A hassle-free guide:with easy to

followinstructionsto guide youthroughoutyour bitch'spregnancy.

oscar.co.uk

BreederGuide

Mia

OSCAR appreciate the importanceof pet care because we're petlovers too! We hope this handyguide will support you and yourbitch through this very special andexciting time.

Planning

Sarah and litter

Puppies! How exciting!

If you have a happy, healthy bitch then itseems only natural to plan for a litter ofpuppies. Whilst this can be an exciting andrewarding experience, it’s a decision not to betaken lightly. It’s a decision of responsibility andcommitment.

Our breeding guide has been designed toprepare you for what to expect and what to dothroughout the different stages of this happyevent.

0800 195 8000oscar.co.uk

helpline@oscars.co.uk

PlanningFamily Planning

1

MatingAt OSCAR we would like to emphasise thatforethought and planning will help to ensure asafe and successful pregnancy. Your bitch mustbe in peak condition because the next six monthsare going to take their toll on her health andfitness. Your bitch will need to be at her idealweight.

If weight loss or weight gain is required prior tomating then we have a range of foods suitable foryour bitch. Please ask your Nutritional Advisor orthe OSCAR helpline for further information.

Prior to mating ensure your bitch is wormed.During pregnancy, ensure you use a productsuitable for a pregnant bitch and puppies andworm your bitch daily from day 40 of herpregnancy until 2 days after she has weaned thepuppies.

When a bitch is in season, her cycle will last foran average of 3 weeks. This will vary amongbitches (and in the same bitch from one cycle toanother), depending on the date of ovulation.

From conception, your bitch must be fed thebest diet for her lifestage and lifestyle.

Preparing for Mating

2

Pregnant

Health & Behaviour

The gestation period of a healthy bitch is 63days, plus or minus 4 days. If you have anyconcerns over the length of time your bitch hasbeen pregnant please contact your veterinarypractice for advice. Within the first few weeks, apregnant bitch may start to show behaviouralchanges. She may become temperamental,protective of her treats, food, sleeping areas,toys and chews, while starting to display nest-building behaviour.

Between weeks 2 and 3, she may suffer from‘morning sickness’. She will become fussy andgo off her food. At this stage, it is important thatshe is encouraged to eat. Feed little and often,adding warm water or plain yoghurt (no xylitol) tostimulate her appetite.

At 4 weeks it is usually possible for a vet topalpate the puppies; it is also possible to have anultrasound later in the pregnancy.

From weeks 5 and 6, there will be changes in herhabits and appearance. From week 6, her teatswill become darker as the blood flow increasesready for whelping. You may notice an increasein nest building. She may start to shrednewspaper and take anything else that will makeher feel comfortable into the whelping area. It ispossible that she will become protective of toysand other inanimate objects that will also betaken to her nest.

3

PregnantPregnant Bitch

4

PregnantPregnant Bitch

The Whelping BoxThe optimal time to introduce your bitch to awhelping box is at least 2 weeks before she isdue to give birth. It will certainly help her to feelmore settled for the arrival of her puppies.

A whelping box consists of 4 walls, highenough to keep 3-week-old-puppies in and formum to get in and out of easily. The whelpingbox needs to be made with consideration to thesize of the bitch and her litter. For a medium-sized dog, a typical size is 4 feet square with 12-inch high walls.

Main Features:1. The box should be big enough for your bitch tolie down in comfortably with her puppies.2. It should be made of material that is safe fordogs. Many breeders opt for a large cardboardbox. Some retail outlets dispose of suchcardboard. Your Local Nutritional Advisor may beable to help - they may need to recycle their ownpackaging.3. Cardboard is preferable to wood as it’s morehygienic. It is impossible to clean woodsatisfactorily.

Typical Whelping Box

4. Commercially produced whelping boxes areavailable but can be very expensive. However,they will provide the benefit of being specificallydesigned for the purpose and may containfeatures such as ‘pig rails’. In theory, pig rails aredesigned to prevent the bitch from sitting on herpuppies.5. If there is room, site the whelping box whereyour bitch has started nest building. This is thearea your bitch deems to be the safest to deliverand raise her puppies. If space is an issue, find aquiet spot.

Useful TipsTo help your bitch feel at home in her newwhelping box, start to introduce short spellswhere she is encouraged to enter the box. Tryusing a tasty kong, a sprinkle of treats or healthychews to help with this. It is important never toforce her. Allow at least 2 weeks for her tobecome familiar with it, and, as she does, placeher bedding inside as this will help her to feelmore secure and encourage her to rest there.

When whelping commences, her own beddingcan be replaced with newspaper, blankets ortowels. Make sure there are plenty of layers.Place them so that you can clean the box andreplace with fresh layers without disturbing yournew family. Placing the water bowl near the boxwill add to her feeling of security, while giving herless need to leave her young pups.

For extra cleanliness and hygiene in longhairedbreeds, trim the areas around the mammaryglands and the base of the tail at least one weekbefore whelping. In case of emergency, write thevet’s number on the outside of the whelping box.

5

NutritionPuppy NutritionAs the pups grow in the bitch's uterus, there willbe increased pressure on her bodily organs.Feeding 4 to 5 smaller meals throughout the daywill help to reduce possible bloating andindigestion.

From weeks 5 to 6 your bitch will start to gainweight: she should gain no more than 25-30% ofher original weight during her pregnancy. You cangradually change her food from 5 weeks andincrease it by approximately 10% per week from6 weeks.

Feed a high protein, high energy, highlydigestible food such as OSCAR Healthy GrowthPuppy. It is important from week 5 to feed smallamounts regularly and ensure she has access toclean fresh water. See our feeding guide as anestimate below.

6

GestationFeedingGuide

Weight

Less than 5kg

5 to 10kg

10 to 15kg

15 to 20kg

20 to 25kg

25 to 35kg

35 to 45kg

45 to 55kg

55 to 70kg

90-130g

130-210g

210-290g

290-360g

360-420g

420-540g

540-650g

650-760g

760-910g

110-160g

160-260g

260-360g

360-450g

450-530g

530-680g

680-810g

810-950g

950-1140g

135-195g

195-315g

315-435g

435-540g

540-630g

630-810g

810-975g

975-1140g

1140-1365g

Week 5 Week 6-9Week 1-4

When it comes to giving birth, every bitch isdifferent. Typical signs of impending labourcan be a loss of appetite for between 12 and 24hours and a drop in body temperature from 39to 37°C. She may become restless, pant, tear upher bedding and lick heavily around her vulva.Gentle exercise pottering around the garden mayhelp to keep her relaxed.

First-stage labour lasts on average 12 to 24hours and you should call the vet if it goes on anylonger. During this time, maintain a discreet,careful watch and don’t leave her alone. You mayfind that she is happy for you to hold her paw.

In true labour, she will strain forcibly (differentfrom human labour). Normally, she will produce apuppy within 1 to 2 hours from the onset ofcontractions. If progress is being made, she maybe allowed to strain for up to 2 hours but youshould contact the vet beyond this time if a puphas not emerged. The puppies may be born heador tail first. This is normal, provided that the hindlegs are stretched out either side of their tail.

BirthingWhelping & Labour

MaintainWeight

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9Gestation WeeksBreeding Stage

Usual OSCARAdult Complete Food

Gradual MixOSCARComplete

Puppy Food

DEL

IVER

Y

7

Sometimes a puppy is born in what appears tobe a plastic sac. This must be broken within 30seconds either by you or by the mother. Failureto do this may suffocate the pup. Mum willusually attend to this and the umbilical cord. Ifshe doesn’t, you must attempt to TEAR it. Do notcut it, as this may increase the chance of ahaemorrhage. The cord does not need to be tiedoff. An afterbirth (placenta) follows each puppy.You should count these and, if possible, preventthe bitch from eating too many of them as theywill give her nasty diarrhoea. If there are not asmany placentas as puppies contact yourveterinary practice.

If mum seems hungry, give her a little OSCARfood. Puppies can be born every 45-60 minuteswith 10-30 minutes of hard straining. Betweenpups the bitch can rest for up to four hours,which will continue until all pups have arrived. Atthis stage she will need to be encouragedoutside to urinate and defecate. The puppiescan be checked and bedding changed at thistime. Thereafter, she should be fed and leftundisturbed with her puppies to ensurebonding.

A post-whelping check with the vet is necessary12 to 24 hours after birthing to ensure that thereare no retained puppies. To prevent infection, aninjection will help the uterus contract to normalsize. Then for the first 2½ weeks, the bitch will doall that is necessary for her new family.

Health & BehaviourWhen the pups are born, they must feed as soonas possible. If they can’t find mum’s teats you willhave to guide them to suckle. For the first 2 to 3days, the mother's milk produces colostrumproviding immunity.

Feeding

8

BirthingWhelpling & Labour

FeedingLactating Bitch

Colostrum is high in protein and fatty acidsessential for growth. It also contains antibodiesto protect the puppies from disease until they areold enough to be vaccinated.

Your bitch will be very protective of her young.The risk of infection is high and a clean, safe,securely-placed whelping box will protect them.It is important that she and her litter are notdisturbed by other pets, children or well-wishers coming to see the new arrivals.

Puppies sleep most of the time and, until theireyes open, they are completely dependent onthe bitch. However, a restless or rejected puppywill need urgent veterinary attention. Your bitchwill go through the process of licking to helpthem to urinate and defecate, cleaning up asshe goes. Again, veterinary assistance isrequired if they fail to respond to thisstimulation.

9

Barney (mum) & pups

FeedingLactating Bitch

Diet & NutritionYour bitch may eat the placenta after the birthof her pups. This is normal but can causegreenish-black diarrhoea within the first 24 to48 hours. She may also be off her food for thefirst 24 hours. This is due to hormonal changesand is normal.

The new mother needs to feed herself torecover from the stress of the birth and to copewith the energy-sapping regime of feeding thepups. Encourage her to eat little and often tohelp her to regain her appetite.

After whelping, the bitch's energy requirementssteadily increase and peak between 3 and 5weeks. At peak she may eat up to 4 times heroriginal energy requirements. Her food may needincreasing by up to 25% per puppy!

During the lactating stage, bitchescan be at risk of developing acondition called eclampsia,(especially if they have large littersand are good mothers).

10

Bella

This is associated with low levels of calcium in theblood. Symptoms can include panting, weakness,spasm of the limbs and twitching or shaking. If yourbitch shows any of these signs then contact yourveterinary practice immediately.

From the first week of a puppy’s life and the firstweek of lactation, the following guide outlines asuitable feeding rate designed to provide a lactatingbitch with enough energy and nutrients to producemilk.

LactatingFe

edingGuide

(ingram

s)

Weigh

t

<5k

g

5to

10kg

10to

15kg

15to

20kg

20to

25kg

25to

35kg

35to

45kg

45to

55kg

55to

70kg

130-

190

190-

320

320-

430

430-

530

530-

630

630-

810

810-

980

980-

1140

Lactating

wee

k1

Lactating

wee

k2

Lactating

wee

k3

Lactating

wee

k4

Lactating

wee

k5

Lactating

wee

k6

Lactating

wee

k7

Lactating

wee

k8

170-

250

250-

420

420-

570

570-

710

710-

840

840-

1080

1080

-131

0

1310

-152

0

1520

-182

0

260-

380

380-

630

630-

860

860-

1070

1070

-126

0

1260

-162

0

1620

-196

0

1960

-228

0

2280

-273

0

340-

500

500-

850

850-

1150

1150

-142

0

1420

-168

0

1680

-216

0

2160

-261

0

2610

-304

0

3040

-364

0

210-

310

310-

530

530-

720

720-

890

890-

1050

1050

-135

0

1350

-163

0

1630

-190

0

1900

-227

0

130-

190

190-

320

320-

430

430-

530

530-

630

630-

810

810-

980

980-

1140

1140

-136

0

90-1

30

130-

210

210-

290

290-

360

360-

420

420-

540

540-

650

650-

760

760-

910

1140

-136

0

130-

190

190-

320

320-

430

430-

530

530-

630

630-

810

810-

980

980-

1140

1140

-136

0

11

12

Puppies will start to wean at different stages.Some of the contributory factors relate to sizeof the litter, how well the puppies have fed, thequality of the mother’s milk and bitch’stemperament towards the litter.

At approximately 4 weeks puppies can begin tobe weaned. Ideally they should be fed the samepuppy food as the mother (OSCAR HealthyGrowth), and this should be soaked into a gruelto encourage them to learn to lap.

Allow the puppies to feed from several flatsaucers. They are most likely to climb all over thefood whilst learning to lap so they will requirecleaning after each meal time. Once all thepuppies are lapping well, individual bowls shouldbe provided. Allowing puppies to lap their ownfood will help them to develop normal feedingbehaviours.

Here’s a simple guide showing what to feed yourbitch and puppies, and when.

Usual OSCARAdult Complete

FoodBitch

Mother’s MilkMother’sColostrum

OSCAR Puppy Complete

Gradually introduceOSCAR Puppy complete as

a gruel

OSCAR PuppyComplete(fed dry)Puppy

Weaning StageLactating Stage

PuppiesWeaning Puppies

Week1

Week2

Week3

Week4

Week5

Week6

Week7

Week8

MummyPost-Weaning

Health & BehaviourOnce the puppies start weaning, the physicalstress on your lactating bitch will begin to ease.After peak lactation, at approximately 5 weeks,you can gradually start to reduce your bitch'sfood intake to bring her back to ideal condition.

Your bitch will need to recuperate and willrequire periods of absence from her demandingpuppies. During this time, the puppies willdevelop their own social behaviour betweenone another.

Diet & NutritionFrom 4 weeks of age there will be a gradualreduction of mother's milk, and a change in thepuppies' toilet will be seen as they begin to eatmore solid food. At this stage there are nospecific feeding guidelines because changesdepend on the mother’s health, the size of thelitter and how the puppies are adapting to thefood.

Which Puppy Food?All puppies grow at different rates. Larger breedsrequire a slower growth period compared to thesmaller breeds. The growth rate can becontrolled by diet and by ensuring the correctcalcium:phosphorus ratio suits the size of thebreed.

13

PuppyFeeding your Puppy

OSCAR provide two options for your developingpuppies:Healthy Growth - Expected adult weight <25kgLarge Breed - Expected adult weight >25kg

OSCAR puppy foods have been designedespecially for puppy teeth - providing an easycrunch. The recipes are gluten free and containnucleotide yeasts, the building blocks of DNA tosupport cell generation and growth.

OSCAR Puppy Complete foods are highlydigestible and energy dense requiring a lowerfeeding rate. Less food in means less food out - soless mess to clear up! Please refer to the OSCARPuppy guide for further information.

14

Large Breed Puppy

Rice (42.4%), 38.5% Chicken (Chicken meal(20.1%), Hydrolysed chicken (6.8%), Chickenstock (6.4%), Chicken fat (5.2%)), Beet pulp(4.7%), Dried egg (3.8%), Fish meal (2.8%),Linseed (2.4%), Brewer's yeast (1.6%), Lucerne(0.8%), Fish oil (0.8%), Minerals (0.6%), Yeasts(as a source of high nucleotide yeast extract)(0.2%), Chicory extract (as a source of theprebiotic fructo-oligosaccharide) (0.15%),Yeasts (as a source of the prebiotic mannan-oligosaccharide) (0.15%), Parsley (0.1%),Spinach (0.1%), Broccoli (0.1%), Beetroot(0.05%), Blueberry (0.05%), Pomegranate(0.05%), Oregano (0.05%), Thyme (0.05%),Fennel (0.05%), Glucosamine (0.04%), MSM(0.04%), Yucca schidigera extract (0.025%),Chondroitin sulphate (0.02%), Turmeric (0.01%)

CompositionProteinCarbohydrateFat Content

of which Omega 3Inorganic Matter

of which Calciumof which Phosphorusof which Magnesium

Crude FibreMoisture ContentTotal

28.6%41.0%13.3%

1.0%7.0%1.2%0.8%

0.05%2.0%8.1%100%

Analytical Constituents

Y

Healthy Growth

Rice 42%, Chicken meal 26%, Digest 7%,Poultry fat 6.2%, Beet pulp, Fish meal, Egg, Fullfat Linseed, Yeast, Hydrolysed Chicken protein,Fish oil, Lucerne, High Nucleotide Yeast, Fructo-oligosaccharides 1,500mg/kg, Mannan-oligosaccharides 1,500mg/kg, Glucosamine400mg/kg.

CompositionProteinCarbohydrateFat ContentInorganic MatterCrude FibreMoisture ContentTotal

30%38.4%14.5%

8%2.1%

7%100%

Analytical Constituents

Y

Beneficial

BeneficialIngredients

SafetyHealth & Safety

Plan your puppy’s injections. Puppiesare required to start their vaccinationsaround 7-8 weeks and require a secondvaccination 2-4 weeks later. Always checkwith your veterinary practice first asvaccination policies can vary. Puppiesshould not be walked in public places until7-10 days post second injection (againcheck with your vet first).

Keep your puppy worm free. Once thepuppies are born they should be wormedat 2,5,8 and 12 weeks of age, thenmonthly until 6 months of age (dependingon your chosen wormer). The mothershould be wormed at the same time(ensure you are using a wormer suitablefor both mum and pups). Ask your LocalNutritional Advisor about the full OSCARrange.

Microchipping. It is mandatorythroughout the U.K for all dog owners tohave their dogs microchipped and thismust be recorded officially. As a breederyou are responsible to ensure all puppiesare microchipped by 8 weeks of age andbefore they are sold.

Caution. Many foods that humans lovecan be harmful or even fatal for your dog:foods such as chocolate, grapes, raisinsand sultanas. It is much safer to feedtreats specifically designed for dogs.OSCAR have a fantastic range to choosefrom.

16

MoreMuch More

HelplineHelpline Support

Puppies and adolescents love tochew! It is part of their naturalbehaviour as they begin to teethe.Ask OSCAR all about the puppytoys and chews available to supportthe chewing phase. We also have acollection of healthcare items,bedding, leads and collars, treatsand toys: everything you need foryour pet family.

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As an OSCAR customer your Local Nutritional Advisor is alwaysthere for you. OSCAR also provide a free helpline service fromour team of experts in Behaviour, Training, Nutrition andVeterinary Advice. Call the helpline on 080 195 8000 or emailhelpline@oscars.co.uk and we will answer your query within 5working days.

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Shelley has over 15 years ofexperience with animals and hasworked at OSCAR Pet Foods since2004. Shelley has also run a successfulpet behaviour and training business forover 10 years. Shelley has a keeninterest in the impact of diet andbehaviour on pets.

Shelley is a Registered VeterinaryNurse with a wealth of experience andqualifications and has a keen interest infeline care and nutrition. She is also aspecialist nurse in weight managementfor cats and dogs.

Shelley Audis-RiddellCertNut (QCF L3) BSc (Hons) MSc

Shelley HoldenRVN CertSAN CertCFVHNut

@OSCARPetFoods

Contact your local nutritional advisor:CONTACT OSCAROSCAR Free Post:NWW7057APrestonLancashirePR5 4DZ

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Vinnie

Breeder-2013-2