QuestionI have a 2 yr old pom. She is pregnant and due on October 20th (if they are only pregnant for 63 days). I have 2 questions. How many puppies do they usually have in a litter? And, could my pom have her puppies early, and if so, how early?
AnswerSorry it took a few days for this site to let me in to answer your question.
They are pregnant for 63 days from the first and last breeding, give or take 3 days, if everything goes right. Most Poms average a 3 pup litter but have been know to have as many as 7 or as few as 1. Depending on the genetics of your bitch (how many pups her dam and grand dams have had) and her size. Sometimes a bigger bitch will carry more pups, and also when she was bred. If she was bred at the wrong time of her heat then she may not have as many pups as if she had been bred at her most fertile time of her heat. A bitch will always drop at least 3 eggs in order for the body to accept the pregnancy-that does not mean all will develop, but the body will not recognize a pregnancy with fewer than 3 embrios.
There are many envirnmental things that can happen to cause a bitch to deliver early and at any time of the pregnancy. Any earlier than the above stated few days can be cause for the pups to not be viable. Their lungs develope and thier fat reserves are laid on at the END of the pregnancy.
If you need any more information, you are welcome to email me privately. geminipoms@peoplepc.com
or check out my site for tips on Poms.
www.geminipoms.com
-Trish
