Whenever the word loyalty comes to our mind, most of us attach it to a pet dog.Dogs are considered to be one of the most loyal creatures to their master. Masters may forget them but they never forget their masters, or so say their owners.A dog may wander here and there but comes back to its master. They are one of the most beautiful creatures on planet Earth gifted to humankind. There are people who adore dogs and then there are people who are afraid of dogs. However, it is hard to find people who abhor dogs. Such is the appeal of this little creature. There are so many people across the globe who keep dogs for their own personal reasons. Some keep them for the love, some keep them as a stress buster, some even keep them for security purposes.If you wish to learn more fun facts, you can also check how to know if your dog has fleas and how to take care of a box turtle.What are the signs of pregnancy in dogs?Keeping dogs can be easy and non-expensive or it can be hard and very expensive, depending on the breed one choose to keep as a pet and also the gender. So, if the owners decide to go with a female dog they have to take care of the pregnancy phase of their pet. As nature will have it, females are the only gender that can naturally get pregnant amongst any living creature. Now if you are an owner of a female dog, and this is your first-ever female dog and she reaches the age of reproduction which can be anywhere between two to four years, one question that hounds you is how to tell if your dog is pregnant and how to even get prepare for it. Remember, weight gain and morning sickness for the first few weeks are normal for pregnant dogs. Now, these signs can be of false pregnancy and instead of your dog being pregnant she can be depressed. Therefore, consult a vet to confirm the status. A dog’s pregnancy is not easy to tell but it is not that hard to notice the signs of pregnancy if you meticulously observe her. First of all, if your dog is pregnant she will have the following symptoms.A pregnant dog’s appetite will increase.A pregnant dog’s weight will change. You will see weight gain in your dog.A pregnant dog’s nipples will increase in size.The abdomen of the pregnant dog will appear swollen.You will observe that your pregnant dog gets tired easily.Few other early signs of a pregnant dog may include morning sickness, may become more affectionate and will show nesting behavior, or acting irritated most of the time.These pregnancy signs are the initial clock for you to know that maybe your dog is pregnant. Now the next step is to take her to the veterinarian and get her pregnancy test done. You may also observe similar signs as that of humans when they are pregnant and therefore taking care of them becomes crucial. Human pregnancy tests do not work on dogs due to the different pregnancy markersWhat to do when your dog is pregnant for the first time?Pregnancy is not an easy time for your dog. Therefore, you will have to be on your toes to take care of them while your dog experiences pregnancy for the first time, as they go through changes in hormones, body weight gain, behavior, and appetite.Ensure that you visit a vet to determine and rule out false pregnancy or depression. You will notice the vaginal discharge within one month of your dog’s pregnancy and the size of their nipples getting bigger. This discharge acts like a dog pregnancy sign after which you can take them to the veterinary doctor where the vet will determine the pregnancy through tests like ultrasound, touching or feeling the abdomen, or blood tests, like the endocrine test to detect the hormone. Also, they may continue to bleed, which means their period does not stop when they are pregnant. It is normal for your dog to bleed in their period for the first 10 days. The period blood stops or lessens after 10 days which is normal so do not fret. When the pregnancy is confirmed you need to ensure that you keep track of their nutrition and offer them milk and other food recommended by a vet.How to take care of your pregnant dog?Your dog will need more affection, care, and attention during the pregnancy. Do not force your pregnant dog into any strenuous workout just because she is getting fat. Dogs lose their appetite during pregnancy so chances are high that they won’t feel like eating. Before you know they are pregnant, confirmation of a dog’s pregnancy must be consulted to a veterinarian and get an ultrasound done post the vet consultation. An ultrasound will rule out or determine any issues. Once it is confirmed that your dog is pregnant, the first three weeks can be tough for your pet. Therefore, they will need you most compared to other days. Be always around her and cater to her needs and provide her emotional support and nutritional food.Do not add any supplements and or extra vitamins into her diet unless recommended by the veterinarian, as that may cause problems for the pregnant dog and her newborn puppies. Take your pet for a regular short walk during their pregnancy. Get all the vaccinations for worms, parasites, or fleas after consulting the veterinarian. When the gestation period is nearing the end, your dog’s belly is full and about to give birth, that process of delivering the puppy or puppies is called whelping. The belly is bloated to its fullest, she glows at the end of the gestation period, seems to stay in a relaxing mood, sleeping or inactive most of the time but that is a relaxing time for her as her body needs to prepare for the coming process of whelping. Many dogs are capable of whelping all by themselves but others need to be observed. Visit your vet during this phase. The early labor signs will include uterine contraction, and or shaking and panting. During early labor, your dog may start scratching, pacing, or digging. This is normal behavior that typically lasts for 10-12 hours. She will start showing the signs of nesting within 48 hours of the onset of labor. Observe the nesting signs meticulously while measuring her rectal temperature. She may try to look for a safe place to deliver her litter of puppy. After she delivers its puppies make sure to separate them from other male dogs. Typically, during the last three weeks of their pregnancy, it becomes crucial to keep them separate from other dogs and indoors. This should be followed for all dog breeds. One thing which you have to keep in mind is that if your dog is nursing a litter that doesn’t mean she can not get pregnant. If the breeding season is on and she is mating, nursing a litter will not impact her chances of getting pregnant.How many months are dogs pregnant?The gestation period of a pregnant dog is around 63 days, which is nine weeks, from the day of conception. It may vary by several days of these nine weeks depending on the dog breed. During these 63 days, or nine weeks, you will have to ensure that her hormone levels do not go overboard. Keeping her dog food ready at all times is a good idea so that whenever she feels hungry, she can eat. Few dogs vomit during early labor as their belly is set to contract. They will stop eating food as the smell of food may result in vomiting. All these signs are a good and accurate sign of health and a healthy whelping. You should take her rectal temperature. The healthy pregnancy or whelping heat temperature of your dogs should be around 100-102 ℉ (37.77-38.88 ℃) and as soon as the rectal heat temperature drops below 100 ℉(37.77 ℃), it is a sign that labor will start within 24 hours.When the whelping starts, ensure that you take your dog to the vet as they will make sure the health of the dog and the puppy during and after whelping. When she is ready to deliver her first puppy she will typically push for 10-30 minutes. With every new puppy popping out you will see those puppies served in a thin membrane that must be removed for the puppies to breathe. The mother will instantly start licking so that the membrane is removed and will lick the puppy’s mouth and anise so that they start to breathe smoothly. The umbilical cord is still attached, the mother needs to cut it within five minutes of giving birth, and then she gets onto cleaning the puppies by licking them. All the puppies are born 45-60 minutes apart. In between this period, she may try to eat the placenta as it is their way of removing it. But, ensure that she doesn’t eat too much placenta as that will cause her to vomit. Halfway through the birth of her puppies, the mother may take a rest or break for around four to five hours and then start to strain again. Do not fret about this unless the break exceeds four to five hours. If a few of the puppies are born from tail first, do not be concerned as that is normal unless the puppy gets stuck. Regarding the delivery of your pet dog, it is always suggested to consult a vet for better help and to ensure that the mother and her puppies are healthy.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how to tell if your dog is pregnant, then why not take a look at how to massage a dog or labrador retriever facts?
Whenever the word loyalty comes to our mind, most of us attach it to a pet dog.
