Dog pregnancy: signs of pregnancy and preparing your dog for childbirth

There is nothing equivalent to an animal like welcoming a new life in this world, especially if that life begins with beautiful little puppies , the possibility of having or receiving new pups in dogs is exciting, but just like human pregnancies, carrying dogs can be confusing and stressful.

If your dog is pregnant or if you plan to raise your dog, there is a lot of information you need to know, from signs of pregnancy in dogs to caring for your pregnant dog.
If you feel fear and anxiety, you have come to the right place. Here in the animal world the answer to your question.

How long do dogs carry?

When planning to breed your dog, you have to know the length of the period of pregnancy him who dogs . Knowing how long your dog is pregnant will help you plan things like veterinary checkups, emergencies, and the most exciting childbearing ... The

duration of pregnancy in dogs is approximately 63 days, or about two months. Much happens during this short period of time .. During the first month the fertilized eggs move to the uterine horn, where they implant themselves in the lining and begin to grow .. By the end of the first month, the vet can detect the heartbeat of the fetus, and development accelerates in the second month as the embryos develop into Identifiable puppies.

By the end of the second month and the beginning of the third month, the puppies are ready to be born, which means you need to be ready to receive them.

How do you know that your dog is pregnant?

Dogs do not have the option to obtain or use a pharmaceutical pregnancy test kit, which means that we have to rely on other methods to determine if our dog is pregnant. The most accurate way to find out about dog pregnancy is through diagnostic tests.

To learn more about dogs, Read Dog Information 

Diagnostic tests:

If you know the date on which your dog was born, your veterinarian can perform an abdominal palpation starting around day 28 to see if your dog is pregnant .. At this stage of pregnancy, puppies look like small golf balls or grapes according to the size of the dog. These "balls" are actually fluid-filled sacs surrounding an unborn baby. 

Touching the abdomen is difficult and dangerous and should not be attempted to do this without the help of a veterinarian because it can harm the puppies. The 
cysts also lose their distinctive shape after one month, which is why the timing of this test is so important.
Alternatively, the vet can perform an ultrasound between 25 days and 35 days of pregnancy to determine if your dog is pregnant. The ultrasound can also detect the heartbeat of the fetus, giving you an estimate of the number of pups the dog is carrying.
After 30 days of pregnancy, you can ask your veterinarian to measure your dog's hormone levels to see if they are producing relaxin. Relaxin is only released during pregnancy, which makes the test relatively accurate.
An X-ray is perhaps the most effective way to determine if a dog is pregnant. However, you need to wait until at least Day 45 to Day 55, as a puppy's skeletal details don't appear on an X-ray until then. That's why it's best to wait until Day 55 because waiting to perform an X-ray until Day 55 gives you an accurate count of the number of pups in the womb, allowing you to know how many pups to expect during birth.

Signs of pregnancy in dogs:

Diagnostic tests are not the only way to determine whether a dog is pregnant, although it is the most accurate, there are other signs that indicate a dog’s pregnancy that must be checked as well, including:

• Increased appetite
• overweight
• Increase the size of the nipples

With the approaching end of your dog's pregnancy, you will notice a great enlargement of her breasts and nipples, and you may also discover some milky fluid, as it will increase the size of her stomach and may swing a little while she is walking and this is at the end of pregnancy, and you may be able to see or feel the puppies moving inside the mother.
As far as pregnancy is a factor in these changes, it is important to remember that there are other conditions that can cause changes in appetite, weight gain, and flatulence. For more reassurance, we recommend that you take your dog to the veterinarian for a prenatal examination.

 

Ways to care for your pregnant dog:

Once you realize that your dog is pregnant, there are some steps you must take to ensure that she stays healthy throughout her pregnancy.

Proper nutrition

One of the most important things you must do for your pregnant dog is to ensure that she is receiving proper nutrition. If your dog is eating good dog food and is at a good healthy weight, she will not need to make any changes to her diet in the early part of her pregnancy unless your veterinarian advises you to do so. With her weight gain in the last five weeks of pregnancy, the AKC recommends that the American Kennel Club increase her food intake gradually, until she is consuming 35 to 50 percent more than usual. This is why increase her food intake slowly and feed her small and frequent meals, because large meals can cause her discomfort.

Visits to the veterinarian

Regular veterinary visits can help your dog to stay healthy during pregnancy. When you go there to confirm her pregnancy and check the puppies, your veterinarian will also check your dog for signs of illness, for example, or any other health problem. If you carried your dog by accident, this also calls for more attention and taking necessary precautions in the future, such as monitoring and others ..

There may also be emergencies that are not aware of what you should do during pregnancy. Therefore, while you are at the veterinarian for a prenatal examination, ask him what to do in such cases and make a plan with your family or the special pet sitter.

 

Preparing for receiving the puppies

If you want the delivery of your dog to be as comfortable and hassle-free as possible, the best way to do so is to set up a birth box. Also called a nesting box or procreation pen, these breeding boxes provide a safe, warm, comfortable, and easy-to-clean place for your dog and to raise her dogs. It is best to set this box away from all other dogs and in a quieter area to give the mother privacy and reassurance.

Once you have purchased or built a litter box, take some time to accustom your dog to it. Dogs find warm and safe places to place their dogs. If you do not introduce her to her chest in advance, she may decide to give birth in another place such as your wardrobe.

If this is your first time raising a dog, ask your veterinarian about what to do during labor, and read and educate yourself because you will need to be prepared to intervene as necessary during the birth process unless you are planning to become an experienced breeder.

You will have to prepare and assemble the necessary birthing supplies in advance, as everything is ready and within your reach when your dog goes into labor.

Watch out for these warning signs of dog labor - pregnant bitches may stop eating a few days before birth, and they may also start trying to build a home for their pups (we have this in the birth box). Many pregnant bitches begin to pant profusely, and their temperature drops from a normal temperature (100 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit) to 99 degrees or even less shortly before entering labor. After approximately 24 hours of this hypothermia you will give birth, and be the proud owner of a new batch of puppies.

The birth of puppies

Unlike humans, dogs generally give birth easily and do not need help and your role is to help only when necessary. Every puppy is born surrounded by its chorionic membrane. In most cases the mother tears this membrane, and sometimes eats it. If you don't, you will have to remove it, as puppies cannot survive more than a few minutes before their oxygen stores run out.

The bitch should also cut the umbilical cord while cleaning her pups. If she does not, then it is up to you to cut this cord, for example by tying it with some non-waxed dental floss. It is also recommended that you wipe the puppy's abdomen with iodine to prevent infection from entering through the umbilical cord. The cord must be tied and cut from the puppy by about 3 ~ 5 cm.

You should also keep track of the number of the placenta. A retained placenta can cause problems for the mother, so watch her carefully and watch the puppies to ensure they are all breathing normally and feeding the correct way of feeding from their mother.

Warning signs of labor complications

Sometimes during childbirth things can go wrong. Most dogs give birth easily, but it is important for the dog owner to know and sign the warning signs of labor complications.

• It is normal that labor is uncomfortable, and yet it does not necessarily cause severe pain to your dog. If your dog shows symptoms of discomfort and severe pain, contact your veterinarian immediately.
• If more than 2 hours have passed between the birth of the puppies, or if your dog has strong contractions that have lasted more than 45 minutes without being born, contact your veterinarian.
• Shivering or collapsing are warning signs of a serious complication that could put both your dog and puppy at risk.
• It is normal for the dog to secrete or excrete a dark green or bloody fluid after the first puppy, but if this occurs before the first puppy, contact your veterinarian.
• Some dogs are slow to go into labor, although if your dog does not show any signs of imminent labor after 64 days of her last mating, you should contact your veterinarian to find out if there is a problem.

Pregnancy can be stressful for dogs and their owners, but it will not be the case the more you know about dog pregnancy early and the better prepared you are to care for your dog and for more information about dog pregnancy, consult a veterinarian.