The first thing towards taking care of your pregnant dog is determining if she is indeed pregnant. You can look of signs of her pregnancy with the following clues. The first thing that even after mating, the vulva will not be going back to the regular size and will remain enlarged and be swollen. Then when your dog is into three weeks in her pregnancy, she will show loss in appetite and some nausea that is quite akin to morning sickness that pregnant women go through.
You can get an ultrasound done after the first three weeks to confirm if she is pregnant. The vet may also do a blood test after the breeding after four weeks to find out if she is pregnancy. When she is 45 days pregnant, you can have a radiography done to find out how many puppies are expected.
When your dog is gone 5 weeks into her pregnancy, you will see that her waist is broader and her rib cage also looks broader. The nipples will also become a darker pink in hue.
How long will the dog’s pregnancy last?
The gestation or pregnancy in canines can last around 63 days or 9 weeks. They will be delivering or whelping the puppies within 7 more days of the 63 day gestation period in some cases. You can make the calculations from the time you had her bred to come to the right date.
The dog’s diet during pregnancy
During her pregnancy, the bitch(female dog) needs to have diet that is good in quality. In the first 5 weeks of her pregnancy, you need not make changes to her diet. As we have said earlier, her appetite will go down along with the appearance of nausea in the 3rd week or so. Once she is into her 5th week and you can observe the broadening of her waist and rib cage, you can add more to her food. You need to do this gradually and bring it up by about 25%. You would also be well advised to add puppy food in her diet so that she can get extra nutrition for the puppies she is carrying.
Supplements
Take care not to go for any vitamin supplements as good food itself has lots of nutrients. In fact you should be aware, that certain vitamin supplements can be the cause of birth defects. Do make it a point to check with the vet on the best supplements in case you feel it is needed.
Physical activity
When a dog is pregnant you need to make sure that she has a regular exercise routine to ensure good condition of her muscles. So make it a point to take the dog out for short walks on a daily basis. This will ensure that her muscles are in good condition for the delivery. Take care to ensure that she does not become overweight for the sake of her health and that of the puppies.
Reply