How Can I Help My Husky be Healthy when She is 10 Years Old and Pregnant?

Your dog will lose interest in running during the pregnancy.

Huskies require monitoring and care during an advanced-age pregnancy. Keeping a husky healthy during her pregnancy is important for her health and the health and safety of her newborn puppies. A husky may have morning sickness, fatigue and change in appetite. She also will need a quiet place to deliver her puppies. Older pregnant dogs often have smaller litters or experience problems during delivery. Its important to take your pregnant husky to the veterinarian as soon as she shows signs of pregnancy. You also can take action to help your pregnant husky be her healthiest at home.

Things You'll Need

• Puppy food
• Yogurt
• Cottage Cheese
• Veterinarian
• Water dispenser (optional)
• Dog bed

Instructions

Feeding

1. 

   Expect your aged husky to spend time alone during pregnancy.

   Increase your dog's food by 25 percent weekly after the first month of pregnancy. An aged pregnant dog also needs to eat puppy food at this time instead of dog food to ensure that she receives the proper calcium, calories and protein.

2. Move the food bowl if it is in an inconvenient area for the pregnant aged husky. For example, she doesn't need to go up and down stairs to feed at the age of 10. The bowl needs to be easily accessible.

3. Feed her several smaller meals, two or three times a day. She will become less interested in eating as the puppies take up more room in her body. She will do better if she eats smaller amounts at a time.

4. Mix 2 tablespoons of yogurt or cottage cheese in with the puppy food at each feeding. This will aid digestion as well as provide extra calcium.

5. Administer clean, cool water to your dog several times a day. Using a water dispenser is recommended, as it is easy for aged dogs to use and doesn't require constant refilling. Aged pregnant dogs require a lot of water.

Veterinarian Visits

1. 

   Your aged husky will enjoy more naps.

   Visit with your veterinarian early in the pregnancy with an aged dog. The veterinarian can assist you with advice on how to care for your dog during the pregnancy.

2. Inform your veterinarian about your dog's past litters, any changes in your dog's eating habits, behavior or any signs of dehydration, or any medications or health issues that your aged dog may have.

3. Talk to your veterinarian about possible medications that your dog at age 10 may need to take during pregnancy for her individual health concerns. Shots may be needed after delivery, as well as a round of antibiotics.

4. Discuss with the veterinarian where you want the puppies to be born. Most dogs don't need a human's help, however, concerning the age of your dog, the veterinarian will consider how many past litters she has had, as well as the condition of her health and her uterus. These factors will determine your veterinarian's advice on where he feels the delivery needs to take place.

Exercise and Rest

1. 

   A strong husky leads to strong healthy puppies.

   Walk your dog often, taking short walks at a time. You want to condition the uterine muscles as well as the dog's other muscles. Keeping the muscles strong to prepare for birth is important. However, you don't want to overexert your 10-year-old pregnant dog. As the pregnancy progresses, your dog may not feel up to walking as much. Go with what your dog feels up to. If you see that she is becoming overexerted, don't push her too hard.

2. Take the dog on short sprints during the week only if your veterinarian recommends it. Running and walking the dog helps to prevent obesity in a pregnant dog of a normal age. In pregnant dogs at the age of 10, running may not be recommended by your veterinarian.

3. Walk an aged dog during pregnancy up until the last three weeks of pregnancy only under a veterinarian's advice and not until after three weeks after the puppies are born, as the dog should be centralized and not exposed to any other dogs. This phase of isolation is in order to protect dogs from herpes infection.

4. Offer a lot of rest and relaxation to your aged pregnant dog. This may be the time to purchase her a new, more comfortable dog bed. Avoid noisy areas or busy rooms when considering where to place the dog bed. A 10-year-old pregnant dog needs quiet.

5. Limit her visitors and and the amount of people who interact with her. Aging pregnant dogs sometimes don't want to be touched or handled.

Medications

1. 

   Administer any heartworm medications during pregnancy, if she normally takes it. It is important that an aged pregnant dog continues her regular routine for this type of medication.

2. Continue using flea control products on your dog. This is safe for the unborn puppies and important for your aged pregnant dog. Not continuing flea control products on an aged pregnant dog could add stress and make your dog uncomfortable.

3. Speak with your veterinarian before administering any medications for roundworms or hookworms.

Tips & Warnings

• Vaccinations should not be given to a pregnant dog.

• Heartworm medications for aged pregnant dogs are safe to administer.

References

• Doggies: Dog Den Online Magazine: Top Ten Questions about Dog Pregnancy and Newborn Puppy Care
• Marvistavet: Care of the Pregnant Dog

Resources

• Doggies: Dog Den Online Magazine: Dog Pregnancy Symptoms
• Robin Powell; Hillcrest Animal Hospital, Poplar Bluff, Missouri