolating your pets from other pets and children until she gives birth is important. This is because she might experience behavior changes and can be nervous or react aggressively due to the sudden changes happening inside her body.
Moreover, hormonal changes that come with pregnancy and the high vulnerability of a number of viruses or parasites that can spread during this period can make her sick.
Like humans, most animals also suffer pain during labor and delivery – this can result in aggressive behavior around them, particularly if they are uncomfortable and need some space.
Conclusion
We hope these tips have given you a better idea of what to expect and how to take care of your pets during pregnancy. These or any other tips will work best if you keep your vet in the loop about everything happening with your pregnant pet.
This is because they are the pet experts and know everything related to them, even their strange behavior during the pregnancy. Also, don’t make any decision in haste. Understand your pet’s needs, breed, and talk to your vet, then go about making any decision for positive results.