is my akita pregnent?

Question
hi there, my name is danielle nolan and i live in the uk. I have an akita called kia and she is 3 years old on the 1st of december.She came on to her cycle on the 1st of october and we introduced her to the stud akita on the 3rd.At first she just played with him but by the 11th day she became stuck to him so we left it a day and took her back on the 13th day and she became stuck to him again.We have phoned to vet and he has gave us an appointment for the 18 of november.But i was wondering if there is anything i can feel for or look out for to see if she is.I don't really no if shes putting on wight other people say she is and shes always sleeping under out bed but i just don't no don't want to get my hopes up then it turns out shes not.Thank you very much for reading this from danielle

Answer
Hi Danielle:

With at least two successful ties achieved I'd say the chances of a positive pregnancy are high, assuming there's no underlying reproductive problem with either dog, such as the male having a low sperm count or your female not having viable eggs. Some of the early signs of pregnancy are a marked change in behavior, where she may seek more attention to you & other family members than she normally does. An experienced breeder or veterinarian can usually palpate her abdomen around 20-30 days after conception. After that brief window, the uterine swelling makes this too difficult to distinguish. A blood test can detect a hormone produced only in pregnant dogs called relaxin - non-pregnant dogs will not have this. This is also evident around mid-gestation, which sounds like where she is now.

Another way to determine pregnancy is via ultrasound, which can usually detect fetal heartbeats by 25 days gestation. At 45-50 days gestation, a simple Xray can show fetal skeletons & is a good way to know how many puppies to expect.

She may also show signs of lethargy & may experience a few bouts of "morning sickness" similar to pregnant women. Generally weight gain occurs more toward the latter portion of the pregnancy, usually noticeable by 45 days gestation. She will also begin nesting behavior which will become more vigorous the closer she gets to whelping.

I'm including a few links to sites for your review. They can go into greater detail & provide you with some additional sources of information.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/breedingpregnancyguide.htm

http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-dogpregnant.htm

http://www.advice-on-pet-care-and-pet-product-supplies-online.com/dog-reproducti...

http://ezinearticles.com/?Caring-For-a-Pregnant-Dog&id=439725

http://www.lifescript.com/Life/Family/Pets/Do_You_Know_About_Pregnancy_In_Dogs.a...

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/what-to-expect-when-you-are-expecting-puppies/page1...

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/pregnancy-in-dogs/page1.aspx

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=Signs+to+Tell+If+Dog+Is+Pregnant&page=1&qsrc=6&ab=7&u=h...

http://www.dog-spoiling-made-easy.com/care-of-pregnant-dog.html

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_care_of_the_pregnant_dog.html

The more you read & learn about her pregnancy the greater the chance of success. There's always the possibility of a false pregnancy which include all the signs of a positive pregnancy except for the medical diagnostic testing such as the ultrasound, relaxin blood test & Xray.

One final word of advice - now is the perfect time to begin to gradually change her diet to a high quality puppy food. She'll need the extra calories & protein, calcium, etc. to help her body to produce healthy puppies.

Please let me know if you have a diagnostic test done before the planned appointment or is you should have any additional questions. I'll be hoping for a healthy litter of beautiful puppies in about another month! I hope this helped you & wish you & your girl the very best!