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How to tell if my dog is really pregnant or having a false pregnancy?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My dog mated 30 days back. She was very active and eating everything for the first 3.5 weeks in pregnancy. Her teats are little large but they are not pink at all. Now I can see a round big belly. She is a stray and 1 year old. Pregnancy was not planned. I just want to know is it a real pregnancy or false pregnancy. She was very active and eating everything till 3rd week in her pregnancy.

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on November 1st, 2019

Unfortunately you can't tell if this is a real pregnancy or a false pregnancy without an ultrasound at this stage. At 22 days, the fetal heart beats can be detected on an ultrasound. At 45 days, the fetal skeletons can be seen on an x-ray. Depending on the size of the mother and the amount of puppies, the fetuses may be palpated in the final weeks of pregnancy. Here are a couple links with additional information: https://www.petcoach.co/article/false-pregnancy-in-dogs/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/pregnancy-diagnosis-caring-for-the-pregnant-dog/ I strongly recommend to have your dog spayed. Otherwise she will have up to two litters of puppies a year. Not only is this a lot of strain on her body, but it contributes to pet over population. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 10th, 2020

    It could be either, and unfortunately without seeing Xena in person, I can't say if she is really pregnant or not. I would wait until 45 days after her mating, then take her into the vet. The vet can do x-rays, which will confirm if she is pregnant or not. It will also show you how many puppies she is carrying if she's pregnant. Best of luck!

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    Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on August 3rd, 2017

    At this point, it would be hard to tell the difference between a false pregnancy and true pregnancy. An ultrasound can be used to check for puppies around 28 days after mating; x-rays can show puppies around 45 days after mating. I would continue to monitor Maia for additional changes, and definitely recommend pregnancy confirmation before the 60 day mark so you can be prepared if she truly is pregnant! If you do not wish to have puppies in the future, I would recommend having Maia spayed to prevent unwanted puppies, and to prevent future infections in her uterus.

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    Answered By David Darvishian

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 10th, 2017

    Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sweety certainly looks pregnant from the pictures but dogs can go through false pregnancies also. There are several imaging tests that can be done to evaluate pregnancy. X-rays or ultrasound study of the abdomen would be 2 ways to confirm pregnancy. 9 weeks is next week so I would imagine if she is pregnant, that she will start very soon to produce milk. Pregnancy length is pretty consistent with dogs, if it was 63 days before, it should be right around 63 days this pregnancy. Good luck with Sweety.

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