Dog Pregnancy Calendar A Useful Way of Tracking Your Pet's Pregnancy
Expecting puppies in your house is an exciting event. You would like to be prepared for their arrival and would like to do your best to take care of the expecting mother. Preparing a dog pregnancy calendar is a fun and informative way to do so. There is lots of information available online to help with your queries about dog's breeding, dog's pregnancy calendar and care for a pregnant dog. So read a lot to gather the needed information. www.dogbreedinginfo.com, www.pet-comfort-product.com and www.vetmedicine.about.com are some of the useful sites which provide a lot of handy information about handling a dog's pregnancy. But before following any of those suggestions, take advices from your vet.A dog pregnancy calendar can be maintained to write down the expecting delivery dates and other useful information like what should be expected during a certain week of gestation, what is the nutritional requirement of the dam and what other care and preparation should be taken into account.The first step in the dog's pregnancy is getting it mated during the right time or during its heat period. Take a note of the date on which the dogs mated and then you calculate the due date. The gestation period is almost 2 months starting form the conception day. The total length of gestation varies depending on the breed but it is usually 57 to 64 days and the puppies can be delivered anytime after 55 days. So mark the important days in your calendar and watch out for the nesting behavior in the Dam. A weekly canine pregnancy calendar is the most informative tool to keep record of the events. Sometimes dogs show the symptoms of pregnancy even when they are not pregnant. This is called Pseudo pregnancy or false pregnancy.
These false pregnancy symptoms can generally be there for 20 to 22 days. Pregnancy confirmation can be made at the vet's office by 22-25 days. First week of pregnancy calendar: After about 48-72 hours of mating, fertilization occurs. Keep an eye on vaginal infection due to breeding and talk to your vet if you find any. Never give any medication without your vet's suggestion. As for the nutrition keep feeding her with high end foods as usual. The dog can keep exercising as regular.Second week of pregnancy calendar: The fertilized egg becomes a 64 celled blastocyte and descends into the uterus. Nipples of the dam might enlarge and get dark pink in shade. Continue with nutrition and exercise as regular.Third week of pregnancy calendar: The embryo plants in uterus. Symptoms of morning sickness might appear due to hormonal changes. Vomiting and loss of appetite is seen. Watch out if your dog is loosing appetite due to other reasons like eating her poop or being sick and discuss it with your vet.Fourth week of pregnancy: Pregnancy can be confirmed at vet's office. There might be clear and odorless discharge from vagina. Uterus of dam is distended and stretched. So ask your vet to prescribe a drug to relax the dam of her discomfort. You can start the vet recommended multi-vitamin pills but do not give her calcium supplement as it might interfere with the normal working of her parathyroid gland. Give a balanced high end food and try to give small distributed meals to avoid any discomfort. Give one boiled egg and cottage cheese regualrily.Avoid strenuous physical activities.Fifth week of pregnancy calendar: Time to give a maternity haircut to see the swelling belly. The fetus starts resembling the adult. Dam's weight will start to increase. Increase the food ration to meet her needs but avoid overfeeding as excess weight gain can cause complication in pregnancy.Sixth week of pregnancy calendar: Pregnancy is obvious. If your dam has not got a haircut you will find her hairs everywhere in the house. Keep giving the nutritious food. Avoid rough play. Puppies become colorful as they develop color pigments. Belly of the dam is quite swollen by this time. Put the whelping box in a quiet place and encourage the dam to sleep in it or take rest in it.Seventh week of pregnancy calendar: The tummy is swollen and hard and movement of puppies can be seen. Dam looses her appetite. Continue feeding her small meals to keep her healthy. She will be restless and will spend a lot of time grooming her. She will start wandering and sniffing places to seek a nesting place to deliver. Avoid rough play with the dam.Eighth week of pregnancy calendar: Puppies can be delivered at any time. Cut the hairs around the nipples and clean them to make them ready for lactation of the new born. Milk can be squeezed from the nipples. Call your vet for x ray to determine the position and number of puppies. Keep your car fueled and your whelping kit ready as the puppies might rush any time. Keep checking her rectal temperature. When it drops from 101 to 98, the dam is going to deliver in other 12 hours. After delivery watch for whether the dam is taking good care of puppies or not. You might have to give a feeding lesson by grabbing her nipples and gently directing puppy's mouth to it. Firmly ask the dam to remain in one position till the babies feed. So be prepared to welcome those little cute puppies in your house.
These false pregnancy symptoms can generally be there for 20 to 22 days. Pregnancy confirmation can be made at the vet's office by 22-25 days. First week of pregnancy calendar: After about 48-72 hours of mating, fertilization occurs. Keep an eye on vaginal infection due to breeding and talk to your vet if you find any. Never give any medication without your vet's suggestion. As for the nutrition keep feeding her with high end foods as usual. The dog can keep exercising as regular.Second week of pregnancy calendar: The fertilized egg becomes a 64 celled blastocyte and descends into the uterus. Nipples of the dam might enlarge and get dark pink in shade. Continue with nutrition and exercise as regular.Third week of pregnancy calendar: The embryo plants in uterus. Symptoms of morning sickness might appear due to hormonal changes. Vomiting and loss of appetite is seen. Watch out if your dog is loosing appetite due to other reasons like eating her poop or being sick and discuss it with your vet.Fourth week of pregnancy: Pregnancy can be confirmed at vet's office. There might be clear and odorless discharge from vagina. Uterus of dam is distended and stretched. So ask your vet to prescribe a drug to relax the dam of her discomfort. You can start the vet recommended multi-vitamin pills but do not give her calcium supplement as it might interfere with the normal working of her parathyroid gland. Give a balanced high end food and try to give small distributed meals to avoid any discomfort. Give one boiled egg and cottage cheese regualrily.Avoid strenuous physical activities.Fifth week of pregnancy calendar: Time to give a maternity haircut to see the swelling belly. The fetus starts resembling the adult. Dam's weight will start to increase. Increase the food ration to meet her needs but avoid overfeeding as excess weight gain can cause complication in pregnancy.Sixth week of pregnancy calendar: Pregnancy is obvious. If your dam has not got a haircut you will find her hairs everywhere in the house. Keep giving the nutritious food. Avoid rough play. Puppies become colorful as they develop color pigments. Belly of the dam is quite swollen by this time. Put the whelping box in a quiet place and encourage the dam to sleep in it or take rest in it.Seventh week of pregnancy calendar: The tummy is swollen and hard and movement of puppies can be seen. Dam looses her appetite. Continue feeding her small meals to keep her healthy. She will be restless and will spend a lot of time grooming her. She will start wandering and sniffing places to seek a nesting place to deliver. Avoid rough play with the dam.Eighth week of pregnancy calendar: Puppies can be delivered at any time. Cut the hairs around the nipples and clean them to make them ready for lactation of the new born. Milk can be squeezed from the nipples. Call your vet for x ray to determine the position and number of puppies. Keep your car fueled and your whelping kit ready as the puppies might rush any time. Keep checking her rectal temperature. When it drops from 101 to 98, the dam is going to deliver in other 12 hours. After delivery watch for whether the dam is taking good care of puppies or not. You might have to give a feeding lesson by grabbing her nipples and gently directing puppy's mouth to it. Firmly ask the dam to remain in one position till the babies feed. So be prepared to welcome those little cute puppies in your house.
By arunima singh
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