How to Deal with a Dog Pregnancy
Start planning ahead right away to find the date that the pups' arrival is due., Make sure you take extra care of your dog., Prepare a whelping box, the place where your dog will have the puppies., Get other birthing equipment ready.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Start planning ahead right away to find the date that the pups' arrival is due.
Remember that not all dogs are the same, so this will be different depending on the breed and characteristics of your dog.
The average time it takes for a dog to make puppies is 63 days from the time of mating.
Once you have calculated this, you will be able to tell when she will give birth and make all of your plans from there.
Dogs can sometimes have pups 5 days before or after the date expected, but if it gets any longer than 5 days after contact a vet.
If your dog has had a scan and it says she is pregnant but she does not look it it may be she has absorbed the puppies after the scan.
Dogs can sometimes absorb puppies when they are sad or depressed.
It could also be that the scan in wrong as it is not 100% accurate all the time, for instance some people thought that their dog would have only 3 puppies when they have close to 11! It can be very confusing especially if you thought they were pregnant in the first place, but scans are not as accurate as they seem.
You can also have an X-ray done at a skilled vet centre but again these can be not that accurate. -
Step 2: Make sure you take extra care of your dog.
She is going through lots of hormonal changes and may need your affection.
At other times however, she may want to be left alone, and it is best if you do just that, you don't want to upset her or cause her harm.
She may go through morning sickness, a common occurrence in dogs, but this should wear off halfway through the pregnancy.
She will also begin to show on the outside, for example her nipples may start to grow and turn pinker and she may begin to lose her waistline.
These signs are all a stronger indication that your dog is pregnant and that things are going to work out but to be sure you can get an ultrasound scan or a x-ray from your vet to confirm that she really is pregnant.
However, do not worry if your dog does not experience some of the symptoms of pregnancy, some owners do not know their dog is pregnant until the day of arrival! , You can make a whelping box out of cardboard, it should be big enough for your dog to fit two of herself inside and for her to get in and out easily while the puppies can not.
The whelping box can be made by yourself or you can buy one off the Internet.
Making your whelping box is good because it saves money, but on the other hand the boxes are sturdier when you buy them.
It is a good idea to put a heat pad set on 'low' underneath some blankets so that the puppies can be warm when in the whelping box and feed off their mother. , You will a thermometer for taking your dogs temperature, powdered milk substitute, a pair of sterilised scissors and some dental floss, a baby bottle, some examination gloves and some weighing scales for weighing the puppies.
You should also keep a notepad handy to record times of birth and weight. -
Step 3: Prepare a whelping box
-
Step 4: the place where your dog will have the puppies.
-
Step 5: Get other birthing equipment ready.
Detailed Guide
Remember that not all dogs are the same, so this will be different depending on the breed and characteristics of your dog.
The average time it takes for a dog to make puppies is 63 days from the time of mating.
Once you have calculated this, you will be able to tell when she will give birth and make all of your plans from there.
Dogs can sometimes have pups 5 days before or after the date expected, but if it gets any longer than 5 days after contact a vet.
If your dog has had a scan and it says she is pregnant but she does not look it it may be she has absorbed the puppies after the scan.
Dogs can sometimes absorb puppies when they are sad or depressed.
It could also be that the scan in wrong as it is not 100% accurate all the time, for instance some people thought that their dog would have only 3 puppies when they have close to 11! It can be very confusing especially if you thought they were pregnant in the first place, but scans are not as accurate as they seem.
You can also have an X-ray done at a skilled vet centre but again these can be not that accurate.
She is going through lots of hormonal changes and may need your affection.
At other times however, she may want to be left alone, and it is best if you do just that, you don't want to upset her or cause her harm.
She may go through morning sickness, a common occurrence in dogs, but this should wear off halfway through the pregnancy.
She will also begin to show on the outside, for example her nipples may start to grow and turn pinker and she may begin to lose her waistline.
These signs are all a stronger indication that your dog is pregnant and that things are going to work out but to be sure you can get an ultrasound scan or a x-ray from your vet to confirm that she really is pregnant.
However, do not worry if your dog does not experience some of the symptoms of pregnancy, some owners do not know their dog is pregnant until the day of arrival! , You can make a whelping box out of cardboard, it should be big enough for your dog to fit two of herself inside and for her to get in and out easily while the puppies can not.
The whelping box can be made by yourself or you can buy one off the Internet.
Making your whelping box is good because it saves money, but on the other hand the boxes are sturdier when you buy them.
It is a good idea to put a heat pad set on 'low' underneath some blankets so that the puppies can be warm when in the whelping box and feed off their mother. , You will a thermometer for taking your dogs temperature, powdered milk substitute, a pair of sterilised scissors and some dental floss, a baby bottle, some examination gloves and some weighing scales for weighing the puppies.
You should also keep a notepad handy to record times of birth and weight.
About the Author
Pamela Harvey
Specializes in breaking down complex practical skills topics into simple steps.
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