pregnant golden

Question
Hi

I'm hoping you can answer a couple questions for me. Our dogs "tied" the first week of November.  We took her to the vet 1-1/2 weeks ago, and the vet couldn't tell if she was pregnant.  And, their x-ray machine was not working!  He told us to come back in two weeks, but I am thinking we may have puppies by then.  Peyton is obviously much bigger in the past week or so.  She has lost the hair around her nipples, she always seems to have to go outside, she is panting a lot recently. Should I be seeing other signs?  I don't know if she has milk, and I don't see any puppies moving under there at all.  Should I be able to see movement? Early this morning, it did look like her belly was contracting, and she was acting very strange!

Answer
Hi Karie. She very well could be having what's called a false pregnancy. They will exhibit the same exact signs of a realy pregnant dog, and sometimes even have contractions. I would treat her like a pregnant dog until you know for sure. If you're not seeing any puppies moving around, that may just mean that she may only have a few in there. I would take her back to the vet, or a different vet, and find out for sure. Especially if she's having contractions. This would be the safest thing for you and her. That way, you'll know if you need to be prepared for puppies, or to help a mom through a false pregnancy. Good luck!