How to Take Care of Pregnant Dog?

Being pregnant is a wonderful time for your dog. Like humans, you have to take care of pregnant dog to ensure the puppies’ healthy and safe delivery. A pregnant dog faces some hormonal and behavioral changes at the onset of pregnancy, similar to humans.

The gestation period for dogs lasts approximately 9 weeks or 63 to 65 days. This is a very short time. Sometimes the owners are not aware of their dog’s pregnancy and come to know when they see the puppies. This is a crucial time for your dog’s health, and you need to take care of pregnant dog by providing the best nutrition and medication.

Symptoms of Pregnant Dog

Most dogs do not show the pregnancy signs until the first month. Suppose you’re doubtful about your dog’s pregnancy. Check out the following signs of pregnancy in dogs.

• Lethargy
• Increased weight
• Stress
• Affectionate
• Swollen nipples
• Increased belly size
• Occasional Vomiting (in some cases)
• Increased appetite
• Nesting behavior
• Vaginal discharge

If you notice these doge pregnancy symptoms, you should visit your vet. He will carry out further tests, including ultrasound, palpation, x-rays, and hormonal tests, to ensure the pregnancy.

Some dogs experience these symptoms but are not pregnant, and the situation is called false pregnancy in dogs. So a veterinary checkup is necessary to exclude other medical conditions that are not related to pregnancy.

How to Take Care of Pregnant Dog?

At the onset of pregnancy, proper care of the pregnant dog is essential to avoid any complications. The following tips can help you out.

Nutrition

The first and foremost thing is to provide the best nutrition to your pregnant dog. A nutritious diet with lots of proteins, fats, and minerals will be the best to take care of pregnant dog health. If you are feeding regular food to your dog, you can replace it with healthy food by consulting your vet. Growing puppies requires a lot of strength so that she will eat one and half times more than usual.

Her eating habits may be changed like she will eat small portions of a meal more frequently if she is facing morning sickness. So you should never hold back if she needs food. 45 days pregnant dogs require even more food because the fetal growth of puppies is the highest at this stage, so she requires even more food.

Exercise

Exercise is beneficial for pregnant dogs but to take the best care of pregnant dog, avoid strenuous and challenging exercises. Prefer to take them on short walks and have a playful time that will not stress her out. It requires more energy to carry the puppies, and she may get tired soon. Avoid any obedience training during this time.

Veterinary visits

To take better care of pregnant dog you should pay regular visits to your vet. Provide her with the vet’s food depending upon her breed, size, and nutritional requirements. If necessary, the vet will prescribe dietary supplements that could ensure a healthy pregnancy.

The vet will prescribe some treatments to protect the puppies from heartworms, roundworms, hookworms, and fleas during the last few weeks. He may take x-rays and ultrasounds on the 45 days pregnant dog to monitor the proper growth of the puppies.

How to Take Care of Pregnant Dog a Few Days Before Birth?

The last days of pregnancy are crucial, so you should take the following steps to help her out.

Give Her Affection And Love

During the last few days of her pregnancy, she will ask for your attention and affection just like a little baby. She may behave clingy, but you should be affectionate as your loving behavior will give her comfort during that difficult time. Some dogs do not deliver their babies unless their owners are around, so you should never neglect her because she trusts you.

Give Your Dog Some Quiet Space

During the pregnancy, the dog becomes overprotective and does not like too many noises and people around her. So to take care of pregnant dog’s needs, you should give her some quiet space and place a box where she can feel safe and do some nesting behavior.

It is necessary to guide the family members and children to deal with her care and not disturb her. In some cases, the dogs also get annoyed by strangers in the house. If you do not provide her with some quiet space, she will move out in search of a safe and quiet area where she can safely deliver her babies.

Separate Her From Other Pets

It would be best to separate her from other pets in the house or avoid other dogs’ encounters when in parks or playing outside. Other dogs may carry parasites that can be transferred to her body and then to the puppies when born. You would probably like to see the cute little puppies in discomfort due to itching. This separation can also prevent her from canine herpes, which leads to stillbirth in dogs.

How to Take Care of Pregnant Dog During Whelping?

The dog birth is called whelping. She might stop eating during the last three weeks, so you should never force her.

Dogs are animals, so they can help themselves by following their natural instincts, but still, you should monitor the whole process to avoid any complications.

Supplies for Whelping At Home

Some of the supplies that could need during whelping are as follows:

• Newspapers to prepare the whelping box
• Clean towels for cleaning the puppies
• Sterilized scissors to clip the umbilical cord
• Bulb syringe to ensure breathing in puppies
• A heat source, possibly a heat lamp, hot water bottle
• Thermometer to monitor the dog’s temperature before whelping
• Iodine for cleaning the cut umbilical cord on the bellies of puppies

Prepare a whelping box with some clothes and newspaper where she can give birth to her puppies. Put water in her approach as she could be tired and thirsty during whelping. As she delivers the baby, make sure to provide enough warmth to the delivered puppies.

Ensure that the puppy is breathing correctly; otherwise, rub the puppy’s back and remove the placenta from the nose and mouth. The dog will remove the umbilical cord and the placenta from the baby herself, but if she does not, you should do so as it can interrupt breathing and cause the puppy’s death. Normally, whelping time for each puppy is an hour, so if she delivers 5 puppies, it will take five hours.

Keep a vet’s number in hand. If you see any complications, then call the vet immediately. Otherwise, there is no need. And you can take the puppies to the vet to have a regular checkup.

FAQs

Do dogs take pregnancy test?

You r vet will take some pregnancy tests that check the amount of a hormone named relaxin in blood. This hormone is released from the placenta at the onset of pregnancy.

What are the first signs of pregnancy in dogs?

Most dogs do not show the pregnancy signs until the first month. Suppose you’re doubtful about your dog’s pregnancy. Check out the following signs of pregnancy in dogs.

• Lethargy
• Increased weight
• Stress
• Affectionate
• Swollen nipples
• Increased belly size
• Occasional Vomiting (in some cases)
• Increased appetite
• Nesting behavior
• Vaginal discharge

How long are dogs pregnant?

The gestation period for dogs lasts approximately 9 weeks or 63 to 65 days.