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Um, pregnant? (dog breeders/lovers HELP PLEASE!)

3K views 19 replies 12 participants last post by  SallyJane 
#1 ·
OHMYGODOHMYGODITHINKMYDOGISPREGNANTANDI'MFREAKINGOUT :shock: /end panic attack

Alright, so, I think my Boxer x Dane girl was wooed by some rouge warrior before I came to own her and has a bunch of Mini-Hazels in her belly. I am, to say the least, utterly freaked out. I've never even considered breeding a dog, and here I am! Possible-preggo pooch snoozing right next to me. And she might multiply! O_O augh! whatdoIdo?!

Heres what I've come to realize:
-She was kept outside right in her 'prime time' on a chain and let in during the night. Outside. Alone. On a chain. Unspayed.

-The previous owners said that she had growled at the neighbor's dog. Today she met my future-neighbors dog (a very unfriendly pooch, female) and she didn't do so much as raise a hair. She wanted to play, then go meet all of the other neighbors, with me in tow.

-Her eating habits are strange. To me it seemed like she just really hates the dry food I've been offering, so this is a really iffy realization, but she just doesn't seem to eat that much considering her boundless energy.

-She's very cuddly. Again, an 'iffy' sign, she could just be an affectionate lap-potato like my pup Button was (Button was absolutely not preggo).

-She's never come into heat. Ever. Even so she was due last month, according to my one-breeding-age-dog experience. She was born around the 8th of January and never showed ANY signs of coming into heat. She did lick her vulva quite a bit around the end of January, and I thought she was in heat, but there was no blood or any other signs of a regular heat cycle. I really do mean none.

-She has huge nipples, and there growing sacks. Isn't a maiden pooch supposed to have small, flat nipples? Hers are big, and are starting to show puffy, soft 'sacks' above them.

-She's doing some weird nesting thing. This started a few days ago on beds, she would literally spend minuets (this is long, her normal behavior is sniff, turn, and sleep) moving blankets and pillows, 'digging' and generally arranging the area.
Today, she spent a good hour or two digging a 'nest' into a dirt pile. I've never seen her dig, or exhibit any interest in this dirt pile before today. She spent quite some time digging, sniffing around, moving rocks, etc. then just sorta settled down in it.

-She seems preoccupied. I noticed this especially today, she just seemed like she had something on her mind (I really wish she was thinking about biscuits or beef jerky). Normally you have her attention, if you want it or not, all of the time. Today you got her attention, but not that I-only-revolve-around-you way. Sometimes it was almost like she just didn't hear you entirely.


The only non-preggo dog thing about her seems to be her utterly endless supply of zoom. She's quite the athletic girl, one solid hunk of muscle, and can run for a good 30 minuets straight, full speed ahead, leaping over things (and sometimes, into you) without tiring. Sometimes it's rather frighting, as one of her favorite things to do is to come racing up behind you like a locomotive and zip past with only the barest breath-of-an-inch between you and her.



I intended on getting her spayed before her next heat cycle had a chance to kick in. Since she didn't have it here, even though she was due, I figured it came early before I got her. Didn't even occur to me that hey! she was outside during this time!.


Now I get to worry that she's pregnant, so what about her nutrition? She's not eating to well right now...at least not how I would prefer her to be eating.

She's had all her shots and has been wormed, so thats good...and oh-dear-god what about the birth? Birth itself doesn't bother me, but I've read the stories where there's been some sort of complication resulting in the death of the mother, or the pups, or both.
Like a retained puppy. Or a stillborn. Or what if one comes out deformed...or she tries to eat them, or lays on one, or doesn't produce enough milk, or any milk, or one dies randomly. Or what if she bites my fingers off during labor?


And all I wanted was ONE dog to enjoy for the rest of her natural (SPAYED) years. Now I have one dog with the possibility of 1-15!


And if the pups survive then theres puppy shots and dewclaws and...and then the rehoming of the puppies. :shock:!


Help please? Anyone at all?
 
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#2 ·
i would take her to the vet !!!

does she seem a little bigger on her sides ?

my dog had oops puppies a couple years ago & we thought she was just getting fat, haha but then we took her to the vet & they said she was about to pop & she had them 2 days later ! thankfully she only had4 & they were easy to rehome. we gave them away, we didnt sell them. she did have to go into the vet to have them though. she kept pushing for about 2hrs & nothing was happening so the vet helped her out a little. at home we got a heat lamp & a kiddie pool lined with towels for them to stay in. it was so cool & the puppies were so cute =]
 
#3 ·
Sounds like she is either bred or having a psuedo-pregnancy (some dogs take the delusion farther than others as far as how many symptoms they display and how much their body will change) - and from her previous situation, I would lean far towards the former.
I would suggest having her vet checked to give you a better idea as to the pregnancy status, point in gestation, possible pup-count and any issues the vet might see that could pose any issues for the whelping. The vet can also help by answering your questions.

How long have you had her? (trying to get an idea of where she would be in her pregnancy)

Whelping can be dangerous, as can any birth process. However, *most* of the time, it is just an opportunity to witness a miracle. We often foster expecting animals from the shelter (cats and dogs) so I have had a lot of midwifery experience when it comes to our furry friends. The best thing you can do is to educate yourself on the normal process and on the red flag indicators and be prepared as to how you will deal with all of them.
 
#11 ·
How long have you had her? (trying to get an idea of where she would be in her pregnancy)
I've only had her since...2nd week of January? The people I had gotten her from where in a rather nasty wreck and both ended up with broken hips. With her energy and I-wanna-be-a-lap-dog! enthusiasm, they just couldn't handle her and had no one reliable enough to care for her. If my math is correct they got into the wreck in...October, and she was kept outside since then and kenneled during the night.

Incidentally, if you are truly opposed to the idea of a litter (and depending on where she is in the pregnancy) an abortive spay is an option.
If she is pregnant, I'd much rather see it through (as ohmygodwhatifsomethingoeswrong as I am) than abort the pups. More likely than not, I'd end up keeping one myself :lol:



I really don't know if I should get the pups dewclaws removed or not, or even if it's really necessary. My girls are removed and it DOES make me feel better, as I take her running in the woods and there are a thousand things something like that could get snagged on. But thats just me, the worry wart >.<


By my guess-timations if she IS pregnant she's in the range of days 30-40 days along, which is a big leap, but I unfortunately have no idea when she was bred exactly or when she came into heat.

I'm planning for pups end of February early March, and will start taking her rectal temperature religiously so it's not like 'Surprise! Puppies!'

I would love to just take her to the vet to see for sure, but with my parents going through a divorce the 'Emergency Vet Jar' is reserved for a serious emergency, like she breaks a leg or has complications during labor.
When I got her I knew exactly I could afford her food, Frontline, wormer, and a fun chew toy here and there. Puppies is a whole new story x.X


On the bright side, there will be adorable puppy pictures for everyone! XD
 
#8 ·
I did misread the post, sorry. The most irresponsible owner was the first owner. But from my understanding twogeldings did have the dog long enough to notice all of those things she thought were different. I'm not pointing fingers, we have all made our mistakes and if the dog is pregnant she will learn her lesson. I'll admit I didn't get my two cats spayed, thinking they were too young. Low and behold they both were in heat at the same time and went away for a week, came back pregnant. Oh man did I lean my lesson! twelve kittens. Good luck. Sometimes you can work something financially out with your vet, esp, if you tell him/her that your dog came like that.
 
#10 ·
How long have you had her? Take her to a vet. They'll be able to tell you exactly what is going on and some options on what to do. BTW you don't HAVE to take a puppies dewclaws off. There really isn't a reason to do this.
 
#12 ·
To me, sounds like she is prenant, not just a false pregnancy. Most dogs do fine all by themselves when delivering. Make sure she has a safe QUIET place to nest (she may start looking for a place in the next week or so if your estimations are correct) like a closet, etc. Load up on towels and newspaper! Birth is extremely messy! The pups (if she is a large breed, there may not be a lot of them, so that's a plus!) need to be kept warm, dry and clean. Go online and look up dog birthing to get all the info you need.
Make sure she has lots of good, nutritios food (she will probably want to eat more), and give her lots of love and attention. She will need to be with you more and more as she gets nearer to her due date.
 
#14 ·
I was watching Dogs 101 Puppies yesterday so just a few things I learned that you might want to know. Puppies can't regulate their own body temp til 3 weeks of age so if mama isn't with them at any point in those first 3 weeks you need to make sure to keep them warm. I'm pretty sure they said to start feeding the mom puppy food and to give her 4 times as much as usual but I'm not sure how close to birthing that needs to be.

About removing the dewclaws: all but one of my dogs have kept there dewclaws (the one came to us without them). So that's one of 4 right now that doesn't have them and over 10 for my lifetime. None of them have ever lost a dewclaw. We have had a ton of other things go wrong with them but that has never happened. We have a lot of woods in our yard that they are always runnign through and they've never had a problem with them. I think most people remove them for reasons other than safety and that it's unnecessary. But I have seen dogs with more... floppy (I guess that's a good word for it) dewclaws than others and those make me nervous. None of my dogs have had floppy dewclaws, but I do think those seem like they'd be much easier to get caught and hurt on something.
 
#15 ·
Thanks for all the info and help guys ;D
I'm going to be giving my out-of-town friends a call for some advice as well, they used to breed hunting Labs but recently quit due to the time and expense of raising litters (average was 12-13 pups). I bought both Loki and Red from them, they've had some of the happiest pups I've ever seen. All 7-or-so of there dogs are well cared for too :)

Hopefully they won't freak out too much and lecture me on the pros and cons of having a litter. Your dog is WHAT?! hehe, wasn't my idea, I swear!
 
#17 ·
Everything you have said describes a pregnant dog. Her being active is ok. It keeps her in shape for the birth. feed momma puppy food. It gives her and the babies the nutrients they need. Provide her with a quiet place to whelp. If you do get the dewclaws removed you wanna do it just a few days afer birth bc the nerves havent fully formed yet. The puppies will need warmth for a few weeks. We had 7 litters and never needed to go to the vet for a breched pup or anything, but be sure to have a vet availible just in case. Momma will know what to do instictivly. I'm pretty sure dogs are only pregnant for like 8 or 9 weeks so you may not have long. She'll get restless and look uncomfortable when the time gets close, alot of panting and looking for a place to whelp. For a week or 2 after the birth watch for a calcium defficeintcy (SP?) She'll be panting and shaking alot.
 
#18 ·
I would ot worry too much about the dewclaws, really. I used to breed and show Borzoi, and this was a touchy subject. Some say it's best for the dog so they don't catch them on things, some say stary natural. I'm for leaving them alone altogether. (The main reason they are removed, to tell the truth, is that it gives the dog a 'cleaner' looking leg. That is all) The only dogs that I have seen (I was a vet tech for many many years) that have had problems with dewclaws were usually ones that had had a botched removal, and the claws grew back deformed and twisted. As long as you keep that nail short, don't let it grow into a spiral, it will be fine. Just remember that the dewclaw doesn't wear down naturally like the other claws, so it needs trimming.
Allso, dewclaw removal is expensive, esp with an entire litter. If money is tight, leave them alone, and focus on the important things like shots, GOOD food (Not Alpo, but good quality) Canned chicken dog food is great, has mega nutrients, and she will love it. Puppy chow is also really good (stay away from "large breed" style) Read the ingredients. The first should read "chicken" or whatever (Chicken or lamb are best...beef not very good)
 
#20 ·
Sounds to me like she is pregnant! Congradulations!

When our little dog was pregnant she would dig really deep holes all through our gardens and lay in them, nesting and testing them. This wasn't practical as it was unsafe for her and her future pups so when it came time we brought her inside to a specially prepared warm, dry, comfy, darkish cupboard. She was fine about... well, apart from the fact she was giving birth :P She went back to that cupboard for the next litter as well.

Usually everything goes just fine. We had one complication. One of the puppies got stuck on his way out (She must have mated with a slightly larger dog up the road) We tried to get to the vets on time but we lived in a tiny country town and the nearest vet was 40mins drive. About halfway there she gave birth but we lost the puppy. It was sad, but that is just how it goes. Thankfully she, and her other four puppies were just fine. I would sugest making sure you can get to the vet if you need to in an emergency, but I wouldn't stress too much.

Birth is a completely natural thing, make sure your doing your best to look after her and only she can do the rest. :)
 
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