Shih Tzu Pregnancy Question

Question
I have a question regarding my 2 yr old shih tzu.  I'm hoping you can help.  She went into heat and on December 1st was her 9th day into her estrus and I brought the stud home and he was here with her until the December 3rd.  I witnessed the ties (at least 4) which lasted about 20 min. each.  Now I've noticed her nipples have grown a bit and she is a little more sleepy so I thought for sure she is pregnant but her belly hasn't changed and I took her in to the vet this morning and he gave me news I didn't want to hear.  She's not pregnant.  She felt her tummy and said he didn't feel anything.  Today would be her 29th day.  Could it be possible that she has a very small litter?  Or maybe the wrong timing?  She actually just vomited so I had read that this is also a good indication that they are pregnant.  Also, she had a thick clear discharge exactly a month after the breeding took place.  It was odorless and she had it for about 2 days. What does this mean

She is a heavy bleeder throughout her cycle for exactly three weeks so I just decided to mate her on the 9th day because I heard that the 9th - 14th were good days but unfortunately the stud had to leave after 3 days with her.

Should I give up hope or is there still the possibility she could be pregnant.  She is on the bigger size for shih tzu's (15 lbs.)

Thank you in advance.

Angelica

Answer
Hi Angelica

It could be that she was bred to early in her season however, I find just feeling around for pups not very accurate and/or reliable. Personally, I would wait until after she is 50 days and take her in for x-rays.  It is possible that she is experiencing a false pregnancy.

Good luck