Boston Mix pregnant

Question
I have a Boston-Chihuahua mix, Tootsie, who is about 14 months old and is pregnant. This happened during her 2nd heat cycle, I'm pretty sure. A Rat Terrier got her pregnant on the 4th of Nov. so it has been 40 days and I'm just starting to worry I guess. I've tried to check her temp with a digital thermometer in her ear and it reads that her temp is around 97-98. I'm wondering alot of things... Will she have complications? Need a C-section? The size the litter might be? She is a Mama's girl all the way and I'm pretty attached to her also... just trying to take all the possible precautions. Any advice/tips/info would be greatly appreciated! By the way... does shedding increase during pregnancy? Just yesterday she began to shed worse than i've ever seen her do before!


Answer
Hi Kara.  The normal gestation period for dogs is between 58 - 63 days, so you still have a couple of weeks before she is due to deliver.

I'm sorry, but I can not tell you if your dog will need a C-section or not.  The rule of thumb that I follow (to help insure that a C-section will not be needed) is to never mate a female dog with a male dog that is bigger than she is.  

The reason so many Boston Terriers and Chihuahua's need to have C-sections is due to the large size of the puppies heads.  If the father of the puppies is big and has a large head, then there is a good chance that your female might need a C-section.  However, their is really no way to pre-determine this.

Shedding around the tummy and nipple area is common in pregnant dogs.

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

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