Pregnant Poodle?

Question
Hi there,
Whilst I was out of town, the person who was looking after my dog let her get tied with a small (45 pounds) standard poodle. My dog is a shelter dog but to me looks like a soft coated wheaton terrier and miniature poodle. She weighs 28 pounds. She was in a very high kill shelter when I got her and I had not gotten around to spaying her before this happened. I have been watching her closely and today, which would be day 27 according to my friend, while I was bathing her her tummy feels harder than normal and her nipples seem more distended. Whilst I would love to take her to the vet and get her x-rayed etc.I am super broke so I am wondering if this seems even more disasterous than more puppies... i.e. her breeding with a larger dog? She is fit and healthy and my guess is about 3 years old.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Jill

Answer
Hello Jill,
If it was just one breeding, there is a small chance your dog might not be pregnant.  On the other hand, sometimes it only takes once.  
On the chance she is pregnant, she would be due 63 days after the breeding.  Also, an ultrasound can't be done until after the 45th day.  

Even if the father is a larger dog, mother nature is pretty good about keeping the puppies small enough that they should be born alright.  To be on the safe side though, I would give your Vet a call just to let him know what is going on.  In some cases, the female might need to have the puppies by a C-section if they are indeed large puppies.  Most Vets are very accomidating about money and are willing to work out a payment plan if it is discussed ahead of time.

I hope this helps you some and if you have other questions in the future about whelping puppies, puppy care or other Poodle questions in general, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim