is my boxer bitch pregnant

Question
QUESTION: my boxer bitch who is 2yrs old and was and mated, on 28 days of pregnanacy was palpated by vet and he said he could feel at least 5 big pups. She has only gained 3kg of weight but her ribs are much larger then they were, before pregnancy began. We recently took her to the vet at 54 days as she has not put on anymore weight and he said that he could not feel any pups now. The breeder said that her bitch was the exactly the same in her first pregnancy and she did not start showing pregnancy signs until the last day of pregnancy. Can boxers hide their pups in their rib cage? and can the vet feel them if they are under the rib cage? We are now on the 55th day of pregnancy and are confused? Please help

ANSWER: Hi Annette. It's very possible. I've had a few bitches that carried their pups way up high, and you'd swear that she wasn't pregnant. Since she's past day 50, you can have an x-ray done just to make sure. If she's carrying them up high, then you most likely wouldn't be able to feel them. My best advice would be to have the x-ray done, or just wait her out. Good luck!

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QUESTION: on day 54 when i took her to the vet,he said she must of reabsorbed them.Do they reabsorb all of the litter and why?and can they still think there pregnant and go through a phantom pregnancy.

ANSWER: They can reabsorb only one, or the whole litter. It's usually caused by injury, illness, poor diet, there are many different things that can cause this. Some of them may go on to have a false pregnancy. I still suggest having an x-ray done just to be sure. Reabsorption usually happens early in the pregnancy. How many days is she now?

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QUESTION: she is 58 days, she has not been ill,her diet has been good ,no injuries and very fit.when she was asleep and relaxed i was sure i saw a lump appear just below her ribs,move and then bella moved and the lump disappeared

Answer
While she is sleeping on her side, slip one hand under her. Put i close to her ribs, but still under the belly. Put the other hand on her other side, also close to the ribs. Put a tiny bit of pressure, not a lot, and slowly move both hands down to her hips. (You can also do this when she's standing up.) You may be able to feel a puppy. If she's only having one, it may be kind of hard to feel. Some Boxer girls carry their pups up high, and it's hard to feel. I would treat her as if she's definitely pregnant, and set up her box just in case. You only have a few more days to go. Watch for her to loose her mucus plug. It's really hard to tell for sure without seeing the dog. Do you have any pictures?