dachshund pregnancy

Question
Denise,
I hate to keep bothering you, I was just wondering if there is any sure fire way to tell if my little doxie is really pregnant.  Her tits began swelling less than a week after her first tie, and her vulva is still swollen.  She is 3 weeks 1 day in from her first tie.  Her weight and size don't seem to be changing much though.  My vet says he can't see anything on the xray until about 55 days, but I've heard that some vets can see in 25 - 30 days.  Should I find a different vet or trust him?  She is a petite dog anyway, and I'd hate to wait til its too late to do anything about it.  Any advice?

Answer
Hi Ginger:

Usually an experienced vet or breeder is able to palpate the fetuses around 20 to 30 days gestation. An even more reliable test is an ultrasound, which can detect fetal heartbeats at about 25 days gestation. True, a normal X-ray can't show the fetal skeletons until they're well-developed - usually 50+ days gestation but the X-ray is the only reliable source for counting the number in the litter. It's not always 100% accurate as often one puppy may "hide" behind another but it will give you a close idea. If your vet doesn't have an ultrasound or isn't experienced in canine reproduction then I would advise you to find another vet who's more experienced in this field. I hope this helps & wish you the very best!