My 8yr old boxer is pregnant

Question
My boxer Cinnamon is 8yrs old and accidentally got bred to my chocolate labrador she is on her 16th day tomarrow from when she was bred(explains on this site here) http://en.allexperts.com/q/Dog-Breeding-Whelping-3634/2008/1/Accidental-Breeding...
we put her on puppy chow yesterday 2/10/08 her tummy is starting to buldge alittle bit she is starting to sleep more how can I tell if she is pregnant I know NOT to feel her stomach because that can damage the placentas if not felt by an experienced vet can you give me tips and advice to help me through my dogs pregnancy I had her since I was 5 and I don't want anything to happen to her I already know that she is too late to recive the "mismate shot" so she will have to deliver them I have marked the day she is going to deliver them and she will have them on April Fools Day I also have another question what day can I get a ultasound for my pregnant boxer Cinnamon??? is it the 4th week?? I don't know anything about breeding dogs all I know is not to split them apart when they are in the tie my father wanted to do that and I told him if he did both of the dogs would die so he didn't is it normal that a dog that as never been bred before yelp the whole time during the tie?? we were going to breed her to another purebreed boxer before but she only breeds with the dogs she lives with I'm already prepared so if she is pregnant that the puppy comes with a spay/neuter contract because there are already too many mix breeds in the world why add to them!! I'm going to be VERY picky on where these puppies go to because you have a majority of people who like to breed their mix breed dogs to make money I tell them if you want to make money get a real job!! I plan on keeping one of the puppies and train her to be a therepy dog to go to hospitals and such the father is a home trained service dog for my dad, he has epileptic seizures and Hunter my chocolate labrador detects them 15min before they happen he is also a search and rescue dog in training so the puppies will be VERY good therepy dogs,service dogs, search and rescue dogs or what ever they want to do with them I really don't know what to do during a dog pregnancy so please help me
this is the link to see my boxer Cinnamon
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/645940

-Ashley

Answer
Hi Ashley

First I would get her OFF the puppy chow.  Any puppy food is higher in fat and protein, this in turns causes the pups to grow larger in utero but can cause complications during whelp. And also you have to take into account that the male you bred with is larger than your female.  At her age, she needs to have an easier time.  A high quality kibble is what she needs.

It is not normal for a dog (I'm assuming it was the male) to yelp the entire time they were tied.  I have to wonder if there was an infection or was he damaged (scratched, bruised, etc.)?

If it was an infection, and you did not do any testing prior to breeding, this can cause the entire litter to expire.

Ultrasound is a good idea, but I would do x-rays after day 50.

You said she only breeds with dogs she lives with, so I'm assuming this is not her first litter.  When was her last litter and what was the outcome?   At her age, you have a higher risk of complication during whelp and a higher risk of mortality in her pups.