chihuahua pregnancy

Question
Hi, I'm not sure if this is a medical question or not, but I'll ask anyway.

My sister's female chihuahua is going to have 4 puppies. However, the date of conception was estimated (by my sister) to be about 6-7 weeks ago. The vet said in the next week or so the puppies would be born. But isn't 63 days about 9+ weeks? That would mean that in the next two weeks the puppies would be born. Is that right, or is our estimates off?

Thank you

Answer
Gestation is nine weeks... 60-63 days. They can come slightly earlier or slightly later than that. The puppies may not survive if they arrive too early, and if they are late arriving, it often means that something is wrong (ie. a dead puppy). Your sister should keep track of when the bitch comes in season and when she is bred; it makes things much simpler.