Most of us really do not know too much about a female dog having puppies and so I thought I would gather some information so that if you ever have to care for a pregnant female dog, you will have some knowledge of what to expect and do.
A female dog comes into heat (or an average sized dog) about every six months and for large dogs about every 8 to 10 months. The heat period lasts for up to three weeks. The first sign might be a swollen vulva and then sometime during the first week your female will start to bleed. Then comes the call of the wild and the male dogs will descend upon your property with total determination, so be prepared for lots of company.
SPAYING YOUR DOG
Unless you are a breeder it is advisable to have your female puppy spayed as soon as it is possible. However, once in a while in our busy lives, we may forget to have it done and lo and behold we have a pregnant dog on our hands.
Pregnancy can last anytime between 60 to 67 days with the average being 63 days. If possible keep track of the date the neighborhood male visited your dog. About three weeks after that take her to the vet to have the pregnancy confirmed.
If your dog is pregnant she will begin to eat more than she usually does (approximately 1 1/2 times more). Be certain to feel her a high quality food. There are foods available at pet stores or your vet for pregnant females, however if you choose not to go that route, be certain to feed her quality dog food.
During the nursing period she will eat even more. Do not withhold food, as she knows what she needs. It might be wise, if advised by your vet, to feed her vitamins and supplements.
From the time of breeding many dogs tend to go through behavioral changes, some will become a great deal more affectionate, while others might get a bit more irritable. Some believe it or not even suffer from morning sickness, followed by a huge appetite.
The pregnancy begins the moment the male's sperm reaches the female's eggs. As I said the average pregnancy lasts about 63 days. In the beginning the puppies are just a series of fertilized eggs that soon begin to divide into cells. They start with two cells and finally dividing into 16 cells which is what it takes to make a puppy.
From the 9th day to approximately the 20th day these fertilized cells change into am embryo and attach themselves to the wall of the uterus. By the 25day your vet or breeder can begin to feel the embryos and confirm the pregnancy.
By day 28 the embryo begins to resemble a puppy and is about 2 centimeters long, By day 30 all kinds of interesting things begin to happen, the legs and paws are beginning to form, the embryos begin to open their mouths and stick our their tongues and seem to be panting. The central nervous system begins to form and the puppy's sexual characteristics begin to form, also.
By day 35 the eyelids fuse to protect the forming eyes from contamination. The fetus is officially formed by this time and is about the size of a billiard ball.
From day 45 to the day the puppy is born all kind of wonderful things are gong on. The calcification of the bones now enables your vet to X-ray the puppies and see how many there are.
By day 55 the puppy has a full coat of hair, nails and paw pads, the baby teeth are formed but will not be visible until a few weeks after birth.
By day 57 they are completely formed and are beginning to develop a sense of smell.
Day 63 or there about the birth will happen and comes in 3 stages, the cervical stage, which lasts anywhere from 6 to 12 hours. The puppy will be born between 10 to 20 minutes after the female begins straining and it usually will take an hour or more between each puppy's birth. Most puppies are born head first, but sometimes mother nature pulls a trick and a puppy can be born breach with the legs or tail coming out first.
Most females will remove the birth sack by themselves, but if she does not it is up to the human to do so. In this case, I hope you have had a conversation with your vet on what to do.
Prior to the birth you should have prepared a whelping box for your female so that your female knows where to go. Many females want their humans with them at the time of birth and some will not deliver unless the human they love is there.
Line the whelping box with lots of newspapers to absorb the fluids and have it in a secluded place so that the mother feels safe. Keep little children away unless well supervised and quiet.
This is just a birds eye view of what to expect if your female is pregnant. I most urgently advise you to have several talks with your vet regarding the upcoming birth and if you possibly can, have someone who is familiar with the birthing process with you to help if needed.
Puppies are such wonderful critters and such a joy to have around, but spaying your female is really the best way to go.
My Dog is Having Puppies! Now What?
If this article has been of benefit, please visit my web site and blog at http://www.cats-and-dogs-on-the-web.com.
SPAYING YOUR DOG
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