How to tell if my dog is pregnant and what care is needed for labor?

Question

Hi my mum has a female staff that was in heat and to cut a long story short she got stuck with the male dog my mum has also it was a massive failure of keeping the dogs seperate while mum was saving up to get the male dog done she has had pups before my mum got given to her for free and she had to be rushed into a vets due to an infection in her nipple she is coming to me for a few weeks just incase she is pregnant ... how do we know for sure? What care does she need during labour and after. Pet's info: Dog | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Female | unspayed

Lauren Jones VMD · Accepted Answer

If Bonnie recently mated with the male dog, it may be too soon to determine if she is pregnant. Some pet owners elect to have their female dogs spayed shortly after an unintended mating rather than waiting to determine if their dog is pregnant. Understand that this is an option (vets do not judge at all if you choose to go this route!), but it is completely up to you. Dogs are pregnant for an average of 63 days, and around 45 days into pregnancy, x-rays can determine how many puppies are present. Depending upon Bonnie's size and body condition, a vet may be able to feel puppies in her uterus during abdominal palpation around 25-30 days into pregnancy. Calorie requirements increase during both pregnancy and nursing for female dogs, so at this point, consider switching Bonnie from an adult dog food to a puppy dog food (higher in calories and calcium) until she has weaned any puppies. Gradually transition to the puppy food by mixing the old and new diets together over 5-7 days. These links have some great information regarding the birthing process and prenatal care: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=678 & http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1459. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Bonnie!

How to tell if my dog is pregnant and what care is needed for labor?

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