Your Pregnancy

Being puppy is the cutest stage of a dog, it’s so lovely to see how this little innocent angel moving around, learn to play, eat so well, run around and perform his agilities, and become little cute monster that messes things around. Then we will think about health, petsafe and future. There are still terrible canine over-population problems so it is better to be part of solution rather than to be part of the problem. Responsible owners who want to breed their dogs must pass all required registrations, accreditations, health screening, etc.

A female dog, correctly referred to as a bitch, can only become pregnant if she is bred during her heat cycle. The pregnancy generally lasts about two months or 56 to 69 days from the date of the first breeding, although this period may be slightly shorter or longer. Small breeds may deliver a week earlier while large breeds often deliver later. Over ninety-eight percent of all dogs deliver their puppies without assistance or complications.

For the first three weeks or so of pregnancy, you may not notice any changes in the bitch. Some females will become more demanding for attention, their nipples may enlarge slightly, and some may become hungrier. These are not a guarantee of a pregnancy, but are good signs. Bitches can show the same signs during ‘false pregnancy,’ a hormonal abnormality, which may occur after a bitch has been in heat. Decreased appetite is usually one of the earliest signs that your bitch might be pregnant. Not all females go through this doggie version of “morning sickness”, but a small percentage will eat less during the first few weeks of gestation, usually making up for it later in the pregnancy. Further indication is a sudden decrease in activity, the nipple growth is noticeable, breast material will develop beneath the nipples, which will also increase slightly in preparation for eventual milk production. Behavioral changes such as increase in affectionate behavior or an expressed desire to be left alone. But beware, dont give any vitamin supplements in the first month of her pregnancy, the birth defects will be develop from too much vitamins A, D and calcium, all she need is high quality diet. No vaccinations should take place during pregnancy, they may harm the fetus. Vaccinations are prior to breeding. Always visit the vet to consult for her condition, from approximate 21-25 days, endocrinological tests detects pregnant dog hormone, relaxin. Puppies hearth beat can be detected after 25 days using ECG but its difficult to test their number. X-ray can pick up puppy skeleton from around 49 days and can determine the number of siblings, but X-Ray is not advisable to use because of radiation danger and damage.

In fourth week, the increase in appetite and gaining weight are changes of progress signs of pregnancy, the abdomen will thicken, and gentle examination of the belly will reveal a firm, rather than fat feeling to the area. The bitch should continue to have regular, but not strenuous, exercise to help her maintain her muscle tone and not become overweight. Exercise involves a daily run to make sure all her muscles, including her uterine muscles, are in top condition. She really needs enough sleep on her dog crate, at week 7, its advised to increase her meal about 25% and another 25 % on 8th week. Closer to the delivery date, your bitch will probably start to express her nesting instincts, scratching at the floor or in her bed, and displaying signs of increasing restlessness.

During the first stage of labor the cervix begins to dilate and uterine contractions begin. These contractions are painful and perplexing to the dog. She will appear quite uncomfortable and restless – pacing, shivering and panting. She probably will not eat and she may even vomit. Some dogs whine persistently. Others occupy themselves building a nest. Take her temperature rectally twice a day, the normal dog temperature is about 100.3F – 101.3F. It will normally drop to about 98 degrees Fahrenheit, 8 – 24 hours before the onset of labor and she will refuse to eat or drink anything.

During the second stage of labor uterine contractions begin in force. As this stage progresses the placental water sacks break and a straw-colored fluid is passed. Placentas are expelled after each puppy or sporadically during labor. Pups usually appear every half-hour or so after ten to thirty minutes of forceful straining. As the pups deliver, the mother will lick the puppy clean and bite off the umbilical cord. It is important to let the mother do this, if she will, because through this process she bonds with her puppies and learns to recognize them as her own. The rough licking of the mother stimulates the puppies to breathe and improves their circulation.

Pregnant dogs go through a certain stage. Surely, there would some signs that would tell you. The first, and the most common sign, would be changes in your pet’s appetite. It is quite natural for a pregnant dog not to touch its food during the first few days of pregnancy. Like humans, dogs undergo morning sickness too. Don’t worry though. Most dogs make up for their lost meals a few weeks into the pregnancy. If after the dog heat period your dog still refuses to eat, there are high chances that it had mated.

Pregnant dogs are lazy too. Lethargy is quite a common thing for some dog breeds when they are pregnant. A dog that is active before but had suddenly lowered its desire to run and play around is likely to be pregnant. This symptom would normally follow the mating period, when the dog continues to be lazy when it should be back to its old self. Pregnant dogs tend to experience exhaustion as a direct result of hormonal changes. These changes are caused by embryo production.

There would be a lot of physical changes in your dog too. Your dog’s nipple will begin to grow. Most of the changes that humans go through during pregnancy can be observed in dogs. Pregnant dogs would have plumper nipples in preparation for milk production.

There would be changes in the dog’s behavior too. Pregnant dogs can be on the extremes – they can either be very affectionate or want to be left alone. It is possible for your dog’s attitude to change for worse. All these are caused by pregnancy so be very patient. This is just a phase that your pet goes through. Try to know and understand what it is that makes your pet feel that way.

A few weeks in the pregnancy, your pet would have a flair for eating. This is when it gains back everything it has lost during the first few days. However, the extra weight will be seen in the abdominal area. Try to feel the belly of your pet. You should feel small bumps in there. This means that the puppies are starting to form. A dog’s abdomen is normally soft. But when it is pregnant, it will be firmer.

The increase in your pet’s abdomen would be more noticeable a little later on. After several weeks, you’d feel movements in the belly. The experience is going to be similar to babies forming and moving inside a mother’s womb. The puppies are moving as they prepare to get out of the womb.

At a certain point, there would be milk discharges in the female dog. A few days prior to the delivery, milk would start to come out of your dog’s nipple. This is a sign that the dog would soon give birth. Your pet would become very restless. It would now pick a spot where it would give birth and stay there often. You should make your dog comfortable by giving it warm blankets or some newspapers. This will help keep the pups warm after coming out.

During pregnancy, the dog would also go through some drops in its temperature too. The body heat of pregnant dogs may reach up to 99 degrees Fahrenheit. This is also the indication that it is going to deliver its puppies real soon.

Just like human females, your dog has a pregnancy schedule, and a uterine calendar that can pinpoint which pregnancy stage she is in according to her body’s symptoms.

In a dog’s first pregnancy stage, for example, when she is in the first two weeks of since copulation, the dog’s nipples start to enlarge. When you notice this phenomenon your dog should see a veterinarian, to determine if there is a pregnancy and if so what pregnancy stage she is in.

The veterinarian will be able to tell if puppies have been conceived just by feeling the dog’s stomach. Just as with human pregnancy tests, the dog’s pregnancy or lack of it can be verified through a blood test. Of course, the pregnancy stage for a canine is shorter than that of humans because dogs give birth only sixty three to sixty five days after conception.

Each pregnancy stage for a dog, therefore, is only about 21 days long as compared with a woman’s pregnancy trimester of three months. In the dogs sixth week of pregnancy her need for nutrition will increase as will her appetite. At this point she is truly eating for several little ones including herself, and should be fed more food accordingly. Her food consumption will increase approximately 50 percent over what she normally consumes. It is very important that her diet be balanced. For this you should take the advice of your veterinarian.

A dog that is going to have a litter of many puppies will have a visibly enlarged tummy, although there are some dogs – especially those giving birth to just a few – whose abdomen won’t enlarge noticeably. For these dogs, the pregnancy stage where they are showing is about one week long. Dogs who deliver a great number of puppies tend to deliver them prematurely.

In general, your dog can deliver her own puppies without the intervention of a veterinarian. There are exceptions to this, of course, and it’s important to be able to know what these exceptions are and when they are occurring.

You should call the vet if your dog has been carrying the puppies for more than 65 days, or has been having contractions for more than two hours without delivering any puppies. If your dog has given birth to a puppy or puppies but not all, and now three hours have elapsed since the last birth, call the vet. This is especially crucial if you see your dog pushing and putting in a lot of effort. If your dog is very tired and her contractions are so slight that they don’t bring on delivery you should call the vet.

Once your dog has advanced to the stage of pregnancy where she has given birth you’ll need to step in to give some care to the newborns. It’s important that the babies have heat. A puppy crib is ideal, somewhere away from any circulating air. As puppies are still being delivered those that have been born can be pushed towards their mom for warmth and comfort.