pregnant dogs

Question
my 3 yr old staffie bitch mated about 7wks ago her teats seem to be filling up and shes got a bit wider round her rib cage.this would be her second litter and shes not as wide as when she had her first litter. do you think she could be having pups?thanks louisa.

Answer
Hi Louisa.  The normal gestation period for dogs is between 58 - 63 days, so if your dog is expecting puppies she is approximately one week from her due date.

I can't tell you if your dog is going to have puppies or not, but I can give you some helpful advise, just incase she is.  Here is a link to a Dog Pregnancy Calendar that I use and love.

http://www.debbiejensen.com/date.html

Just type in the date you mated your female, at the top, and the calendar will print out a complete - week by week- listing of what you should expect.

I also suggest that you start taking your dogs temp and recording it at the same time each day.  The normal dog temp is between 101 - 102.5  In most cases, when the expectant mothers temp drops below 100, she will deliver within 24 hrs.  

Some people will try to "feel"  for the puppies, and try to count how many there are.   I strongly advise against this unless you have lots of experience.  Trying to feel for the puppies can cause them to become dislodged from the wall of the Uterus.

Some people take their females to a veterinarian to have X-rays.  I only advise that this be done in the case of medical reasons - just wanting to know if your dog is expecting, and or how many puppies she is expecting - is not, in it self, a medical reason.  If you and your vet feel that she may need assistance - such as a C-Section, then I agree that this is a good medical reason for X-rays.

The reason I am so opposed to X-rays in pregnant dogs, is for the same reason that no pregnant human will ever knowingly be X-rayed without proper leaded protection.  In fact, in most states it is against the law for a female under the age of 21 to even operate an X-ray machine.

Good luck, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have further questions.

Sincerely,
Penny DiLoreto
www.puppies-dot-com.com