Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My dog is 30 days pregnant. How do I prepare for her puppies?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | unspayed

I know my dog is definitely pregnant. What do I need to do now to prepare for puppies she is about 30 days in

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on October 20th, 2017

Great question and congrats on Sasha's pregnancy! I would have her seen by vet in another 15 days for an x-rays. That will tell you how many puppies she is carrying so when she is whelping, you can count them and it will help you identify if there is a problem much sooner. I would also speak with your vet about complications to look out for during labor, and I would start setting aside some money just in case she needs an emergency c-section. It's best to be prepared financially so you aren't in a terrible situation if she does need one. You can feed her a puppy formulated food, but that needs to be stopped 10-14 days before she is due. At that point, put her back on an adult dog food. Once she has whelped her puppies, put her back on the puppy formulated food. She will need the extra calories, calcium, and protein a puppy food provides to support nursing her puppies. Make sure she is up to date on her flea treatment and deworming treatments. Revolution spot on is safe to give to pregnant dogs. If she is due for vaccines, discuss with your vet if they feel it's safe to give her a killed vaccine. I hope this helps and her pregnancy and whelping goes well!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a male and a female dog. She is pregnant. Will he know the puppies are his and is it a good idea to keep one of the puppies? What should I feed the female and how can I make her first pregnancy easier for her? Will she choose her own space for
First, I would recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian to have Srna examined and make sure she is up to date on all preventative care (deworming, vaccinations etc.). You can also discuss when to expect puppies, other testing to confirm pregnancy and count the number of puppies, and when to start monitoring for impending labor. Male dogs can sometimes act aggressively towards their own puppies so you should always supervise contact between them. Plenty of people choose to keep a puppy but you do not have to - and be sure to take precautions since once the puppy becomes sexually mature it could breed with the mother or father. I would recommend feeding a commercially available puppy food or high calorie food intended for working dogs. You should provide a box or other area with bedding for her to whelp, and you should try to be present during whelping to assist if you need to and to watch for complications. After delivery the puppies will need deworming, vaccinations, an
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
Hi my dog is 31 days pregnant and I’m wandering what happens in her pregnancy at this stage? Do the fetuses start to look more like puppies? What happens today?
Hello! This general article about pregnancy may help: https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/pregnancy/ Trixie is starting to enter the second half of her pregnancy, so you may start to see more significant weight gain, an increase in appetite (as the puppies are rapidly growing) and the starting of development of her mammary glands. Now is a good time in the pregnancy to have a checkup done at your vet to ensure mom and babies are doing well and start mom on a puppy food to increase the amount of nutrition she is getting to feed the puppies during development and lactation Your vet may recommend an ultrasound to see them and count them. As she nears the end of her pregnancy, around 60-65 days, you'll want to have an X-ray taken to count number of babies (if you don't know by then) to know how many to expect, and make sure a whelping box is ready for her to use when she goes into labor.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Soska is in the 52 day in pregnancy she is eating well taking her vitamins is there is anything i should do should i visit my vet? And how do i know that she is going to give birth now what are the signs??
Hello, Soska is still approximately 10 days from giving birth. Some dogs will go into labor with very little attention, some will become very needy, will become very restless, whiny, go off their food, vomit & develop diarrhea. If she is perfectly content, there is no need to see your veterinarian now unless you want to know how many puppies she may have. An x-ray will show all the puppies inside her. About 24 hours before labor starts, she may start nesting, looking for a place to have her puppies, & you may notice a mucous discharge from her vulva. It may also be a bit blood tinged. She probably will not eat much either. Just keep a good eye on her & she should do well. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My Neopolitan mastiff blue nose pitbull is pregnant there is a difference in her nipples they are large and have dropped I want her to feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible what are some things to expect while your dog is pregnant and what are
Congratulations! Here is a website link with tons of suggestions on how to care for Nova during her pregnancy. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1459 She should be on puppy food from now until the puppies are completely weaned as well. The normal gestation period is 58-72 days but 65 days on average. Signs of trouble include black or green discharge or respiratory distress. I would also recommend having an ER vet on hand in case she does need to have a C- section or if any complications arise. Best wishes with Nova and I hope that her pregnancy goes smoothly. Take care.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Any advice prior to breeding my dog, anything I should think about. Should she has her vaccines update prior or after being pregnant?
HI, thanks for using Boop by Petco! She should have all her vaccines and be dewormed prior to getting pregnant. Things to think about are if Virguie's breed has any trouble giving birth naturally so you can be financially prepared for a surgical C-section. Record all breeding dates accurately. Discuss measuring Progesterone levels with your Vet to time breeding. Look in to whelping boxes and watch videos on whelping so you can help during birth with removing the placentas from the puppies faces and tying umbilical chords. Purchase a bulb syringe to remove mucous from the puppies noses. Virguie should be fed puppy food while pregnant and while nursing. At day 50 pregnant have your Vet take an X-ray of her bally to estimate the number of puppies to expect. Start measuring Virguie's rectal temperature daily around day 58 pregnant to watch for a temperature drop that indicates the start of labor. Always keep your Vet prepared so they can assist you if you have problems. Be prepared to fin
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
What should i do for soska before she gets mated? And how i will prepare it whelping box for guving birth and everything?
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! The first thing is to be sure that Soska is up to date on all her vaccinations, is heartworm negative, in on heartworm prevention and has been dewormed. You can discuss monitoring her progesterone levels and vaginal cytology to optimize the correct breeding dates with your Vet. I will attach a handout on stages of pregnancy and when to worry during labor. Be sure to have a bulb syringe, hemostat, thread to tie umbilical chords and scissors. Here is a good website for whelping boxes:https://gordonsetterexpert.org/2015/10/29/design-yourself-the-perfect-whelping-box-set-up/ Whelping and When to be Concerned Stages of Labor: -Stage 1 tends to start 10-24 hours after temperature drop (usually below 99 F). -Stage 1: nesting. Can persist for 3-24 hours before abdominal contractions begin -Stage 2: Visible abdominal contractions. FIRST PUPPY SHOULD ARRIVE WITH IN 1-2 HOURS. -Stage 3: passage of placenta. Usually occurs within 15 mins of passing puppy.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
How to help pregnant dog ?what kind of food should i provide?give me some advises about daily food chart
Well that is quite simple actually. Pregnant dogs only require puppy food which is higher in calories and provides exactly what she needs to maintain a good milk supply and muscle mass during her last trimester. You should start about halfway through her pregnancy and continue this food daily until she has completely weaned her puppies (at 3-4 weeks of age). You don't really need a daily food chart, just feed her the normal amount of food that you would feed her on a regular basis an she should be just fine. It is also a good idea to get her examined around day 45 by a veterinarian to find out how many pups she is having (via x-ray) and also for a general health exam to make sure mama is in good medical condition for her upcoming labor. Here is a website link with lots more tips and recommendations on how to care for a pregnant dog 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
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My pitbull Mastiff is going to go in heat this October and this is going to be her 2nd heat therefore I want to mate her with my other dog king who is pitbull / boxer but I just want to be very careful what are some things I should do to ensure she w
Ideally you should wait until Nova is 2 years of age to be bred. She is not fully grown at 1 year and can predispose to complications during delivery. If and when she is pregnant, make sure to feed her a quality and balanced puppy food- not adult. The best brands of food are Hills/Science Diet, Purina One, or Iams. Make sure she is up to date on all her vaccines prior to her heat cycle. This is her distemper/parvo combination, rabies, and ideally bordetella and leptospirosis. She should also be dewormed for roundworms and hookworms. Make sure she is free of other parasites by dropping a fresh stool sample off at the vets office. Gestation period for dogs ranges from 60-65 days. It takes 45 days for skeletons to show on radiographs. I recommend having her radiographed around that time to confirm pregnancy and get an idea of how many puppies she may have. Build her a nesting box for her to deliver, and when she does start to show signs (lack of appetite, temperature drop, nesting behavio
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My pomeranian is pregnant for the first time and I don't know what to do. Please can you advise me on how or what I should do to help her and her puppies
Hi. So dogs are really good at handling this very well on their own, but do sometimes need our assistance. The pregnancy lasts 63 days on average. The main points I would make are... 1: get her deformed and a fecal checked 2: no vaccines while pregnant 3. Get x-rays to get a rough number of babies. They show up on x-rays at approx 45 days 4. When it comes time, if she ACTIVELY pushes for more then 20-30 min without any progress, she needs to go to ER for c-section or assistance. There may be breaks between puppies for awhile, and that's OK as long as there isn't active pushing without progress. 5- bring her and babies on for example after born 6- babies get first shots at 6-8weeks old 7- she can be spayed after the babies are weaned. Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Our 2 1/2 year old Labrador may be pregnant. Should I be giving her a supplement or different dog food?
After the first month of pregnancy, pregnant dogs have an increased caloric need, and I recommend that they start eating puppy food since it has more calories per bite and more healthy fats. Here is a good article on birthing puppies with a section on pre-natal care of dogs: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=678
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Food Dog Health & Wellness Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Premium Dog Food Puppy Milk Replacers Puppy Food Wet Dog Food Dog Vitamins & Supplements Prescription Dewormer for Dogs Dry Dog Food Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Puppy Food Prescription Diet Puppy Food ProActive Health Puppy Food Puppy Dog Food Zesty Paws Puppy Milk Replacers Prednisone Dog Health & Wellness Revolution Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Royal Canin Puppy Food PetAg Puppy Milk Replacers Wellness Puppy Food
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored