Dog Pregnancy
* A bitch is only fertile during her heat cycle. Most mature bitches come into heat every six months, but cycles can vary, and some bitches only come into season annually.
* Dog pregnancy lasts approximately 63 days from the date the breeding occurred, although pups may be delivered as early as 58 days or as late as 65 days without incident.
* Pregnancy can be diagnosed by feeling (palpating) the uterus, or by performing an ultrasound. Owners will notice definite dog or dogs pregnancy within a few weeks of a breeding.
Before Breeding
Whenever possible, make sure your bitch's vaccinations are current, and she has been checked and, if necessary, treated for worms before the pregnancy. If this isn't carried out before the breeding, wait until the pups are born.
Both male and female should also be tested for Canine Brucellosis, a sexually transmitted disease that causes spontaneous late term abortions, infection of reproductive organs, and eventually sterility in both sexes.
Nutrition
Dog pregnancies require good nutrition to support the demands the growing fetuses will put on your bitch's body. Although some breeders feel it's necessary to add vitamin supplements to the expectant mom's diet, this is debatable. Supplements may actually throw off the careful balance of nutrients in a high quality dog or dogs diet. Better to feed your pet a premium dog or dogs food and increase the amount you offer. The premise is simple: Feed the best, and feed more of it.
Exercise
Exercise plays an important role before, during, and after dog or dogs pregnancy.
* Proper exercise will help ensure your bitch is in top physical condition to undertake a pregnancy.
* Gentle but consistent exercise during dog or dogs pregnancy helps keep a bitch's muscles toned, making delivery of the pups easier. Walking is the best exercise, since it's low impact, lessening the chances your bitch could receive an injury or endanger her pups.
* Although it's best to let your bitch concentrate on her pups after birth, within about two weeks, you should resume taking her for a short walk several times a week.
Whelping Time
Preparations
* Prepare a whelping box for the delivery to take place in.
* Begin taking your bitch's temperature twice a day, twelve hours apart, around 56 days gestation. A normal temperature will range between 100-101 degrees Fahrenheit, but a drop down to 97-98 degrees, held for two consecutive readings signals impending labor within the next 24 hours.
* Have plenty of clean towels on hand for cleaning pups.
* Clean a pair of scissors with alcohol and keep them handy in case the bitch doesn't cut cords herself.
Labor
There are three stages to labor.
Stage One: Pre-Labor
This stage can begin a full day before active labor starts. You bitch will seem restless and will shred the newspapers in her whelping box. She may also refuse to eat.
Stage Two: Active Labor
This is the active pushing stage. As a pup begin to emerge, you'll notice a dark bubble at the bitch's vulva. This is the puppy's sac and should not be broken until after the pup is out.
Once the pup is expelled, you will notice a navel cord that should be attached to a bloody sac called the placenta. There is one placenta for each pup, and it may be expelled with the pup or retained until the next set of contractions.
Most bitches will break the sac open immediately on their own, but if this doesn't happen you will need to tear the sac open with your fingernails and wipe the pup's muzzle free of any mucus and liquid.
Next, mom should sever the umbilical cord on her own, but if she doesn't, you'll need to assist by tying the cord off with a thread about an inch away from the pup's body and cutting the cord between the knot and the placenta.
You can now rub the pup quite vigorously with a towel to help it expel any remaining fluid from its lungs.
The bitch may rest about ten minutes before she pushes out the next pup, but sometimes things happen more quickly. If she strains for more than an hour without passing the next pup, call your vet for advice.
Stage Three: Post-Partum
When the pups have been delivered, your bitch will settle down and focus on caring for her pups. Allow her a potty break, and offer her some canned food to entice her to eat. This will give her strength and help her to make milk for the pups.
Her vulva will continue to discharge blood for several days after birth, but the amount should lessen each day until it ceases altogether.
After Care
After delivery is complete, it is your bitch's job to care for the pups and your job to monitor her health.
* Take her to the vet within 24-hours of delivery to make sure all pups and placentas have been expelled. At this time, your vet may give her a shot of pitocen to help her uterus finish contracting to it's pre-pregnancy size and also an antibiotic shot to prevent infection.
* Check your bitch's breasts for nursing sores and signs of a possible mastitis infection.
* Watch her temperature. A spike over 102 degrees F may be an indication of a post-partum infection.
* A significant increase in bloody vaginal discharge and/or a foul smelling green discharge may be signs of a problem and should be addressed by your vet.
* Continue providing your bitch with plenty of food and fresh water, and help her keep the the whelping box clean.
Signs of Dog Pregnancy
Let's break the signs of dog or dogs pregnancy into stages.
Early Signs
* 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.
* A sudden decrease in activity can indicate that your bitch is pregnant. Just like some women, canines may also experience feelings of exhaustion as their hormone levels change to support embryo production.
* Nipple growth is a good indicator that your bitch's body is going through pregnancy changes. The nipples of an unbred female are usually quite small, and the area immediately beneath them will feel flat. However, once a pregnancy is in progress, breast material will develop beneath the nipples, which will also increase slightly in preparation for eventual milk production.
* Behavioral changes may also be noticed, with either an increase in affectionate behavior or an expressed desire to be left alone.
Progressing Signs
As the pregnancy progresses, you will notice further changes.
* An increase in appetite is usually noted about three to four weeks into the pregnancy and is especially noticeable if your female slacked off her food after her heat cycle ended.
* Weight gain should be noticeable by one month into the pregnancy. The bitch's abdomen will thicken, and gentle examination of the belly will reveal a firm, rather than fat feeling to the area.
Late Term Signs
The signs of dog or dogs pregnancy will increase dramatically in the last weeks of gestation.
* A definite increase in abdomen size will be hard to miss if your bitch is carrying the average size litter for her breed. However, if there are only one or two pups, the abdomen may seem only slightly increased but still be firmer than her pre-pregnancy condition. A lot depends on the size/breed of the dog or dogs involved. Larger dogs have more room to carry pups, and if the litter is small, they won't show as much. Smaller breeds usually show more since they don't have as large an area to house the pups, and some small breeds' abdomens will literally drag the ground near the end of the pregnancy.
* Puppy movement can be felt and seen during the last weeks of pregnancy, with a definite increase in movement a few days before delivery as the pups get into position for birth.
* Milk production begins in earnest and colostrum, the first milk, can be gently expressed from the nipples, sometimes leaking a bit on its own as the time for delivery draws near.
Signs Delivery Is Imminent
* Nesting behavior is usually displayed by a bitch in the 24-48 hours proceeding delivery, although some females begin a little sooner. You'll notice a general restlessness, and she will likely prepare the area where she intends to deliver the pups by scrunching up blankets, newspapers and such.
If you haven't provided your bitch with a suitable whelping box, you're likely going to suffer some household damage, as she may decide your bed or couch cushion seems like the perfect place, and tear it up accordingly. If this happens, blame yourself, but don't punish your bitch for this perfectly normal behavior. She is simply operating on instinct.
* A temperature drop down to 97-99 degrees Fahrenheit and held for two readings taken twelve hours apart signals impending delivery within the next 24 hours.
A normal dog or dogs temperature hovers around 101-102 degrees Fahrenheit, so if you begin taking your bitch's temperature daily from about 58 days gestation, you will be able to establish her normal temperature, as well as when the drop takes place.
Veterinary Testing
Rather than depend on your own observations, your veterinarian can easily help you determine if your bitch is pregnant.
* Palpating (feeling) the uterus around the 28th day after a planned breeding or end of a heat cycle will reveal a slight thickening of the uterus, as well as small pea-sized lumps that are actually embryos. Some breeders have also learned to palpate safely, but generally speaking, it's better to leave this to your vet to avoid damaging the pups.
* An ultrasound will also reveal pregnancy.
About False Pregnancy
Sometimes a bitch will display general signs of dog or dogs pregnancy without actually being pregnant. This will happen as she comes off a heat cycle, and it doesn't seem to matter whether or not there was any breeding activity. Rather, it seems to be brought on psychologically, and the symptoms usually subside within about a month.
Your bitch may also decide to "adopt" some babies to fill the void during this time. This may be puppies from another litter on the premises, or she may substitute objects such as toys or stuffed animals. Borrowing puppies from another bitch can lead a potentially dangerous situation and calls for your intervention; however, if she is only playing mom with toys, give her time to come to terms with the situation on her own before removing the items, then try to get her focused on other activities.
