How To Care for A Pregnant Dog?

How to Determine Whether Your Dog Is Pregnant?

Because Dogs cannot obtain a pregnancy test kit from a chemist, we must rely on alternative ways to establish if a Dog is pregnant.

Diagnostic testing is the most efficient method to determine if a Dog is pregnant.

Palpation

If you know when your Dog was bred, your vet can start doing belly palpation around the 28-30-day mark.

Depending on the dog's size, the puppies feel like miniature golf balls or grapes at this stage of the pregnancy.

These "balls" are fluid-filled sacks that enclose the developing fetus.

Abdominal palpation should not be undertaken without the supervision of a vet since it may cause harm to the puppies.

After one month, the sacks lose their typical structure, so the timing of this test is critical.

Ultrasound

Alternatively, between 25 and 35 days of pregnancy, your vet can do an ultrasound.

In most cases, an ultrasound can identify fetal heartbeats, allowing you to predict the number of puppies the Dog is carrying.

The heartbeats of the puppies are two to three times faster than the mothers.

Hormone Test

Your vet can run a blood test to check the dog's hormone levels around 25 to 30 days of pregnancy to see if she is releasing the hormone relaxin.

The test is relatively accurate because relaxin is only created during pregnancy.

X-ray

X-rays are one of the most reliable methods for determining whether or not a Dog is pregnant.

Nevertheless, because the puppies' skeletal systems don't show up on an x-ray until they're 55 days old or older, this is best done when they're at least 55 days old.

An x-ray at this time will allow you to acquire a precise count of the number of puppies, allowing you to know when your Dog is finished giving birth.

Pregnancy Symptoms in Dogs

While diagnostic testing is the most accurate method of determining whether a Dog is pregnant, it is not the only one.

You can look out for indicators of Dog pregnancy, such as:

• Increased appetite

• Increased weight

• Increase in the size of the nipple

• Tires more easily

• Swollen belly.

• More affectionate nesting behavior

• Irritability

Furthermore, some Dogs may vomit and lose appetite for a few days in the first several weeks due to hormonal fluctuations.

Some Dogs will sigh; however, they may be undergoing a fake pregnancy.

Changes in appetite, body weight, and a swollen abdomen might also be caused by other illnesses.

Take your Dog to the vet for a screening to rule out a more serious problem.

Taking Care of a Pregnant Dog

A dog's pregnancy lasts roughly 63 days (approximately nine weeks).

While you wait for the big day to arrive, you must look after your pregnant dog.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Nutrition

If your Dog is on the appropriate diet, she won't require any additional vitamins or supplements during her pregnancy.

Supplements will be recommended by your vet depending on your dog's specific needs.

A pregnant Dog needs more calories and nutrients than a non-pregnant dog.

Puppy food, for example, should be offered to them because it is made to stimulate growth.

By the conclusion of the first trimester, your Dog will require around double the number of calories.

While she breastfeeds her puppies, she should stick to this diet.

Veterinary Services

During her pregnancy, your Dog will most likely need to see the vet a few times.

To confirm the pregnancy, an ultrasound and/or blood test can be performed as early as 21 days after conception.

Your veterinarian can take x-rays around 45 days into the pregnancy to determine the number and size of the pups.

It's important to note that your Dog should not be vaccinated when she's pregnant.

If your Dog has vaginal bleeding or discharge during pregnancy, you should seek medical guidance from your veterinarian.

Bring your Dog to the vet right away if you see any signs of illness while she's pregnant.

Things that typically can be put off for a few days may become more serious in a pregnant dog.

De-worming the pregnant dog with a proper de-wormer (Fenbendazole) beginning in her third trimester (around day 40 of pregnancy) and continuing for about 14 days after whelping is now thought to considerably lower the number of roundworm and hookworms in newborn puppies, permitting them to grow and thrive to their full potential.

Inquire with your vet about what to do if an emergency arises near the time of planned labor, and make a plan with your family and dog caregiver.

Visiting the veterinarian regularly might help your dog stay healthy when she is pregnant.

When the vet verifies your dog's pregnancy, they will evaluate her for any physical or physiological issues that would prevent her from having a normal whelped litter.

This is an excellent moment to talk about whether a natural delivery or a cesarean section should be discussed and booked ahead of time.

If your vet discovers that your dog is already pregnant during the test, and if the pregnancy was an accident, now is a good opportunity to consider future precautions, such as spaying, to avoid any further surprise litters.

Exercise

Your Dog can still exercise for most of her pregnancy, but she should avoid intense or stressful activities after four to six weeks.

Gentle walks are the finest kind of exercise for pregnant dogs.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your dog's health, always contact your vet.

Getting Ready for Puppies

As the climax of your dog's pregnancy is near, you'll note an increase in the size of her breasts and nipples, as well as the presence of milky fluid as the milk glands mature and swell.

Her abdomen will expand, and she may sway slightly while she walks.

You might even be able to see or feel the puppies moving about at the end of the pregnancy.

There isn't much you can do for your expecting Dog in the months leading up to the delivery except make sure she continues to eat a nutritious diet.

Encourage her to exercise so she'll be in good form for what could be a long and drawn-out birth.

Your Dog will likely get restless and scratch at the ground or on her bed in the days leading up to her delivery.

She's planning to build a nest for the puppies' arrival.

You should give her an area, preferably one from which she can come and go, while still confining the puppies.

A little children's paddling pool or a cardboard box of adequate size for your Dog will suffice.

Towels, blankets, or old sheets can be used to fill the "nest." However, because giving birth is messy, don't use anything you'd like to use again.

Your veterinarian should be able to calculate a due date if you know the day of conception.

Another option is to keep an eye on the dog's temperature when you suspect she's about to give birth.

The average temperature of a Dog is 38.4 degrees.

Just before she gives delivery, her temperature will drop to below 37.8 degrees.

If this is your first time birthing your dog, speak with your vet about your responsibility during birth and read up on everything you can.

Unless you have an expert breeder on hand, you'll need to be ready to intervene during the whelping process if necessary.

It's often a good idea to have a second person around to help keep the puppies warm or aid you if you require assistance.

A Helping Hand

Abdominal contractions may start slowly and gradually increase in severity and frequency they're often the sharpest during the first delivery, followed by pushing and wailing.

When there's a puppy in the delivery canal, the water sac may come out, and the first puppy should be birthed within an hour.

There are several things you can do if the new mother seems not to know what to do, is fatigued, or is in the process of giving birth to another puppy.

Remove the puppy from the membrane it is enclosed in if it isn't already out.

Each puppy is born with its placental membrane still attached, and in each case, the mother licks the puppy fiercely and pulls the membrane away, occasionally eating it.

You'll have to remove it if she doesn't because puppies can only survive for a few minutes before their oxygen supply runs out.

If the umbilical cord must be cut, take a piece of strong thread and wrap it tightly around the chord approximately an inch away from the puppy's body.

Tie another tight loop a bit lower than the first, then cut the cord with a clean pair of scissors.

Try pinching the skin on the back of the puppy's neck to make them cry out.

The fluid in the puppy's airways will be cleared by crying out.

You can softly suck off the fluid on the puppy's snout using a little eye-drop pipette if you have one.

Encourage your Dog to go outside after the delivery to stretch her muscles and relieve herself.

Remember to give the mother some water to drink.

She'll have to urinate frequently.

Bring extra towels, and don't leave her unattended, as they may pass a puppy while they are outside!

The puppies should be kept warm in their delivery box with a small towel over them to avoid being chilly at this time.

Remove the dirty towels and blankets and replace them with new ones.

Then leave your new mother to nurse her puppies alone.

Complications That May Arise During a Dog's Delivery

Things go amiss during delivery from time to time.

Call your vet if you see any of these symptoms:

• Your dog's rectal temperature has decreased for almost 24 hours, but labor has yet to begin.

• If the mother is in excruciating pain or does not deliver the first puppy two hours after contractions begin, especially if she has passed green discharge, she is in serious trouble.

• If your Dog has intense contractions for an hour without giving birth or if the mother appears exhausted, more than 2 hours have passed since the puppies were born.

• Trembling or shivering are symptoms of serious complications that could endanger both the mother and the puppies.

• It's common for Dogs to produce a dark green or bloody fluid following the birth of their first puppy, but if this occurs before the birth of the first puppy, contact your veterinarian.

• The placentas are not all delivered.

• Puppies do not nurse.