During pregnancy, your dog is not just feeding herself; she has her litter to feed too and their development in the womb is largely helped by a good quality food. In the last few weeks of pregnancy, you should increase her food intake by around one third as she approaches the final stages. You do not need to worry about overfeeding, because your English Springer Spaniel will only eat the food she needs. It can be difficult to judge how much food to feed during pregnancy, but it is generally recommended to increase food by half within the first few weeks and then by another third during the last two weeks.
You will likely find that your English Springer Spaniel will be urinating more frequently. And if things go wrong and you need expensive veterinary care you could end up out of pocket. Secondly, what if you are unable to sell all the puppies? Do you have the facilities and time to run them on? How old is your gundog bitch? If after careful consideration you decide to proceed to breed from a working bitch, here are the outlines of what you need to know.
Breeding from your gundog bitch needs careful consideration. You need to discover the ideal day to mate your bitch. You can have pre-mate tests done by your vet to determine when a bitch is likely to be ovulating. However, while effective, this is an expensive route, especially if you have to have several tests done on a particular bitch.
You could instead use ovulation test pads instead. The window of opportunity in which a bitch will take can vary by up to 20 days. White bedding We bed our bitches that are due to come into season on white bedding so that the first signs of bleeding are noticed. Dark-coloured bitches tend to be more difficult to assess than light-coloured bitches. You may well see signs of swelling several days before any bleeding begins.
If this happens you should be extra vigilant and check the bitch daily. As soon as you see a discharge of blood, count this a day one. At this point you should also notify whoever owns the dog you intend to use, and book up for the bitch to be covered, which is usually on the 11th day.
Two matings Where possible, we prefer to do two matings — on the 11th and 13th days — unless the pre-mate test indicates otherwise. If your dog is pregnant, you may notice the following signs.
A slight mucus discharge may occur around one month after mating. Her teats may become more prominent in colour and size around 30 days after mating, and you may also see them produce a semi-clear fluid.
If this continues, or you have any concerns, speak to your vet. You should be able to notice her swollen tummy from around day 40, although first-time mums, and bitches carrying a small litter, may not show as much. She may act a little quieter than usual, or her appetite might drop. Dog pregnancy diagnosis Your vet can confirm a pregnancy with either a dog pregnancy test, which measures her hormone levels, from days of her term, or by ultrasound from day What to do when your dog goes into labour Although your dog should be able to handle pregnancy and labour herself, being on stand-by to offer soothing words can put them at ease, and also allow you to step in should anything unexpected happen.
Explore our dog brands:. Related articles. Advice and articles tailored to your pet's needs. Free access to our in-house team of vets, behaviourists and advisors. All content is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. Read More ». Skip to content. Are you looking for the best dog car crates for a springer spaniel? If so, this article is perfect for you!
We will discuss what to look for in a dog car crate, how to measure your dog for a … 3 Best Dog car Crates for a springer spaniel Read More ». Do you know what size crate your springer spaniel needs? If not, fear not. We have all the information you need to ensure that your dog is comfortable and safe at home.
The springer spaniel is a lively breed that needs plenty of exercise to keep them healthy, happy, and well-behaved.
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