Like humans, the nutritional requirements of dogs change once they’re pregnant because of specific physical and hormonal changes. It is crucial to prepare her body for childbirth and lactation. Plus, the fetus depends on her for the nourishment needed for healthy growth and development.
Undernourishment can lead to spontaneous abortion or stillbirth, abnormal fetal development, embryo loss, or the delivery of underweight puppies. Meanwhile, overweight bitches will have difficulty delivering their puppies, causing stress to both her and the puppy.
That’s why you need to ensure you feed your dog with high-quality, palatable, and easy-to-digest dog food. The best dog food for pregnant dogs provides the right amount of protein, soluble carbohydrates, healthy fats (fatty acids), vitamins, and minerals. With all the many choices in the market today, we found five that meet or exceed the minimum nutritional requirements set by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.
Best Dog Food for Pregnant Dog: Brief Reviews
1. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Dog Food
Blue Buffalo is a USA-based company known for making pet food products made of real meat, vegetables, and fruits. The Life Protection Formula is a dry dog food perfect for all breeds, sizes, and life stages. It is available in different flavors and sizes. Still, we picked the chicken and brown rice since it is Amazon’s Choice rated.
Review
Marketed as dog food providing superior nutrition and ultimate protection, the Blue Buffalo Life Protection is formulated to provide the energy your dog needs during pregnancy. It contains no less than 24% protein. The primary and secondary sources are high-quality deboned chicken and a chicken meal, respectively.
Blue Buffalo also included whole grains, garden vegetables, and fruits, which are excellent sources of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Likewise, it has anti-oxidant-rich berries to help your dog achieve and maintain a healthy oxidative balance. You will also find that they included flaxseed and chicken oil as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid sources.
With all these ingredients combined, your dog will have better joint health, healthy muscle development, coat, and skin, improved immunity, stronger teeth and bones, and a sufficient energy level throughout their pregnancy.
However, the Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Dog Food contains yeast. Although it helps enhance the flavor and is an excellent protein and vitamin B source, it can cause intestinal and stomach upset. Make sure your dog doesn’t have yeast allergies, existing digestive issues, other immunosuppressive illnesses, and isn’t taking anti-anxiety meds and anti-depressants before opting for this dog food.
Packed in a resealable, Ziploc-type bag, you won’t have to worry about transferring it to a different container or exposing the content to excess moisture that can lead to mold growth.
Pros:
- All-natural ingredients
- No soy, wheat, and corn
- Made for all sizes and breeds
- Nutritionally balanced for overall health
- Made in the USA
- Comes with clear instructions
- Packed in a resealable Ziploc-type bag
Con:
- Contains yeast
2. Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Dry Dog Food
Pedigree is among the most well-known brands for dog food and treats. Part of the reason for this is that they also run a foundation supporting rescue and shelter organizations in the USA. Their Adult Complete Nutrition Dry Dog Food is formulated for large dog breeds. It is available in several bag sizes and two flavors, but we’ll focus on the roasted chicken, rice, and vegetable-flavored recipe.
Review
This dog food by Pedigree contains no less than 21% protein, with chicken by-products as its primary source. Like the Blue Buffalo, it’s loaded with minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and omega-6 fatty acids to ensure your dog’s overall wellness and health. It also provides a good energy source without the need for sugar and fructose corn syrup.
The Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Dry Dog Food uses whole-grain corns and brewer’s rice as sources of carbohydrates for energy and fiber to support healthy digestion. Additionally, the kibble’s texture helps clean your dog’s teeth.
Unlike the Blue Buffalo dry dog food, the Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Dry Dog Food does not contain yeast but has gluten and soybean. That is on top of corn, which is one of the most common food allergies among dogs. Therefore, you’ll want to ensure your fur mama isn’t allergic to any of them before feeding this Pedigree dog food to your dog.
Lastly, the dog food is packed in a non-Ziploc-type bag, which you can fold multiple times so that you can secure it properly.
Pros:
- Nutritionally balanced for overall health
- No yeast, sugar, and artificial flavor
- Supports dental health
- Made in the USA
- Comes with clear instructions
- Packed in an easily-to-seal bag
Cons:
- Contains allergens (corn, wheat, and soybean)
- Only for large breeds
- Formulated for adult dogs only
3. NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE Natural Dry Dog Food
With their FEED CLEAN™ Philosophy, NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE has an excellent network of trusted suppliers and farmers for their ingredients. Although it’s available in several flavors, we’ll focus on the chicken and brown rice recipe. This specific variety is meant for small breeds, but you’ll also find one for large breeds with a different nutritional profile.
Review
Formulated for small breeds ages one and above, the NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE contains 24% protein with real chicken and chicken meal as the primary and secondary sources. As for carbohydrates, the main sources are whole-grain barley, brewers rice, and whole-grain brown rice. It also has whole-grain oatmeal and flaxseed for fiber and additional carbohydrates.
NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE also included dried fruits and vegetables, chia seeds, and supplements as sources of minerals, vitamins, and Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. Thus, this dog food supports healthy digestion, helps your dog build stronger immunity, and provides the energy your dog needs.
This dog food is also a good source of folic acid and ferrous sulfate, which are two essential nutrients during pregnancy that help prevent iron deficiency. Likewise, folic acid helps prevent cleft palate and neural tube defects in puppies.
Like the Pedigree dog food, the NUTRO kibble’s texture helps clean your dog’s teeth, preventing plaque buildup. It is also yeast-free and does not contain wheat, chicken by-products, soy, and corn. Plus, it’s packed in a resealable, Ziploc-type bag.
Pros:
- High level of protein
- Nutritionally balanced for overall health
- Supports dental health
- No GMOs, artificial ingredients, and allergens
- Made in the USA
- Comes with clear instructions
- Packed in a resealable Ziploc-type bag
Con:
- For small breeds only
4. Wellness Complete Health Dry Dog Food
Yet another company committed to ensuring dogs and cats receive the proper care and love they need, Wellness established its own foundation to help animals. When it comes to nutrition, their pet foods contain carefully sourced ingredients and are formulated by their team of scientists and veterinarians.
The Deboned Chicken and Oatmeal Recipe is ideal for all breeds and sizes, whether or not your dog is pregnant.
Review
With chicken as its number one ingredient, this Wellness Complete Health Dry Dog Food contains no less than 24% protein. Like the rest of the products on this list of the best dog food for pregnant dogs, it contains a good amount of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fatty acids, and fiber for overall health and wellness. It’s also worth mentioning that one of its main ingredients is tomatoes, a good source of the antioxidants vitamin C and lycopene.
This dry dog food stands out because Wellness clearly stated the amount of taurine present. Although AAFCO doesn’t recognize it as an essential nutrient, taurine has a significant role in supporting brain and heart health. Combine this with the lycopene present, and the dog food can help significantly lower your dog’s risk for cardiovascular diseases.
One thing to note with the Wellness Complete Health Dry Dog Food is the presence of 20,000,000 CFU/lb of lactic-acid microorganisms. These are good sources of probiotics needed for better digestion and immunity. However, some dogs might experience nausea, bloating, gas, constipation, or diarrhea if you introduce the dog food without allowing their bodies to adjust.
Like any other dog food, a slow transition to a new dog food formula is key. That said, the dog food is perfect for pregnant dogs with sensitive stomachs and experiencing intestinal issues due to pregnancy-related anxiety and stress.
Pros:
- High level of protein
- Nutritionally balanced for overall health
- Good amount taurine
- Ideal for dogs with sensitive stomachs
- No artificial ingredients and allergens
- Made in the USA
- Comes with clear instructions
Con:
- Some dogs might experience probiotics side effects
5. Hill’s Science Diet Small Paws Puppy Dry Dog Food
With their Food, Shelter & Love Program helping millions of shelter pets and their vet-recommended label, our list won’t be complete without a product from Hill’s. They are one of the pet product manufacturing companies that have been around for years.
This Amazon’s Choice Chicken Meal, Barley, and Brown Rice Recipe is formulated for small breed puppies and pregnant and nursing dogs.
Review
Like the rest of the dog foods on this list, the Hill’s Science Diet Small Paws Puppy Dry Dog Food is made using carefully sourced ingredients. It is loaded with vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and fatty acids. As such, it provides your dog with the right amount of nutrition for immune support, strong bones and teeth, a healthy coat and skin, and lean muscles.
This dog food contains the highest amount of protein, which is approximately 29.9%, with chicken meal as its primary source. It also has a high level of carbohydrates, about 39.8%, due to brown rice, whole grain wheat, corn, and other carbohydrate-rich fruits and vegetables included. With this dog food, your pregnant dog will have a good energy source throughout her pregnancy.
Another notable feature of the Hill’s Science Diet Small Paws Puppy Dry Dog Food is its DHA content, which comes from fish oil. The recipe already has a good amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Nevertheless, DHA is a specific type of Omega-3 fatty acid with a significant role to play. It is essential for eye and brain development, which will benefit your pregnant dog and the growing baby inside the womb.
With an excellent nutritional profile, fur parents of dogs with food allergies should stay away from the Hill’s Science Diet Small Paws Puppy Dry Dog Food. It contains several common food allergens, such as wheat, corn, gluten, and soybean. Also, this dog food isn’t suitable for obese-prone breeds, such as pugs, dachshunds, and basset hounds, because of the high protein and carbohydrate content.
Pros:
- Highest level of protein and carbohydrates
- Contains DHA
- All-natural ingredients
- Nutritionally balanced for overall health
- Made in the USA
- Comes with clear instructions
- Packed in a resealable Ziploc-type bag
Cons:
- Contains food allergens
- For small breeds only
- Not for obese-prone breeds
Which Dog Food Should I Choose for My Pregnant Dog?
All the dog foods we presented have the basic nutritional requirements for growing and pregnant dogs. They are also chicken-flavored because it is one of the most common ingredients that most dogs’ palates are familiar with, ensuring they eat well.
Pregnancy can make dogs become picky eaters. It is also why it’s best to start with the small bags before purchasing a big one.
Definitely, there is no one perfect dog food for your pregnant dog. However, our top pick for small breeds is the NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE Natural Dry Dog Food because it’s an all-natural, allergen-free formula. Those with larger dog breeds can choose between the Blue Buffalo and Wellness. Still, you should carefully consider your pregnant dog’s special dietary needs.
That said, it’s always best to consult your veterinarian if your pregnant dog has allergies, existing health conditions, and highly sensitive skin and digestive systems.
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