Canine Pregnancy Article

Pregnancy in the dog lasts approximately 63 days. Just because a bitch was bred, however, does not necessarily mean she has become pregnant. Determining if a bitch is pregnant 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. Several methods are available to determine pregnancy. A clear mucoid vaginal discharge may be seen. It is a reasonably reliable sign of pregnancy and is noticed about 4-5 weeks (La Roux started this at 4wks, it's alarming at first, I go into worry mode at first but is normal and a reliable sign of pregnancy) into pregnancy and continues until parturition. Ultrasound is able to pick up fetal heartbeats at about 28 days into gestation. This will not be able to determine the number of puppies but can give an estimate and can confirm a pregnancy. (La Roux' ultrasound is June 28th, she does give us an estimate # of puppies) At about the same time, a veterinarian may be able to palpate the uterus and feel the fetuses. This may not be possible on a large dog or one that has the puppies under the rib cage. A blood test to check for pregnancy is available. It checks for the hormone, relaxin, which is produced when the fertilized egg implants. The test can be done about 28-30 days into the pregnancy. Small litter sizes (less than 3 puppies) may result in a false negative result. X-rays can be taken around the 60th day of pregnancy to confirm a pregnancy, count the number of fetuses, and determine size-wise if the puppies will fit through the birth canal. Care of the pregnant bitch The bitch should continue to have regular, but not strenuous, exercise to help her maintain her muscle tone and not become overweight. If feeding a high quality, premium dog food, a vitamin/minerla supplement is probably not necessary. The premium dog foods today are very good at supplying all the dog needs - that was not necessarily true in the past. Do not oversupplement, as that may be harmful to the developing puppies. Some breeders will add cottage cheese or a cooked egg to the diet on alternate days for extra protein. This is not necessary if a premium dog food is fed but can be done if desired. If you are adding supplements to the diet, get a list of all the ingredients and nutritional labels and take everything to your veterinarian to make sure it is still balanced. Oversupplementing with calcium during pregnancy predisposes the bitch to eclampsia. She should have been on a premium adult food prior to pregnancy and for the first few weeks of pregnancy. Starting the fourth or fifth week of pregnancy, begin adding a premium performance food or premium puppy food (do NOT use large breed puppy formulas, which are generally lower in protein, fat, and minerals) to her diet. Each week increase the amount of the performance or puppy food and decrease the amount of adult food, so when she is in her final week of pregnancy, she is on all performance/puppy food. Increase the frequency of the daily meals to three by mid pregnancy. She may need to eat small meals every 3-4 hours during the last week of the pregnancy as the puppies continue to take up more room. Remember, most fetal growth occurs in the last two weeks of gestation. La Roux is doing very well with her 4.5 weeks of pregnancy.  She's about Day 23.  We count from her first breeding however subsequent breedings can also attribute to which puppies are conceived.  Can take four or more days from breeding to conception, so we can breed her on the 22nd, 24th and 26th day into her season, she could not actually conceive but the sperm only lasts about 3-4 days, hence the genetic pool for this litter is established. She's showing but with her little body it's difficult for other people not used to seeing her on a daily basis see a big change in the pictures.  I can see the mood/personality changes in her but most people won't notice.  She's doing well, in good spirits, looks forward to her morning special meal.  I let her free fed the rest of the day.  I was giving her a special meal in the afternoon but when she would play and jump around, it would come up, so I decided to let her decide how much she wants to eat.  I do give the poodles treats during the day, sometimes not everyday, sometimes marrow bones, sometimes bites of cooked chicken breast, cheese, a chunk of a raw carrot, costco biscuits (oops, not very holistic but they love them), etc. If you like to look in more detail of a doggie's gestation, click this link: http://www.vetmed.lsu.edu/eiltslotus/Theriogenology-5361/ultrasound.htm more updates on La Roux' progress on Tuesday when she's (approximately) five weeks along.