Pregnant bitches should be provided with high-quality and balanced food throughout their pregnancy. Inadequate intake of energy and nutrients before parturition, especially during lactation can have undesirable consequences. During breastfeeding, the need for energy, protein, vitamins and minerals increases. When feeding, we should not forget about a sufficient amount of fresh and clean water. Milk of breastfeeding bitches contains 78% water, so the need for water significantly increases during lactation. A balanced and high-quality diet during lactation has a major impact on the health and growth of the puppies, as well as on their ability to overcome stress during lactation. Among the nutrients, proteins and fats are the most important feed ingredients during lactation. Therefore, feed should contain at least 30% protein and 20% fat in dry matter, during lactation. In the thesis, we pay attention to milk composition and the importance of colostrum to newborn puppies. By analysing commercially prepared dog food, we calculated the metabolic energy (ME) of the food and compared it with NRC normative.
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