How do I know if my dog is pregnant?
The pregnancies in bitches they can be difficult to detect. A responsible owner must be aware of the signs and symptoms of pregnancy to ensure proper health care. The most accurate way to reveal if your dog is pregnant is to go to the vet since a simple blood test and an ultrasound will give you the answer.
If your bitch is not spayed and you suspect that she may be pregnant, there are some signs and symptoms that you can look out for in order to know whether or not your bitch is expecting a litter. If you want to know the details that answer your question about how to know if my dog is pregnantKeep reading this OneHOWTO article in which we are going to reveal all the symptoms so that you can find out the answer.
How to know if my dog is pregnant – physical changes
All mammals when they are in the gestation period undergo various changes at different levels in their organism, bitches are no exception. Therefore, if you ask yourself and want to know the answer to how to know if my dog is pregnant You should pay attention both to some physical symptoms and to other possible changes that your dog may experience from the first days.
These are some of the Physical changes that will help you know if your furry is expecting a litter:
The breasts swell
One of the most visible physical changes that dogs have when they are pregnant is that they begin to notice swollen breasts. If you detect that they are larger than normal, it may be that your dog has been pregnant for a few weeks, since the animal’s body begins to prepare to later nurse the pups with breast milk.
nipples change
Your pet’s nipples will also warn you if she is pregnant, as the nipples enlarge and darken. This is also because the hormones are preparing your dog’s body for lactation. In some cases, it is possible to even begin to detect that a serum begins to come out of the bitch’s breasts, although this liquid is not yet the mother’s milk that the puppies will drink, it is another sign of pregnancy.
The gut is bigger
If you think that your furry one may be expecting puppies, an unmistakable symptom is that around the month of pregnancy you begin to notice that the belly is enlarged or swollen. If you notice that the size of your dog’s belly is larger than it was a few weeks ago, she looks somewhat bulging, and even this tummy distension is starting to go down, it’s quite likely that she’s going to have puppies in a few more weeks. When the swollen belly is already quite evident, you can feel very carefully and feel the puppies.
vaginal discharge
There are also changes in vaginal discharge, as it increases and can even change color and consistency, but never with blood as when they are in heat or in the estrus phase.
In addition to these symptoms to know if your dog is pregnant We must know how long a bitch’s heat lasts in order to be more sure of what moment of the cycle she is in and be attentive to whether or not she has been able to cross paths with a dog.
Discover what animal are you in this TEST
How to know if my dog is pregnant – behavior
In addition to the physical changes that pregnant dogs undergo, there are also a series of behavioral changes that can alert us to a possible pregnancy. To continue clearing up the doubt about how to know if my dog is pregnant, we recommend that you pay attention to any of these possible behavior changes of your furry which will tell you if your dog is pregnant:
The desire to eat changes
One of the symptoms that you should observe if you are wondering how to know if your dog is pregnant in the first days is a decrease in appetite. If you notice that in the last few days she has hardly any appetite and eats very little, it may be that she is pregnant.
This only happens at the beginning of the pregnancy because due to hormonal changes your furry will not be hungry, but as the days go by the appetite will increase and it will constantly ask for food. In order to feed your pregnant dog correctly, you must offer her sufficient and quality food to ensure that the puppies develop well, in addition, it is recommended that you offer her puppy food as this is more nutritious.
energy decreases
If she is usually a very active, playful and restless dog and, now, you detect that she is more stationary, tired and static, it may be that she is pregnant, because this is because the process leaves her more exhausted than usual.
Preparation of the nest for childbirth
Look for signs of nests, as these are your dog’s way of preparing for the birth and aftercare of the puppies. To make them you can scratch the floor, the wall or cushions and blankets to try to create a comfortable and soft place. The gestation process in bitches lasts a little over two months after mating and, when the time to give birth approaches, is when the bitch begins to look for the ideal place to have her puppies.
Other behavior changes
When the pregnancy is somewhat more advanced and there is little left for delivery, the dog will not want to go for a walk and we will even hear that it makes some noises such as moaning or sobbing due to discomfort and nervousness. In addition, her attitude towards her relatives can become more surly due to the fact that the instinct for survival and protection of her cubs arises.
How to know if my dog is pregnant or psychological
Something very important and about which you may have doubts is psychological pregnancy. if you wonder how to know if my dog is pregnant or psychological, you should know that this doubt is normal since in the event that it is psychological there will be pregnancy symptoms that will manifest themselves, however there are others that will not. The only 100% sure way to know if my dog has a psychological pregnancy is to go to the vet to have it checked out. In addition to physically checking her out, he will probably do a series of tests that amount to what we can call “pregnancy test for dogs“.
If so, it is vital to start treatment as soon as possible to prevent the problem from getting worse and to prevent other serious health problems such as mastitis from appearing.
Other things to keep in mind when pregnant with a dog
Now that you know the answer to how to know if my dog is pregnantyou should pay attention to other things of great importance related to the pregnancy of your furry:
- If you suspect that your dog is pregnant due to any of these symptoms, take her to the vet immediately so that you can do all the tests that are necessary to confirm the pregnancy and begin to do an exhaustive follow-up of your pregnancy to make sure that everything goes well.
- Likewise, it is important that you know well how long a dog’s pregnancy lasts, since it is always around 2 months, sometimes a few more days, but only your vet towards the end of the pregnancy will be able to tell you if it is a pregnancy that it will last just enough or if otherwise it seems that it can be extended and what should be done in each case.
- You should also know how you can give your furry the best care while she is waiting for her puppies, for this reason, we recommend reading this other OneHOWTO article where you will find how to care for a pregnant dog in full detail.
If you want to read more articles similar to How do I know if my dog is pregnant?we recommend that you enter our category of Pets.
Tips
- Seek veterinary attention as soon as possible. Your vet can give you the best advice for feeding and caring for your pregnant dog.
- If your dog appears to be ill and you are not sure if she is pregnant, take her to the vet as soon as possible. Listlessness and lack of hunger can mean other problems and not just a pregnancy.