Let’s take the mystery out of Yorkie pregnancy care.
Learn how to take care of a pregnant Yorkie with these simple tips.
Plan Ahead
Don’t go into breeding in a haphazard way. Plan the match and the timing.
Most importantly, know the health of your female and stud. Make sure they are breeding quality and currently in good health.
It is also important to ensure that they do not have brucellosis. Be especially careful if you do not own either mate or either dog has been bred with a different dog before. Brucellosis is a sexually transmitted disease, so it is especially important that you check this before breeding.
Since you can’t give vaccinations during her pregnancy, make sure that your dog is up-to-date on vaccines.
You should also not worm a dog during pregnancy, so check for worms and have your Yorkie dewormed before you expect her to go into heat.
Medications and Treatments
Not Safe during Pregnancy
A pregnant dog should never be vaccinated with a live vaccine during any stage in the pregnancy.
There is a debate on whether or not a pregnant dog should be dewormed. Some say no. Others say it is a good idea to deworm mama 10 days before her whelping date. If a dewormer is used, it should only be done in consultation with a vet as not all dewormers are safe during pregnancy.
Do not supplement with calcium during pregnancy. This will increase the possibility of your dog developing eclampsia.
Beware of medications. Always double check and talk to your vet. Make sure that the medication is suitable for use during pregnancy.
Fine during Pregnancy
Most vets agree that heartworm treatment should be continued during pregnancy. Consult your vet to ensure that the heartworm preventative you use is safe during pregnancy.
Many flea and tick treatments have been approved for use during pregnancy. Talk to your vet to make sure that your flea and tick preventative is suitable for a pregnant dog.
Consult your vet about any treatment you administer to your Yorkshire Terrier during her pregnancy. He will advise you on the best course of action concerning whether or not to medicate.
Exercising Your Yorkshire Terrier while Pregnant
When compared to other breeds, the Yorkshire Terrier doesn’t have high exercise needs when they are not pregnant. This holds true when they are pregnant. Yorkies should be allowed to exercise in quiet ways that don’t involve a lot of jarring or risk of injury.
During each stage of a Yorkie pregnancy, you should take special consideration to their exercise habits.
Exercise will vary according to stage.
During the first couple weeks of pregnancy, you will probably be able to continue your Yorkie’s regular exercise routine.
Starting at the 4th week of pregnancy, you should carefully monitor your dog’s exercise. While it is important for her to continue to exercise to keep her muscles strong and toned for whelping, you don’t want to risk injury to mom or puppies. Exercise should not be strenuous. Short simple walks are best. You want to prevent your Yorkie from jumping or doing any activity that would jar the puppies. Be especially careful about how she descends from high places like couches and beds.
Feeding a Yorkie During Pregnancy
Get a Base Weight
Just before you breed (for a planned breeding) or as soon as you suspect your Yorkshire Terrier is pregnant (for an unplanned breeding), have your Yorkie mommy weighed. Having this base weight will be a valuable piece of information throughout her pregnancy.
With this information you can quickly see if your mama is losing weight, gaining appropriate weight, or gaining too much weight. With this knowledge, you will be able to better provide for her unique needs.
A Yorkie should gain about 30% of their weight during pregnancy (assuming they are not overweight). This means a 5 lb Yorkshire Terrier should gain about 1 1/2 lbs and a 8 lb Yorkie should gain 2.4 lbs (Formula: Yorkie’s weight X 0.30 = Amout Yorkie should gain).
What to Feed a Pregnant Yorkie
For the first 6 weeks, you want your Yorkie to maintain her body weight and only increase her weight a little.
While you don’t want her to lose weight, you don’t want her to gain too much weight too soon.
For this reason, if you are feeding your mama a healthy dog food, you can maintain your dog’s normal feeding for the first 4-6 weeks of pregnancy.
Around week 4, your Yorkshire Terrier may start to get more hungry. She is going to need more energy to help grow the puppies inside her belly.
As the pregnancy progresses, she is going to need more food, but the amount of room to put that food in her belly will greatly diminish. Because eating a large meal can cause your Yorkie to become uncomfortable and not eat as much as she needs, it’s best to feed many small meals rather than fewer large meals. You can even allow her to eat free choice throughout the day.
But what should you feed her during pregnancy? Both protein and fat are important nutrients.
And here comes the controversy folks…just how do you ensure that your pregnant Yorkie is receiving the proper nutrition? There are 2 schools of thought.
One school of thought says that it is important to supplement the bitch’s high quality dog food with good sources of protein such as hard boiled eggs and ground beef. By doing this, you will provide your dog with adequate nutrition to support the growing puppies. This method is espoused by numerous, longtime breeders.
The other school of thought is that when you find a quality dog food, there is no need for supplementation. The AKC recommends this. They suggest that you find a dog food that is easy to digest and that your dog really enjoys. You should read the nutrition label on the dog food.
These are the nutrition requirements for a canine pregnancy diet:
- Protein: at least 29%
- Fat: at least 17%
- Calcium: between 1-1.8%
- Phosphorous: between 0.8-1.6%
- Carbohydrates: high soluble
- Fiber: low
The AKC warns against supplementing any other food. Their argument is that “supplementation with meat products can reduce the carbohydrate content of the diet and can be associated with hypoglycemia and stillbirths.” In addition, the AKC warns against too much calcium and vitamin D can which can cause birth defects and problems later on with lactation.
If you choose to give your Yorkie this high quality diet with the appropriate amount of nutrients (see above), you won’t have to increase her daily ration much until week 6 of pregnancy. From week 6 on you can slowly increase the amount of food you give her to around 15-25% of what she normally eats.
Supplements for Yorkie Pregnancy Care
If you are providing your pregnant Yorkie with good dog food, you will not need to supplement any vitamins or minerals. However, it is always a good idea to talk to your vet about the condition of your dog to see if this is the case for your dog.
Do not ever supplement calcium when your Yorkie is pregnant. This increases the risk of eclampsia. Your Yorkie will need calcium supplementation during whelping and lactation however.
Changes in Mama
Emotional Changes
A pregnant Yorkie may have experience a change in her behavior. She can become moody, grumpy, or have highs and lows. She may also become more affectionate – seeking you out and asking you for more love, petting, and to be closer to you.
Physical Changes
Don’t be surprised if your Yorkie struggles with morning sickness.
Mama might have a clear vaginal discharge starting as early as week 4.
As the pregnancy progresses, she may throw up because of the limited space and pressure in her belly.
The hair on her belly will come off and she will get more bald here. This creates sanitary conditions for her to feed her young.
Her mammary glands will enlarge and become darker.
Near the end of pregnancy, she will be tired and need to rest.
A few weeks before whelping, your mama will get that good ol’ nesting instinct going and look for a place she can safely care for her pups after birth.
Near the end of pregnancy you may see colostrum coming out of mama’s teats…no worries! That’s normal.
Tests at the Vet
During week 4 (as early as 21 days), your Yorkie can have an ultrasound to confirm that she is truly pregnant, determine approximate litter size, and check for any problems.
Around days 25-30, a blood test can be preformed to confirm pregnancy.
During week 8, you can have your Yorkie X-rayed to confirm the number of pups. This will help you to know when all her pups have been delivered.
Armed with knowledge, you can provide excellent care for your pregnant Yorkie.
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