Thread: How to Tell if Your Dog is Pregnant?

The only reasonable thing to do in my opinion is to go to your vet and take it for tests. I heard about taking an ultra-sound, but I don't know what an ultra-sound is.. If it looks pregnant (size) then it probably is pregnant. But until you're sure, don't go to your vet yet because it will cost lots of money. I'd look on Google as well and find sites that give you actual info.

IMO, if your dog is pregnant it should be because it's been bred and you want puppies.

Otherwise you dog should be spayed. There is less risk of mammory cancer and you don't have to deal with a bitch in heat.

Spay/Neuter your pet!

But back on topic, as Prophet said it's very hard for even the experienced breeder to tell. My trainer, breeds her dogs, and they go in for ultrasounds afew weeks later. Although sometimes you can tell when they get pudgy in tuck.

Well, Lady was bred last year for the first time (planned, of course) and she showed all signs of being pregnant, weight gain, enlarged nipples, temperment change and the swelling didn't go down after the breeding. We prepared for the little ones arrival. She had experienced a false pregnancy and when her due date came, she lost the weight and went back to normal. To find out, the male (which is owned by my in-laws and I picked him out) could not produce. I have waited a year to try again and have just bred her with Copper this weekend and hope to have puppies this time. We will do an x-ray about a week before her due date to see if and how many little ones we will have. This proves that all the signs can mean a false pregnancy as well.

Tiff

Again, referring to my "Dog Bible" as I am learning to become a dog trainer..."signs of pregnancy include enlarged nipples, a slightly swollen vulva, increased appetite and a cranky or demanding personality. An ultrasound can confirm a pregnancy as early as 18 to 25 days."

Well that's all good things to know; somehow, we always think that it'll be 'easy' to tell...but it never ends up being that way.

Knowing if a dog is pregnant is difficult for even the experts at times. An ultrasound at 21 days is a good practive as they should be able to see heart beats at that time. But...if you have a big dog with one pup, that pup could be hiding behind the spleen or the ribs. Therefore, if the ultrasound is negative, see if they will repeat it (hopefully at a discount if not free) at 30-35 days. If the ultrasound is negative at this time, she probably isnot pregnant.

Hello all. I read all the post about a dog being pregnant and still have questions. I had my boxer breed between 1 August and 4 August about 6 days after we first noticed blood. I was wondering if I breed her too early, but the breeder said she wouldn't take if it was to early. He said that they locked up eight times and that she should be pregnant because his stud has never missed.
However, at what was believed to be day 32 from the first breeding I took her to the vet for a blood test, which came back negative. The vet said that the test is 100% accurate at day 32 which would have been from the 1st of Aug and 90% accurate at day 28, which would have been from the 4th. So he said more than likely she is not pregnant. First of all how accurate is the test because 90 and 100% seems pretty far fetched. Does anyone have experience whith the blood test?
She has displayed all the signs of pregnancy i.e. wight gain (9lbs), teet enlargement, eating like a horse,temperment change, sleeping all day long, swollen vulva still, grunting all the time, not letting anyone touch her belly except me.
I have spent a lot of money to have her breed and for the various test on her to make sure she was healthy so is there any other way to tell if she is pregnant now at home?
I also have heard that sperm can live in the bitches uterus for a week, so can she actually be a week earlier than we all thought?
I am really baffled about this false pregnancy thing because of her previous heats, she has never experienced a false pregnancy. I have also heard about a stethascope and listening for the puppies, at what day can I hear this, what does it sound like, and where do I listen?
Thank you for the help.
Jim

Okay, well I didn't get any answers from the thread, but this website guided me to another site that was very helpful. I thought I had searched them all but I guess not.
Anyway the last few days there has been a lot of movement in Roxy's side and we weren't sure if it was bowels or a puppy. Well last night conformation came.....heartbeats!!!! We heard at least two with a stethascope. She is anywhere from 3 to 9 days from delivery, we are all so excited. So the really accurate blood test that was 90 to 100% accurate, wasn't that accurate. Now we just sit and wait a couple more days. We went from dissapointment to excitement. Hip Hip Hooray!

my Dog has got a very hard tummy and it is bigger than usual + she keeps going to hide in a hole under sum paving slabs, could she be trying to make a nest? + she has grown alot of hair o n her tummy i wunder if it natural and if they pull it out to make the nest as well?.
and her nipples are larger than normal. she is also drinking more than normal.
she finished her last season begining of august and we have just noticed this change, we have a male boarder terrior but he would have been 7 month old, is this to young?
thanks
h b f

I have a Bassett hound and she has a saggy belly and her nipples are getting a little bigger. Could she be pregnant? HELP!!!!!!

Dogs should only be bred by breeders that have done all the tests that are required by that breed . Now that is in a perfect world we dont live there .I know sometimes its hard to tell on dogs the dont realy show till the pups are born . but if you bred on purpose you would be watching and ready for pups any way . now as hard as dogs are to tell donkeys the minis are even harder to tell they carry there foals from 11 1/2 to 13 months and that is normal and sometime they look in foal sometimes not and ultrasounds dont work good and they are to small to do a plevic so you just got to wait and wait and watch.
but if the world was perfect we wouldnt have people with dogs asking if my dog could be having pups. and we would not have unwanted pups at all . boy that would be great .

Originally Posted by sobreeze

Dogs should only be bred by breeders that have done all the tests that are required by that breed . Now that is in a perfect world we dont live there .I know sometimes its hard to tell on dogs the dont realy show till the pups are born . but if you bred on purpose you would be watching and ready for pups any way . now as hard as dogs are to tell donkeys the minis are even harder to tell they carry there foals from 11 1/2 to 13 months and that is normal and sometime they look in foal sometimes not and ultrasounds dont work good and they are to small to do a plevic so you just got to wait and wait and watch.
but if the world was perfect we wouldnt have people with dogs asking if my dog could be having pups. and we would not have unwanted pups at all . boy that would be great .

thanks for saying it..... why are there all these intact bitches out there. If you need to ask these questions then you shouldn't have an intact dog and you shouldn't be breeding..... folks should be doing their homework PRIOR to breeding their dog.... not to mention showing or doing performance events to make their dog proove they are worth breeding and contributing to the gene pool..... and what about health clearances folks..... this is nutty......
S

We have had many instances in which our girls grew bellies and ended up not being pregnant. Right now our Sammie might be seven weeks pregnant and we are going to bring her in for xrays tomorrow. Jeez...