kyle_hoyt

Hi all. Just wondering what the first warning signs are of a pregnant dog and how early you can see them. Also how to tell a false pregnancy from an actual one if there is a way. Thanks a lot for any help.

Doc E

See your Vet. A urine test and ultrasound will give you your answrs.

Bruce H

My wife and I breed dogs (Cavaliers). One of the first signs you'll see is that the nipples start to change, usually around 3 to 4 weeks. If you need to know before then, you'll have to see a vet. It isn't til the last 3 weeks or so that the girl really starts getting big.

We always want to know how many puppies the girl is carrying so we know when all the puppies are out, so we get our girls x-rayed about 5 days before the due date. My wife is on some breeders forum and there are a couple people who maintain that ultrasound can damage puppies in rare cases, so we don't use ultrasound; better safe than sorry.

The litter we have right now is a perfect example of why to get your girl x-rayed. Our girl gave birth to 5 of the 6 puppies, about an hour apart, and contractions just stopped; nothing. Nothing for 3 hours. We decided we had to give her a shot of oxytosin; within 15 minutes of that shot, out came number 6. We could very easily lost number 6 had we not had the girl x-rayed and assumed we were done.

Good luck!

Bruce

juniorpc

When you have her x-rayed be sure it's right before you feed her. The less her bowels are full, the better the count will be. Also had one that really got the nesting instinct as she was ready to deliver. Climbed a six foot chain link fence and ran off. Under a nearby porch I believe cause she was back in the yard when I returned from searching two hours later. Good luck, Juniorpc.

Bruce H

juniorpc is right, you really have to keep an eye on them when they get close to the due date. In fact, that post reminded me of something.

Start taking her temperature twice a day, 1 to 1-1/2 weeks before her due date and write it down. When you see a temperature drop of about 2 degrees below the average, she is within 24 hours of delivering. It is possible to miss the drop, but we have only missed it once in all the litters we have had.

Bruce

shortygirl_327

[size=3]I have a blue healer female dog, about 4 yrs in age. She has been pregnant twice this year but has not had any puppies. I know she is pregnant bacause her milk drops but she never has any puppies. [/size] I hope someone can help

Bruce H

Just spoke to my wife; she handles all the breeding work for our kennel. She said it sounded like a false pregnancy.

She suggested you take the dog to a reproduction specialist and have them do a vaginal exam, brucellosis test, and thyroid panel; there may be a reason your girl isn't getting pregnant. These are the 3 things we do just before we breed any of our girls and we insist on a brucellosis test for the stud as well.

My wife felt it was important to see a reproductive specialist; we drive about 30 miles to get to one!

Bruce