My Great Dane

Question
Hi, my question is about the current health condition of my female Great Dane. She is 15 months and the last 3 days has not been acting normal. She hasn't eaten anything, only drinks water, and is very lethargic. She also has started throwing up yesterday, only water and bile. Our vet thinks that it is merely something that she ate, but he did not run any tests. My sister-in-law suggested that she could be pregnant, and the last 2 days our 2 male dogs will not leave her alone. I would really appreciate any thoughts or suggestions you might have.
Thank you,
Lauren Kaufmann

Answer
Hi Lauren,

If your dog's condition has not improved since seeing your vet, then a return trip to the vet is called for. Perhaps your vet was trying to save you some money by not running unnecessary tests, but if it was only a matter of eating something that didn't agree with her, then it should resolve itself in about 48 hours.

If your dog went through her heat cycle and male dogs had access to her, then it's totally possible that she's pregnant. Some dogs do experience "morning sickness", and those symptoms are a little nausea and the loss of appetite. This usually happens about three weeks into the pregnancy. This should resolve within a week, so if an upset stomach or loss of appetite lasts longer than that or is accompanied by listlessness, something more serious is going on and the vet should be notified.

There are no pregnancy tests for dogs. A veterinarian has to examine your dog to confirm a pregnancy. Fetal heartbeats can be detected at around the 25th day from first breeding.

If this litter is unwanted unplanned, now is the time to talk to your vet about terminating the pregnancy. It would also be wise to spay your dog at that time.

Best of luck,
Patti