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My pregnant lab is small. Will mixed puppies be stillborn or too tiny?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 1 month old | 150 lbs

My pregnant yellow lab that is one year old is very small for being close to her due date. She is pregnant from a 6 year old jack russel terrier. We are worried they might be stillborn or is it possible that they will just be small because of the mix in breeds?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Joy Fuhrman, DVM, MBA, CPA

Veterinarian

Published on April 18th, 2017

If Sophie is very close to her due date I would expect that she would have gained some weight, even if the pups are small. It is possible that she could be carrying a singleton (one puppy) high up in the ribs. Also if pregnancy was confirmed before 5 weeks it is possible that the pups may be been resolved. Either way, I would recommend taking Sophie to the vet for a scan to see how many puppies there are and to see if they are alive and well.

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    Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    As a general rule of thumb, pups will develop to an appropriate size for the mother, especially when cross bred with a smaller male. The biggest risks for difficult birth are breeds with large head/shoulders such as bulldogs, mothers with narrow/injured pelvis and single litters of 1-2pups where the pups are larger. All expectant mothers should be monitored closely during labor as difficulties can arise for many different reasons

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