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X-ray said 8 puppies, but only 7 born. Is another puppy coming?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Female | unspayed | 2 years and 3 months old | 40 lbs

How accurate are x-rays to determine # of puppies? Vet told us she counted 8. Only had 7 so far. Is it possible she's only gonna have 7? And how likely is it there will be more than 8?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Allison Newth, VMD

Veterinarian

Published on July 20th, 2017

If the radiographs were taken after 42 days gestation the puppies skeletons should have been calcified which means your vet should have been able to count heads and spines and give you a fairly accurate number of puppies. If they were taken before the skeletons had calcified it is much more difficult to get an accurate count. I have been surprised in the past when it turns out some of my patients have had more than the original guess from the radiographs. This can happen if two puppies are superimposed, or overlapped one on top of the other in the images, making it look like two puppies are just one. However, if your vet saw 8 skulls and spines and you only see 7 puppies my thought is there is still one that hasn't been born. If Sugar still doesn't give birth to that eighth puppy in the next few hours I would call your veterinarian. I hope this was helpful!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Stephanie Echols, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    X-rays are not the most accurate way to count the number of puppies. Usually we can estimate within a 0-2 range. It is possible there were only 7 but there could be 9! You can always have her re-radiographed to determine if there are more puppies. The most accurate way to count is via ultrasound but not every vet has this testing option. Good luck with your puppies! Make sure mom is eating puppy food to help with the extra calories she needs to feed the babies.

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