pregnant hick up

Question
Hi, i know you don't want any more questions about breeding but this is not about breeding.  Basically there was a couple whom live around my area whom had 2 huskies, 3yr old male and 2 yr old bitch..  the couple are now emigrating and needed to rehouse the dogs, we agreed that we would take them both in for her, so 3 weeks before we got them she had the male neutered but at the same time the bitch went on heat) the previous owners thought what good timing but since i have been advised that the male can still have viable sperm for up to 2 weeks..  if this correct she could be pregnant, as they were left pretty much to their own devices. we have now had the dogs approx 1 month, and the male has totally gone off food, and the bitch is constantly eating?  if she is pregnant it is approx 6 weeks?  what signs would their be if she is, as i would need to research all about this if she is???  

hope you can help me

Sarah

Answer
Whatever is going on with the male is not related, and needs to be investigated. It could just be stress due to the rehoming, but after a month, I would think that would be improved by now. You need to figure out why he has stopped eating and get him eating again.

As to the bitch, yes, she could indeed be pregnant (and sperm can last a bit longer than two weeks I've heard). Unfortunately, all the symptoms of pregnancy are the same as in a false pregnancy. You might try getting her into the vet and see if he is able to palpate her or do an ultrasound to determine if she is pregnant. After 50 days, an X-ray can also determine pregnancy.

If she is carrying a decent-sized litter, she should be starting to "show" a bit any day now, but if she only has a couple puppies, it may not be visibly detectable at all as she could be carrying them fairly high since I assume this would be a first litter.

If she is not pregnant, get her spayed as soon as possible. For the life of me, I can never figure out why people neuter their male(s) and leave their bitches intact! Talk about backward thinking.... the benefits of spaying a bitch far outweigh the benefits of neutering a male.