boxer

Question
My boxer was bred for the very first time November 26th. She was tied a few times with our male. We saw her fill out a little bit not much but enough to notice and then her nipples to get a little big. We think her vulva has been swollen since her heat. On saturday I saw a little bit of a clear discharge. I took her to a vet we have not seen before about two weeks ago and she said she isn't pregnant and based it off palpating her. My vet is out of the office until Feb 2. I never doubted that she was pregnant until the vet said she isn't. Now I am unsure. Her belly seems to have grown and the last four nipples down near her vulva are swollen and hang a little bit. I know about false pregnancies and do not know if she is having a false one or a real one. I don't know what to think anymore. I have done as much research as possible and am currently reading a breeding a liter book. I have heard many different sides of stories about false pregnancies and even labors. Do you think she is pregnant or is it a false labor. She would be due around Jan 29th to a week after that if that helps.  

Answer
Hi Jackie

Was the male proven and did you have him tested prior to breeding?  How old is your female?  What season was this for her?  What day of her heat to did breed? Did either of them have a infection, cut, fever, or bath prior to mating?

False pregnancies are very common and you can be waiting right up until her due date just to discover she's absorbed her litter or didn't take.

The problem with false pregnancies is are that you have all the signs without the end result.  She will have milk, her stomach will pouch, she'll nest and some will even have contractions.  But no pups.

What you needed to do was measure both her chest and her stomach.  With a false pregnancy only her stomach will grow with a true one both her chest and stomach will expand at the same rate.

As of right now you can do only two things, either take her for x-rays to confirm that she isn't (or she may have only a singleton) or wait it out.  Sorry my advise couldn't be any more positive.

Good luck