Small Dog Pregnency

[natureladykm]

I have a small dog 7-10 pounds, who I think might be pregnant.  How long does a pregnancy last in a small dog?  How do I find out for sure if she is pregnant.  Is there anything that I need to keep a look out for as her pregnancy progresses?  How can I keep her vitamins up to date & is it safe to give her vitamins or anything else, during pregnancy?

[natureladykm]

She is a 1 year old Chi mix, father of puppies is a mixed breed as well & a little bigger than her. This is her second heat.   I wont even consider having her aborted unless there are compilations.  I will have her seen by a vet in about 3 weeks just have a general check up & to see if she is pregnant.  If she is not then I will have her fixed.

[Ghilly]

The gestation period for ALL dogs, no matter what size or breed, is 63 days or approx. 9 weeks.

How old is your dog?  Carrying a litter to term and whelping them is NOT easy on a female's body, and small dogs especially can have a very difficult time whelping.  Do you know what breed the male is?  If the male is larger than the female it can mean that the puppies may be too large for the female to whelp naturally and safely and a C-section might be necessary.  If your girl is young and was bred on her first heat cycle then she has twice as tough a row to hoe because she is not only not physically mature but she is also not mentally mature when it comes to being a mother.  It would be the human equivalent of a 13 or 14 year old girl becoming a mother.

My best advice to you would be to have her spayed while the pregnancy is early, that way the doctor can safely remove the uterus AND the puppies before they really start to develop.  The larger the puppies get, the spay can still be done but the shock to the mother's system is much greater and the chance of complications is therefore greater.  If you let it go too far, then having the puppies will be your only choice and, as I explained earlier, depending upon your dog's situation, it ;might only be the lesser of two evils for her instead of being the best thing for her.  I will wait to hear your reply before I go into detail regarding whelping puppies and getting them through their first eight weeks of life.

Ghilly

[tonyb286]

After about one month a dog will ordinarily have a slight mucus-like vulval discharge and the nipples will start to become more prominent, erect and firmer. After about a month and a half, the dog's weight will ordinarily substantially increase (sometimes by as much as 50% of the pre-pregnancy weight). The normal length of pregnancy in dogs is about 65 days.

Your vet will be able to determine whether your dog is pregnant after about day 25, as they can perform an ultra-sound to confirm the situation. Experienced vets can also palpate the dog's abdomen around day 20 and give a fairly accurate diagnosis.

Hoping this helps. Tony

[specialmom]

I would advise consulting your vet.  They can confirm pregnancy and give you guidance.  How old is the dog?  What type of breed might have impregnated her?