my mini schnauzer pregnant or not

Question
I have a 3 yr old mini schnauzer and she was bred about 69 days ago. her milk has come in, but she doesn't seem fat, her hips are bigger and her eating has changed, and her attachment to me has gotten real bad,  but like i said her stomach is not big, every once in a while I'm sure i feel a puppy but then other times i cant. now i have been told that schnauzers carry their pups up in the ribs, so with some, you might not be able to tell for sure if she is preg or not. then i was also told that this breed of dog, actually conceive 3-7 days after being bred. i don't have a lot of money so that is why I haven't taken her to the vet. Is this all true, or do I really need to take her in

Answer
Bitches can only conceive after they ovulate, but sperm *can* sometimes live up to a week and fertilize the eggs once they are released... that is an occasional sperm; most do not live that long.

The thing is, most bitches will be QUITE unreceptive about being bred much before they are ready (ovulating), so it is unlikely that she was bred a week early, and at 69 days, your bitch is already a week overdue, gestation usually being 60-63 days. First-time bitches often do carry their puppies up higher in the ribcage... all bitches, not just schnauzers, and the puppies come down during those last few days before delivery .

Chances are that your bitch is having a false pregnancy as all the symptoms can be the same as in a real pregnancy. The only way to be sure would be to have an X-ray done to see if there is anything hiding in there... and if it is, it may well be dead as dead puppies can sometimes delay delivery.

Keep an eye out for green discharge, and if you see that, get your bitch in immediately! She would need to have labor induced to remove that puppy, or have a C-section if that doesn't work, as anything in there MUST come out or you will lose your bitch.

Personally, I vote for the X-ray. You will then know positively one way or the other.

No, breeding dogs is never a cheap undertaking... monetarily or emotionally. There may be whelping costs (C-section) and there are additional expenses of tails/dewclaws/cropping, extra food, vet checks, inoculations, wormings... and that is if things go well. One must always remember that where there is life, there is death, and that is the hardest part of breeding dogs.