So you think your dog is
pregnant!!
Female dogs typically have a heat season every 7 -9 months. These heat cycles last approximately 21 days. In the first 7 days the vulva enlarges and there is a pink discharge from the vulva as the bitch gets closer to being willing to breed. During this time most bitches are uninterested in a male’s attention. This status can change very quickly.
In the middle 7 days, a standing heat occurs. This means that the bitch will stand still for the male to mount her, often placing her tail to the side (known as “flagging”). There is no monogamy in dogs. Any male will do, and this can result in multiple fathers for an individual litter. Females at this point of the hormone cycle will accept attention from neutered males as well.
Neutered males can mount and breed with a bitch in season but this will not produce puppies. There are no sperm in a neutered male that can inseminate the bitch. Males with only one testicle can produce puppies because they are still producing sperm in that one testicle.
The last 7 days of a heat cycle the males are still interested but the bitch is not. Show’s over. The discharge begins to reduce and the vulva begins to return to its normal size as the hormones fade away.
The 7-7-7 guidelines are just that – guidelines. Some bitches come into standing heat in just a few days, while others can experience a split heat where she goes out of heat for a few days to a few weeks, and then comes back in.
If the bitch is bred, in approximately 63 days there will be one or more puppies if the bitch has ovulated (produced eggs) and the male has viable sperm. Problems occur if either dog has a venereal disease (transmits to the other dog, and can cause abortions and still-born puppies to occur), an infection, poor nutrition, or a variety of other circumstances that can prevent puppies from going full term and being absorbed early.
Nutrition is critical to the health of the mother and the puppies. Other health concerns include parasites such as round worms and fleas that can endanger the health of the puppies. Even the temperature of the area where the puppies grow up in the first few weeks can make a difference between wonderfully healthy puppies and puppies that loose strength instead of thrive.
There are two very good books to help you through the next few months. These can be found at dogwise.com and amazon.com. In addition, be prepared for problems – if we are not open, and puppies do seem to enjoy coming out in the middle of the night, the 24 hour emergency hospital in Tacoma has a great whelping facility and expertise (listed below). They are very helpful in answering questions to determine whether or not there is a problem with a puppy or with the mom.
We always encourage you to come in for a pregnancy radiograph in the last week of pregnancy to determine how many puppies there are, and whether or not the birth canal can accommodate the size of the puppies. If there is a single large puppy, or breeds with large heads this can be critical to determine whether or not a C-section might be required to get the puppies out.
Books:
Whelping and Rearing of Puppies, by Muriel Lee. TFH, 2003 (spiral). ISBN: 0793804973
Successful Dog Breeding, by Chris Walkowicz and Bonnie Wilcox. Howell Book House, 1994 (hardback). ISBN: 0876057407
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