Pregnant dog - pregnancy signs in dogs - dog article on Pets.

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What to Expect When Your Dog is Expecting
There are so many books at the local bookstore about pregnancy in people, but not a single resource on
what to do when your most devoted Priscilla von Precious has found herself in the family way.
Is your pup preggars? Not to worry. Here it is: VetCentrics very own Pregnancy Primer for Dog Owners.
The heat is on
Lets start with the canine heat cycle. The canine heat or estrous cycle varies in length. Many people
know that their dog goes into "heat" but dont realize that unlike the human menstrual cycle, which is a
non-fertile stage, dogs that are in heat are preparing to ovulate. There are four stages of the estrous
cycle. The first stage is proestrus, which is characterized by increased follicular activity of the ovary, a
stage that is necessary prior to the release of the eggs. Outward signs include vulvar swelling and
bleeding. During this time, your dog will be attractive to males but not receptive to them. In general, this
stage lasts six to 11 days with an average of nine days. The end of this cycle is noted when your pet
becomes receptive to the male and will stand to be bred.
The second phase is the actual fertile phase or estrus. During this time, the discharge becomes more
straw-colored to light pink and the vulva, although still swollen, is softer. The female is now receptive to
males and will stand for breeding. This stage generally lasts five to nine days. Unfortunately, it can last as
long as 20 days and still be normal. Each dog is different and must be monitored closely. The end of this
stage is characterized by the female no longer accepting the male.
The last two stages of the estrous cycle are diestrus, a non-receptive time when the corpora lutea, which
produce progesterone, are active on the ovary and anestrus. During anestrus there is no ovarian activity.
Diestrus and anestrus are lengthy periods: diestrus lasts 56 to 60 days and anestrus is variable, but
several months long. Most dogs cycle twice a year.
The next step in the course of the pregnancy is the actual conceptionwell, I hope you know how that
works, so Ill skip that part. It takes about 62 days from the day that your dog is bred for the puppies to be
born.
A doggie biscuit in the oven
The next logical question is, "How can you tell if your dog is in the family way?" Confirming pregnancy
necessitates a trip to the veterinary office. The earliest method of pregnancy detection is ultrasounda
nice test because it is noninvasive and very reliable. Fetal heartbeats can be detected at around the 25th
day from first breeding. This is not, however, considered a reliable way to determine fetal number.
One interesting fact about the canine reproductive cycle is that the dog goes through roughly the same
hormonal changes whether or not she is pregnant. For this reason, there is no progesterone blood or
urine test to diagnose pregnancy in dogs. There is, however, a blood test that will detect relaxin, a
hormone that is produced in pregnant dogs but is not found in non-pregnant dogs. This test may be
performed mid gestation, which occurs at around the same time that your veterinarian can palpate the
fetuses.
Most experienced veterinarians can determine pregnancy by simply feeling the dogs abdomen during a
certain a window of timeabout 20-30 days after conception. During this time period, there is uterine
swelling around the placental sites that feels like firm and discrete lumps. After 30 days, the uterine
swelling is more diffuse and it is difficult to distinguish the gravid uterus from the feel of the intestinal tract.
Dogs that are very large or obese may be difficult to examine in any stage, however.
A third way to detect pregnancy is by taking x-rays. Fetal skeletons can be visualized at about 45 days of
pregnancy. This test cannot be done until late in gestation, but it is nice to know about how many of the
little creatures you can expect once the actual birthing occurs.

Get out the clean towels

Although it takes an average of 62 days for puppies to gestate, normal variation is from 54-72 days
depending on the breeding dates. During this time there is really not a lot for you dojust feed the dog
her regular diet for the first month. It is absolutely crucial that you do NOT supplement your dog with
vitamins during her pregnancy. Although this seems to be against normal thinking, dogs that are
supplemented are unable to efficiently extract calcium from their bones after they give birth, and this
predisposes them to suffer from hypocalcemia, which can result in muscular weakness and even
seizures. Starting in the second month of pregnancy, you will want to switch her diet over to a good
quality puppy food. This will provide her with the extra calories that she needs without providing excess
supplementation.
Speaking of the blessed event, here is your reward for reading this far. If your dog is pregnant, you will
want to start taking her temperature (yeah, you know where) about a week prior to her due date. The
normal rectal temperature for dogs ranges from 100 to 102.5F. About 24 hours prior to giving birth the
dams rectal temperature will drop a few degrees. If you record the temperature daily you will know when
it is okay to go out to dinner and when you will have a long night ahead of you.
One to two weeks prior to the delivery, get your whelping box and supplies together. Your whelping box
should have sides that are high enough so that four to six week-old puppies cannot get out, but when
mom needs a Calgon moment she can leave without doing damage to the milking apparatus. It is also
important to have a ledge of some kind all around the inside edge so that no puppies are inadvertently
smothered by the motherthe pups should be able to slide under the ledge so that mom cannot squish
them. Place the box in a familiar but private area and line it with towels.
Get as many clean towels on hand as possible. It is amazing how many you will use trying to keep the
canine family clean. You will also want to have sharp scissors (to cut the cords), dental floss (for tying off
cords), and povidone iodine (for disinfecting the cord ends) on hand for the delivery.
I could have whelped all night
Okay, so now comes the scary part: actual birthing. Let me tell you that this usually starts at 10 oclock at
nightthe perfect time to prevent you from getting any sleep and late enough that you will have to go to
the emergency clinic if you have problems. You will also want to make sure that you are wearing clothes
that can be thrown away. Whelping is a messy business and there is some bright green goo that can be
produced that cannot be washed out of anything with any stain remover on the planet. So, it is definitely a
dress down event.
There are three stages of labor. The first stage, which will probably go by undetected, occurs when the
cervix is dilating and there are some uterine contractions. You may notice some shivering, restlessness,
panting, vomiting, and unwillingness to eat, and the dog may seek out a private place. If you do notice this
stage (which lasts six to 12 hours), encourage your pet to go to the whelping area.
Stages two and three, active labor and placental expulsion, conclude with the expulsion of the fetus and
the placenta, respectively. If your dog has more than one puppy, she will alternate between stages two
and three. Once your dog begins actively straining, the first puppy is usually delivered within 10 to 20
minutes. If the active straining has gone on for an hour unproductively it is time to call the vet. She needs
some professional assistance. Many dogs will rest between puppies for an hour or so. This does not
require intervention since the dog is not actively straining.
It is normal for puppies to be born either head first or breech (rear first). If you try to assist in delivery,
never pull on an ear or a foot; instead, try to hook your fingers behind the shoulders or over the hips and
use very gentle downward traction. Some dogs will squat to have puppies; others lie down. My dog
thought running around in circles and relying upon centrifugal force would facilitate birthing, so really you
must be flexible and responsive to what the mother may need. By the same token, some dogs just grunt
quietly as they give birth, and others are screamers.
Most puppies are born with the amniotic sac intact. If mom doesnt attend to them within the first two
minutes, it is time for your intervention. This membrane must be ruptured so that the puppy can breathe.
Use a child nasal aspirator to clear the fluid from the mouth and with a clean, dry toweleach pup gets its

owndry the puppy and gently rub near the umbilicus to stimulate respiration. Use the dental floss to tie
off the cord about an inch from the puppys body, and then cut it with the scissors and dip the end of the
cord in the povidone iodine.
Now, I usually let mom lick to her hearts content. If your dog is an experienced mother or seems to want
to do all this herself, there is no reason why you shouldnt let her tear the membrane and chew off the
cord. Eating the placenta, however, is another matter. It is an old wives tale that the mother will not
produce milk if she doesnt eat them. Just take them away from her and she will never know the
difference.
Mamas little babies
Once all the puppies are born, make sure they all get a chance to have their first meal. The first milk is
rich with protective antibodies that really help them to start off on the right foot. You will also want to offer
mom a light meal and a potty break. Then you can all have a nice rest.
The next morning, call your veterinarian to apprise him or her of the results of the event. Many vets will
want you to bring the brood in so that mom can have a quick check up to make sure that all is returning to
normal and that there are no more puppies inside.
For the next six to eight weeks, the mother will be producing a reddish brown to bright green odorless
discharge called lochia. This is a normal discharge and nothing to be concerned about. If your dog had a
bright red bloody discharge, however, call your veterinarian right away. You will also want to continue to
take your dogs temperature and inspect the mammary glands daily so that any uterine or mammary
infection can be caught and treated early.
Now that shes given birth, you can feed her like gangbusters. Lactation increases your dogs caloric
needs by three to four times. So, its time to bring on the extra meals. Make sure that the babies are on a
high quality puppy food as well. You should also start to supplement calcium in the mothers diet by
providing her with a specific calcium supplement from your vet or by adding some cottage cheese to her
diet. Free access to ample quantities of water must be available for your dog, but do not put it in the
whelping box where puppies may drown. Use common sense.
So, congratulations on your new family and enjoy the fun. It has been a long road, but we hope every one
is happy and healthy at the end.
Reproduced by permission
Elizabeth L. DeLomba, DVM
Vetcentric.com
Pets.ca 2004
www.pets.ca