How Long Does a Dog Pregnancy Last?
The length of pregnancy (gestation period) varies widely by species. For a dog, the average gestation period is 63 days. Depending on the breed and number of puppies, this might change slightly. Since conception does not always take place on the same day as mating, it can also be challenging to predict an exact due date. Therefore, birth can occur 58 to 72 days after mating.
Dog Pregnancy Stages: Week 9 Pictures
The puppies are now fully grown and prepared to give birth. Within 24 hours of labor:
3 Nidation
The embryos embed themselves in the uterine lining, where they develop later. They will gradually become encased in a barrier that supplies them with the nutrients they require.
Pictures of Dog Pregnancy Stages, Week by Week
Early pregnancy won’t change much, so you and your dog can carry on as usual. However, inside of her, fertilization is taking place, and blastocysts are growing and traveling to the uterus in order to be implanted.
Around week three the embryos have implanted in the uterus, and some dogs may experience morning sickness. While generally not as severe as in human mothers, you may notice:
You can offer small frequent meals to help ease nausea. To ensure there is nothing more serious going on, it is best to consult your vet if these symptoms persist for more than a few days.
Until later in pregnancy, nutritional needs remain constant. However, you must ensure that she is receiving a high-quality diet and that she is not currently losing weight. As your pregnancy develops, you might also think about switching to a food that is designated for pregnancy, lactation, or puppies (no large-breed puppy foods).
You might still be unsure at this point whether your dog is pregnant (see our article on how to tell if your dog is pregnant). Around days 21 through 35, your veterinarian may detect fluid-filled sacs on abdominal palpation during a physical examination. Afterward, they blur and are challenging to palpate until late in pregnancy. But pregnancy will become more obvious in the coming weeks.
Pregnancy will become more apparent at this stage, with the onset of weight gain and several diagnostic tests available to your vet to help confirm the pregnancy. Around day 30 a blood test for relaxin levels (produced by the placenta) may be used to detect pregnancy. An ultrasound may be used after day 25-35 to detect fetuses and listen to their heartbeats (which average around 230 beats per minute).
This is the beginning of the fetal stage. The pups’ organs have all started to mature, and they will now start to grow quickly.
Around this time, your dog should get a deworming to avoid passing parasites to the puppies. With your veterinarian, go over pregnancy-safe options and a suggested deworming schedule.
Around day 45, when your dog enters the third trimester, you’ll see a lot more physical changes, like an expanding belly, enlarged mammary glands, and colored nipples. Around day 45, fetal skeletons will also be discernible on an x-ray.
The puppies are now developing rapidly and the strain on mom’s body increases significantly. Weight gain will ramp up, and energy requirements will increase to 30-60% higher than usual. Therefore food intake should increase by approximately 1.5 times her normal amount. At the same time, puppies continue to take up more space making large meals difficult to tolerate. If you haven’t already made the switch, it is now important to feed an easily digestible calorie-dense diet, and to offer small frequent meals. This diet should be approved for pregnancy, lactation, or puppies, and should be continued from now until the pups are fully weaned. Do not feed a large-breed puppy food, as the ratio of calcium and phosphorus is not appropriate at this time.
Dr. Liza Cahn (DVM) Veterinarian at Senior Tail Waggers
Discuss canine herpesvirus with your vet and if you should isolate your pregnant dog from other dogs for the last three weeks of gestation and the first three weeks after giving birth. This disease causes a mild cold in adult dogs, but can cause miscarriage or death in newborns if mom becomes infected.
Now is a good time to start whelping preparations and make arrangements for how you will care for the mother and pups after delivery. At this point, X-rays will serve as a reliable predictor of litter size. The puppies are growing and starting to get fur.
Labor is approaching soon. Discharge from the vulva is common in the final week of pregnancy, but if it looks bloody, thick, purulent (pus-like), or dark green in color, call your veterinarian. Additionally, milk may start oozing from the nipples, and nesting behavior may be apparent.
Two to three times a day, you should start taking your dog’s temperature this way. A normal canine temperature is 99. 5-102. 5F. A temperature drop (to an average of 98. 8F) is a reliable sign that labor will start in the next 24 hours.
Dr. Liza Cahn (DVM) Veterinarian at Senior Tail Waggers