pregnant chihuahua?

Question
QUESTION: I recently bred my chihuahua with my friends chihuahua. I left here there overnight, so was not able to see any tying, but did see ALOT of humping. They were together all night, so nobody is sure whether or not they tied. Now, she would be around 5 weeks pregnant if it took. Her appetite seems to have gone up. She lays around alot more. However, her nipples dont seem to have gotten much bigger, and I dont feel any puppies moving (they say you should be able to feel them at this point). Everynow and then her stomach seems to be a bit firmer, but then shell move, and its not. When she lays on my lap, she always moves so her stomach is in the air.  Do you think she is pregnant? Shes not a purebred, shes a pomeranian/chihuahua. So, her fur is a little thicker. I plan on keeping all the puppies. What do you think?

ANSWER: Hi Rachael:

It's certainly possible she is pregnant but may have a small litter. At five weeks gestation, it's unlikely you could feel the puppies moving yet although an experienced vet or breeder may be able to palpate her abdomen to feel the presence of fetal sacs. If I were you, I would have your vet examine her to see if palpating reveals anything & possibly have either an ultrasound done (can detect fetal heartbeats as early as 25 days gestation) or wait until she's at 50+ days gestation & have an X-ray done, which by then will reveal any fetal skeletons. She is exhibiting some pregnancy behavior but this could also be indicative of a false pregnancy so without something more decisive it's truly impossible to say with 100% certainty whether she is indeed pregnant.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: well, when i feel her stomach, i feel something small, but with substance. could this be a puppy? i swore i felt it twitch once. but it could just be the liver or intestines right. she has an appointment at the beginning of june for an xray. even if she just has one, i want to be for sure so when she does go into labor, i know how many to expect.

Answer
Hi Rachael:

It could be a puppy but bear in mind that at this stage the puppy itself is quite tiny & what you feel may be the fetal sac and/or placenta. The twitching you felt was more than likely gas in the intestines - it's difficult to distinguish the difference unless you've had a lot of prior experience. It's great you plan on the X-ray - knowing how many puppies to expect can be major of peace of mind! If the X-ray shows a definite three yet only two are born you know she still has at least one additional. Sometimes the X-rays can be difficult to read as often puppies tend to overlap so what might appear as two could be three, etc. The more developed the puppies are the more likely you'll be able to get an accurate number. Usually you'll begin to feel the first movement around 50 days gestation, give or take. Trust me, by the last week you'll swear they're having a soccer match in there! Even if it's only one or two puppies it's amazing the amount of movement they can generate. I'm including a few sites you'll probably find informative & useful. The first one gives a week by week progress on the developing puppies as well as helpful suggestions for care of the mom-to-be.

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

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

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

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