can you tell me signs of german shepard 1st pregenancy didnt see the mating but dog has changed over the last three weeks. Pet's info: Dog | Alsatian | Female | unspayed | 104 years old | 79 lbs

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are not many obvious changes in the first 3 weeks of pregnancy. Abdominal enlargement and mammary gland development isn't obvious until towards the end of pregnancy 45ish to 55 days. Some subtle signs this early would be a decreased appetite or nausea. Some dogs become clingy while others are distant. If you didn't see her mating then she could be experiencing a false pregnancy. This occurs after they are in heat due to a hormonal imbalance. This imbalance causes the dogs body to think they are pregnant when they are not. They can act clingy, carry stiffed animals around like babies, nest, develop enlarged mammary glands and even start producing milk. The symptoms last the length of a normal pregnancy. I hope this helps!

Hi there. I'm afraid it's not possible to tell if a dog is pregnant just by looking - you would need to take her to your veterinarian for x-rays or an ultrasound to find out for sure. From your description, it's certainly possible that she might be pregnant. Other possible causes of an enlarged abdomen would include heart disease, liver disease, an abdominal infection or mass of some kind, or simply overeating. Red vaginal discharge could be associated with pregnancy, but could also be because she is coming into heat or has a uterine infection.

She certainly could be pregnant. At 4 weeks she will not be noticeably larger yet but the clingy behaviour and appetite change are indicators. She could also possibly be in a false pregnancy. If she is pregnant she should start to swell around the belly from now. An ultrasound scan at the vet could confirm her pregnancy.