# dog's first pregnancy- due date questionable for next 2 weeks



## lunagardens (Jul 17, 2005)

She is about 1 1/2 yrs. old. An american pointer lab mix- medium size.
This is her first pregnancy. The only possible date for her interactions with an intact male was April 4th-5th. Previous to that she had interacted with a fixed-(3 yrs ago)- 12 yr old boxer male.
She has been behaving very uncomfortable. Moves around alot. Constantly at my side. If I move, she goes with me.
Last night she slept in my bed for the entire night-very rare for her. I heard her off and on make uncomfortable sounds. 
Within the last 24 hours it appears as though she has "dropped" and has her thin ribbed pointer appearance - other then a hanging belly with droopy nipples.
Which brings me to what else has alarmed me. Her nipples/milk gland area has drastically enlarged to look like this in the last 24 hours:








Should I expect her to birth earlier then we thought? It seems her mammaries are droopy when she stands. She is obviously still pregnant when she lays down.
Any input on what to expect?
I am rather puzzled since this is the first dog pregnancy for me since I was 12 yrs old..Been awhile..


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## Menglish (May 7, 2009)

I'm not a vet but I don't see anything that would worry me. You can pull on the nipples and see if you get milk. I generally find that when I can get a bit of milk you are under a week until whelping. If your dates are right you should still have a couple of weeks until she has the pups. For now make sure she has plenty of water, a good high quality food and don't be surprised if she doesn't eat a lot for a few days. I like to add an egg or two each day to a gyp's food during pregnancy. 

Hope this helps some.

Mike


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## GoldenMom (Jan 2, 2005)

From what you are describing, I think your dates are wrong. She sounds like she's getting close...really close.


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## lunagardens (Jul 17, 2005)

I tried an online search to get more details on the last 2 weeks of dog pregnancy and seem to find just generalized information.
I have not tried to see if she has milk so will check on that in a bit.
I am just worried about how soon since she roams with me throughout the property and I had read somewhere that if they could run off to birth outside if they are let out too close to impending labor. It has taken me until just before her pregnancy to get her to listen when it comes to staying in the property lines and to come back when she goes outside of them with a simple "now" command.
I like to reward her good behavior by not putting her on a leash/line. She goes on the line if she does not listen to commands- when she does listen, she remains able to roam and play with us.
Anyway- enough of my babble, just wanted to explain why I have been so worried about the date of impending labor. We are outside all day and she will not leave my side. But after reading about the possible flight risk and seeing her symptoms I became a bit worried.
LOL.
Thank you for the advice.


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## Willow101 (Feb 20, 2008)

Looks to me like she is very close.

The simplest way to know when to expect pups is to take mom's temperature morning and night. This should be started about two weeks before the due date for best results but I would start now anyway.

A dog's normal temp is somewhere between 100-102. Ask five different people what normal is and you are likely to get five different answers. That is why you want to start early. You want to determine what is normal for your girl. You will also see differences between morning and evening readings any starting early helps you to determine what is normal.

When a ***** is close to whelping her temp will drop dramatically. When I say dramatic I mean it is likely to go down as far as 98 degrees. Then it will start back up and it is during this time that she will have the pups. Before the drastic drop you will notice slight drops from her normal temp. We jokingly call these practice runs. It is safe to say that once she has dropped you will see pups within 36 hours.

Hope this helps. Start taking the temp now and record the temps. 

As for keeping her on leash....GOOD idea. As she gets closer to delivery she will nest and try to find a dark secluded spot. You should have an area ready for her that she feels comfortable and it not in the middle of normal house activity. She needs a private place to have her babies. Even when you give her that she will still start to look for her favorite spot and that sometimes means running off and hiding.

Willow101


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## lunagardens (Jul 17, 2005)

Thank you willow101.
I will have to go out and get another thermometer, I have just the one for the kids. LOL.
I have noticed her using her box I set up next to my bed more and more. It is between the bed and a wall on the far side of the room. She seems to really like it. I have begun shutting all the other doors in the house at night so she will not go hide under one the kid's beds when the time comes, and leaving her access to the main portion of the house and our room. She stays with us at night, so I think she may prefer it as her "safe spot".
Thank you again. i will make sure she is on the leash or line from now on we go out. I feel bad since she loves to lay in various shade spots in the yard which would only be accessible without a line. But safe is better then sorry.
Thanks again.
.


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

Put her first bred date in a program and came up with this:

Thu 21 May 2009 -
Fri 29 May 2009 Dam begins to spend a lot more time in self-grooming.
Her breasts become even more swollen.
She may become a bit restlessness and begin to search for a suitable place to have her puppies .

Sat 23 May 2009 The dam might lose her appetite during this period. Her abdomen can be crowded with puppies.
It is better to feed several smaller meals spaced throughout the day.
You can easily detect abdominal movement now.
Sat 23 May 2009 -
Sun 7 Jun 2009 Nipples and vulva should be gently cleaned with warm water, you might want to trim the hairs surrounding the nipples, to allow easier access for the puppies to suck.

Tue 2 Jun 2009 -
Fri 5 Jun 2009 Milky fluid may be expressed from the nipples.

Wed 3 Jun 2009 You might want to start taking the dams rectal temperature each morning and evening.

Sat 6 Jun 2009 Twelve to 24 hours before she is due to deliver, the dams rectal temperature may drop from 101 to 98 degrees.
Clear discharge from the vulva might occur.

Sun 7 Jun 2009 Expected date of whelp. Of course this is just an average. Whelping may take place from the 59th to the 65th day. Puppies born before the 58th day will probably be too young to survive. 


That said, she does not look to me like she is ready quite yet. Or she is carrying a small litter (unlikely for an accidental breeding of a young *****- they normally have large litters). 

You should be taking the temp twice a day to watch for the drop, but it does not always work. I have missed the drop and the signs of labor (and I have been doing this for many years) and went out for a quick run to the store to come home to the first couple pups born- on my clean clothes of course. I have also known labor was evident and missed the first pup born...as the ***** walked down the hall and back and on her way delivered the pup and kept walking- found the pup in the sac on my way to the bathroom..right around the corner less than 2 ft away from me. I was able to get the pup out of the sac quickly and revive it though. Always supervise potty breaks when the ***** is in her last 2 weeks and take a flashlight for night time breaks. Even after finished whelping, do the same. I had a dog whos mom was out of a litter that the last pup was born outside and not found till the next morning....fortunately it was not winter and somehow the pup survived till it was found the next morning.


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

Also remember it's her first pregnancy, she may consider giving birth to making a giant bowel movement and be embarrassed and try not to give birth! It happened to my pit bull. She was anal about being housebroken ever since she was 3 months old. She eventually gave up and gave birth on my bed staining it a nice purple/green! On her 2nd litter, she was much more relaxed but I had to help her give birth both times because her pups were all born with extremely short cords and they would be stuck to her privates and she would attempt to chew off the cords but that would've meant ripping out their stomaches so I had to do it with scissors dipped in idione. Worked fine.


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## lunagardens (Jul 17, 2005)

WOW! Thank you for the fantastic advice/tips and a very helpful "calender". Like I said, its been awhile and with her being such a "ribby" dog, seeing the "drop" on her appeared more drastic to her appearance. 
My girl is a private potty girl too. When we brought her home from the pound (got her just 1 hour before the impending putting down of all in the pound) she was around 6 weeks old. it was mid winter so I potty trained her to use newspaper in a certain spot on vinyl flooring. The snow would cover her at such a small size, so I thought it best to start her out that way. Even if there is no newspaper laid in that spot, she will only go there at night.
I have to say, pregnancy has made a difference in her temperament. She is much more protective of our other animals and our children. If the neighbors dog starts barking at her "kids" she will run over and give him an ear full through his fence. She will only allow her "fixed" dog friend any access to the animal area and that may be because he shows no interest in "her" chickens or rabbits.LOL. It's like a switch flipped and she listens to every command. Hopefully it is permanent. 
I was not happy about her getting pregnant (mainly because as soon as her heat was over she was to be fixed), but I love my girl. And as with any good "dog mommy", the upset washes away as her pregnancy continues and the thought of her little "cubs" chasing through the yard makes me smile.
Thank you for all the fantastic advice. It has helped me feel better knowing this is all normal and not signs of early births.


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

Any idea of what breed the father is?


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## lunagardens (Jul 17, 2005)

well. I have seen the dog before and when my husband described the dog he saw "standing close to her" I can only say not a clue as to the breed. He was a large sized dog,beautiful *long* black hair with a Shepard brown coloring on the face. I do not know who owns him. Only seen him around a few times. Its not odd to have some dogs roaming in the wee hours around here. I assume people let their dogs out to potty in the morning and do not stay with them. 
Every time she looks uncomfortable when my husband is around, I say to her, I know...Look at what daddy did to you... I was gone the night it happened and being that he has never been around a dog in heat (only has owned 2 dogs and both were fixed), he put her on the line because she would not stop loving on him and kept whining at the door... Now he knows better!!


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## Willow101 (Feb 20, 2008)

This is a bit of thread drift ....but I will risk it. 

Your situation is a classic argument FOR neutering males. So many people think spaying the female is fine but there is no need to neuter the males. Here we have an owner...your husband...who put the dog outside and tied her up. Completely responsible. Then we have another owner who lets their dog run the neighborhood. At the very least, if the dog is going to be allowed to run....he should be neutered. The situation is the male is allowed to find as many females as possible to impregnate yet the male's owner is completely clueless or uncaring about their contribution to the overpopulation problem.

Willow101


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## Rouen (Aug 19, 2004)

Willow101 said:


> Here we have an owner...your husband...who put the dog outside and tied her up. Completely responsible.
> 
> Willow101


I have to disagree with you, anyone who tethers a ***** in season outside is asking for puppies, it's not responsible.


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

the one who tethers the dog is at least keeping their dog on their property. If everyone did that..then we wouldnt be having this disccussion,.


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## Willow101 (Feb 20, 2008)

lamoncha lover said:


> the one who tethers the dog is at least keeping their dog on their property. If everyone did that..then we wouldnt be having this disccussion,.



That was exactly my point. If ALL pet owners were responsible then tethering a dog outside would not be an issue. And of course if those who just couldn't cope with keeping Fido home would neuter, then again....tethering wouldn't be an issue.

The husband made a mistake but he thought he was doing the right thing. The owner of the loose dog is the irresponsible one in this story.

Willow101


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## Rouen (Aug 19, 2004)

yes you're right, theres no such thing as wild canines that can inter breed with domestic dogs, or should they all also be kept on tethers too?
I'm not saying the owner of the sire is responsible, but tethering a ***** in season regardless of where, unless supervised, is irresponsible, if you do so you are asking for a litter. if he didn't want a litter he should have been standing outside with her with something to keep any interested males away.


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## Willow101 (Feb 20, 2008)

Rouen said:


> yes you're right, theres no such thing as wild canines that can inter breed with domestic dogs, or should they all also be kept on tethers too?
> I'm not saying the owner of the sire is responsible, but tethering a ***** in season regardless of where, unless supervised, is irresponsible, if you do so you are asking for a litter. if he didn't want a litter he should have been standing outside with her with something to keep any interested males away.


Of course he should have stayed outside with the dog but he didn't know that. That isn't being irresponsible. Based on his knowledge he tried to do the right thing. It was a lack of knowledge and understanding that led to this dog getting pregnant....not a lack of caring or a consciously irresponsible act. Or at least that is how I see this situation anyway.

Why is it we expect pet owners to be experts in pet care...as knowledgable as the professionals. That is like saying that anyone who has a driver's license should be able to do major repairs on their car. 

Willow101


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

Yes, hubby lacked the knowledge, and even people who know better can have accidental breedings. Just like you have to protect your livestock from predators, you have to protect unaltered animals from being bred. 
I am wondering though how a dog adopted from a shelter was allowed to go unaltered until a year and a half old though. They should have required the dog be spayed before a year old.


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## lunagardens (Jul 17, 2005)

Well to show "responsibility" I talked with the Vietnamese family down the road and they were more then happy to take every single puppy she has to prevent any further breed able animals out there.Waste not want not right?!
Geesh- what a thread drifter and not to mention BACK OFF my husband.
There is no need for anyone to throw insults around and behave as though only their opinion is the right opinion. This is EXACTLY why I hesitated coming to the pet forum.
I do not believe in fixing a female animal until it is full size. Our vet said it is best to wait till they are 1 yr old. It is our decision to make. Now we have puppies on the way from a simple oops that happens. No one is immune to it- human or animal. After all, this was her third heat- not like we just let her roam the neighborhood..oh yeah.. Thats right. Thats what owners of males do....
Let it die people. Just let it go...
And just to kill anymore curiosity, the pound does not follow up or require anything other other then a license where she was at.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

wow, i couldnt have said it better my self Lunagardens, i personally would still like to hear how the mom and pups are doing so please dont let a few zelots with a bone to chew keep you from posteing,


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## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

I don't have an issue with folks choosing not to alter. Now the folks down the road, whose husky was having a liaison with the other neighbors Am. Bull in my front yard? THAT I take issue with. My chickens do too, I'm sure. :help: And that because the owners of both can never be bothered to keep them home, because "Aww, she/he wouldn't hurt nuthin..." 

But, the best dog I have ever owned came from a backyard oops in which a neighbors male bent down a chainlink fence to get at the family pet inside. Course, Mr. Intact Import, cost-more-than-my-car's owners never offered so much as a bag of kibble to the mother's owners. That bugs me too. You litter, clean it up, one way or another. 

Maybe I'm different, but to me, an animal is an animal. All are deserving of care, and none is more valuable than the other on a large scale. Well, sure, I'm going to prefer my cat over yours, but you get the idea.  

Accidents happen. If more people handled their business by keeping their males home, dealing with troublesome pups who won't stay home/eat the neighbors cat/growl at children every dog would be a worthy one, papered, registered, tagged or not.

Instead, those unbalanced sad beasts with hips that fall apart, eyes that fail and personalities that are not desired get bred because they are "pretty". The good dogs wind up snipped because they don't have some organizations stamp of approval. Not always, but there has to be a medium somewhere.

So one litter happened to a family who made a mistake. Oh no! Tar and feather them and question their own parentage!  Should they even be allowed to have HUMAN children? :grump: 

Anyway, relax. It's a litter of pups, not a crime against humanity.


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## onthespot (Oct 7, 2007)

Hi, sorry for the thread drift, congrats on the upcoming litter! May as well enjoy it instead of feeling guilty. I am sure you will do the right thing with the puppies. When I am checking for how close they are to delivering, I check the milk. When it first shows when you squeeze a teat, it can be bluish and sort clear. Closer to due date it may turn yellowish and sticky and right up to showtime, opaque, whitish and not so sticky as earlier. Hope that helps. Taking of the temps is a rough guide, which half of the girls do not read that guide, but I would still do it if I were you. When it drops under 99, don't plan to go anywhere if you want to see the puppies born.


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