How Do I Know If My Dog is Pregnant | Dog's Prenancy
Dog's Growth
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Dog owners often ask me as to how do I know if my dog is pregnant. Therefore, I’ve decided to explain all those symptoms that dog displays in her pregnancy. If your female dog seems lethargic or uneasy, she may not be ill. Perhaps if she made a contact with a male dog of your neighbors or any other wanderer then she’d be expecting some babies. However, the dog’s pregnancy is not difficult to spot on as the symptoms begin to surface soon after the interaction; and a simple trip to a vet doctor will further make your doubts clear.
How Do I Know If My Dog is Pregnant
Early Signs of Dog’s Pregnancy
During pregnancy, your dog won’t be having her usual meal and will be experiencing lethargic. She might go by several days without eating too much as she could before. This is particularly true in the first weeks of gestation. Besides, if you feel your dog is not playing with toys (as she normally does) and is not proactively participating in activities then probably she’d be expecting. The lethargic attitude is probably due to the change in hormones. Another prominent symptom will be that her nipples will begin to enlarge which is due to the milk production. Your dog might be having a desire to be left alone in this state.
- Your dog will likely to experience a mucous-like vaginal discharge in the fourth or fifth week of gestation and this will continue till the end of pregnancy.
- In the first month of pregnancy, your dog might have swelling in her abdomen which the qualified veterinarian can determine.
- You can take your dog to the veterinarian for a blood test after first month of pregnancy. If there are small litters containing no more than two puppies, the blood test may result in false negative.
- Apart from blood test, your dog can have X-rays in around two months period from the start of pregnancy. Your veterinarian will tell you precisely as to how many puppies your dog is expecting.
Consider Reading it: How Many Teeth Do Dogs Have in Different Stages of Development?
Progressing Pregnancy | How Do I Know If My Dog is Pregnant
As the pregnancy advances, your dog will demand more and more appetite than before. Now she’ll require a large amount of calories to make sure that she has a healthy brood of pups. In general, there will be an obvious increase in her weight after a period of one month. Moreover, her nipples will continue to expand with the breast milk.
Later Term Pregnancy | How Do I Know If My Dog is Pregnant
Once the pregnancy reaches its final stages, the dog will have a significant abdomen size. Canines that are smaller in size have abdomen enlarged so much so that it drags onto the ground. However, larger breeds may not experience such an enlargement, but still they’ll have larger abdomen. You may also notice some puppy movements inside the dog’s abdomen in the last days of pregnancy. This movement becomes more obvious just few days before the final delivery as puppies will now position themselves for birth. Some drops of milk may fall from the nipples as the delivery-time draws near.
She will begin to prepare the area where the pups are to be littered and this is specifically done within 24 to 48 hours before delivery. If, however, she does not find any relevant place for the delivery then she might spot your bed or some other soft place to litter. If this happens, do not be overwhelmed by your dog’s behavior as this is simply predictable.
